Multi-band decomposition analysis: application to cardiac alternans as a function of temperature

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Computational Biology

Background:

• Temperature variations are known to influence cardiac arrhythmia development.
• Cardiac alternans, a precursor to lethal arrhythmias like fibrillation, are significantly affected by temperature changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the effects of temperature on cardiac alternans properties.
• To introduce and validate a novel method for analyzing alternans dynamics under varying thermal conditions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized optical mapping recordings from canine ventricular epicardial preparations.
• Applied the multi-band-decomposition analysis (MBDA) to quantify alternans properties across a range of cycle lengths and temperatures.
• Investigated cardiac action potential dynamics under hypothermic conditions.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated that hypothermia promotes the formation of cardiac alternans.
• Showcased MBDA's advantages over traditional action potential duration analysis, including simultaneous quantification across all thresholds and improved assessment of action potential amplitude alternans.
• MBDA provides signal quality quantification without additional processing.

Conclusions:

• The multi-band-decomposition analysis (MBDA) technique offers a promising approach for a deeper understanding of cardiac alternans properties.
• MBDA enhances the analysis of action potential dynamics and alternans, aiding in the study of temperature-related arrhythmia precursors.