A method for recording chick embryo electrocardiogram using the IX-TA 220 electrocardiogram recording system

1. In developmental embryology in chickens, the cardiovascular system is the first to become functional, the first heart muscular contraction (beat) happens as early as 33 h of incubation of a developmental journey that takes 21 d.2. An electrocardiogram (ECG) recording system (IX-TA 220) has been used to record the ECG of various species. The following trial describes the use of such a system for recording electrical tracing of the developing heart in chick embryos on d 19 of embryonic development with the electrodes piercing the eggshell in specific locations to a depth of about 2 mm. The recorded ECG offers an opportunity to measure or calculate ECG parameters like those measured/calculated in humans.3. The use of anaesthesia substantially reduced embryo motion, but may have a transient tachycardia effect on heart rate.4. This is the first time such a system has been successfully used for measuring heart electrical activities in chick embryos and provides a broader research opportunity in chicken embryo cardio-physiology.