A new laser scanning system for measuring action potential propagation in the heart

A rapid laser scanning system was developed to map the spread of excitation in amphibian and mammalian hearts stained with fluorescent dye. Isochronic maps of conduction were constructed by timing the upstroke of the optical action potential; 128 sites could be scanned in 4 milliseconds. The accuracy of this technique was verified by recording simultaneously from 16 unipolar electrodes placed in different areas of the heart. Conducted action potentials in normal frog heart propagated at 0.1 meter per second. Propagation of action potentials was also monitored in ischemic cat heart, in which both driven and arrhythmic action potential upstrokes could be tracked. The results suggest that this system is capable of scanning the normal and abnormal spread of electrical activity in the heart.