Clinical application of a microcomputer system for analysis of monophasic action potentials

Computerized analysis of monophasic action potentials (MAPs) has rarely been reported in clinical setting. We developed a computer system featuring on-line acquisition and user-monitored automatic measurement of multichannel MAPs with the capability of manual corrections. This system has been used in 34 patients in whom two-channel MAPs and 1-lead ECG were digitized during sinus rhythm, pacing, and programmed stimulation (PS). In total, 41, 413 MAPs in 212 data files were measured. The correct determination rate was 100% for MAP onset and plateau, 99.78% (95.76% during PS) for MAP baseline, and 99.96% (54.29% during PS) for QRS onset. The comparison between the computerized and manual measurements in 292 MAPs showed that the former highly agreed with the latter, with the limits of agreement, defined as mean difference +/- 2 SD, being from -4.8-4.9 ms for activation time and from -4.1-6.0 ms for MAP duration measurements. Using this system, two-channel MAPs of more than 300 consecutive beats can be measured in a few minutes, which made it possible to determine the steady state of MAP duration individually, and evaluate the MAP changes during intervention in detail. The clinical routine procedure for testing the effective refractory period and several new MAP parameters were also evaluated using this system.

The MAP measurement using this computer system is reliable, rapid and accurate; it can therefore replace the manual method and provide more useful information for clinical research.