POWRE: Signal Processing of Spontaneous Arrhythmias Acquired Chronically in an Adriamycin Model of Heart Failure

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9973513SchuckersOne to two million adults are affected in the United States by heart failure with 200,000 deaths annually. 30-50% of these deaths are sudden and have been attributed to cardiac electrical abnormalities. Electrocardiology, the study of electrical characteristics of the heart, plays a major role in prediction and prevention of sudden cardiac death. Although much research has been performed to attempt to predict sudden cardiac death, no long-term studies have tracked the electrocardiographic progression from normal to diseased state. Furthermore, little work has been done to analyze the electrocardiogram (ECG) in the weeks, days, and hours before a spontaneous event in order to establish a short-term electrophysiologic predictor of sudden cardiac death. If a sudden death episode could be predicted, long- and short-term interventions could be attempted to prevent the event. The overall goal of this proposal is to develop and use an adriamycin rabbit model of heart failure to study the electrocardiographic progression from normal to a sudden death event. Animals will be outfitted with a long-term implanted ECG system. ECGs will be recorded continuously for the lifetime of the animal through radiofrequency-telemetry. Classical ECG features as well as innovative features will be calculated by computer and monitored over the lifetime of the animal where particular attention will be paid to changes preceding an event. The main goal of this work will be the development of a short-term prediction scheme which could predict an impending event such that in the clinical setting preventions/interventions, like electrical therapies may be performed.