Modeling the cardiac action potential using B-splines

This paper presents a new method for constructing empirical, two-state-variable models of cardiac cell membrane kinetics. The formulation is based on nonuniform rational B-spline surfaces that can be manipulated interactively to produce desired action potential properties. Using this new methodology, a model of the guinea pig ventricular action potential was constructed that reproduces experimentally measured relationships between pacing cycle length and action potential duration and conduction velocity. The model is computationally efficient, requiring about sixfold less time than the Beeler-Reuter ionic model and only 30% more CPU time than a FitzHugh-Nagumo type empirical model. Thus, for modeling propagation phenomena, this method can produce quantitative accuracy with computational cost comparable to the simplest of empirical models.