Automated system for the analysis of heart monophasic action potentials

In this paper we present an automated system, which can be used in real time for the analysis of heart monophasic action potentials (MAPs) in order to analyze the behaviour of the myocardium under pathological or normal conditions. The system can be described as a three-stage procedure. In the first stage MAPs are acquired using epicardiac electrodes or MAP Franz catheters and the noise is removed using a combination of notch and band pass filters. In the second stage several features of the signal are extracted. In the third stage statistical analysis is performed. The obtained results can be used for the assessment of the electrophysiological status of the atrial muscle, ventricular muscle, and the evaluation of the effects of antiarrhythmic drugs. The validation of the system indicated that it can provide with reliable information on the myocardium condition.