Computational analysis of calcium transients in the intact rat heart; model identification

The sarcoplasmic calcium transients determine the contraction strength during the cardiac cycle. A computational model has been derived that can be uniquely identified based on the available time series data of the free calcium concentration in the sarcoplasm. The model assesses the quantitatively most important processes in calcium handling in the intact heart at an integral system level. The in vivo kinetic parameters of cardiac calcium handling have been analyzed.