Cardiac pacing in a chronically-instrumented non-human primate model during centrifugation

The Physiology Research Branch has developed a chronically-instrumented non-human primate model for evaluating cardiac function during exposure to altered gravitational environments. This model has been used to measure cardiovascular hemodynamics and electrical activity. The authors have expanded the model to include cardiac pacing for evaluation of responses and mechanisms in normal and dysrhythmic states. In particular, the authors have been able to produce constant heart rates by means of atrial, ventricular, and dual chamber pacing during centrifugation. Preventricular contractions, bigeminal, and trigeminal rhythms have also been invoked using this same pacing model.