A programmable pulse generator for atrial pacing in rats for studies on Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Studies on cardiovascular diseases such as pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) rely widely on research in rodents and particularly rat models. In this context, heart rate modulation is of critical interest. However, the lack of pacing systems adapted to small mammals is a major limitation for scientific advancements. Herein, we present an FPGA-based prototype of a programmable pulse generator capable of delivering different waveforms to stimulate rat right atrium. To test our system, we restored a physiological heart rate of 300 beats per minute (bpm) and 400 bpm by stimulating the right atrium in a rat with prior pharmacological reduction of heart rate around 220 bpm with Ivabradine. This experiment proves the validity of the FPGA-based prototype.