Deformation Velocity in the Porcine Ventricular Epicardium during Acute Ischemia in In Situ Experiments

The mechanical behaviour of the myocardium plays a crucial role in the proper functioning of the whole organism, as the heart performs the pumping function to circulate blood throughout the body to supply cells with oxygen and micro elements. However, compared to electrophysiology, there are relatively few studies dedicated to the measurement of mechanical cardiac parameters. This study proposes an algorithm for processing video recordings of an open, non-isolated porcine heart during normal, ischemic and fibrillation periods. As a result, plots representing the average epicardial deformation velocity during the experiment time were obtained for two laboratory pigs. Thanks to these methods, it has become possible to identify the moment of intensification of the ischaemic processes that can occur prior to the fibrillation. Additionally, for more full picture, the visualisation of displacement fields, where vortex-like processes were generated. Thus, this research demonstrates that mechanical parameters can provide meaningful insights into pathological phenomena parallely with electrical information.