The use of computer animation of mapped cardiac potentials in studying electrical conduction properties of arrhythmias

It is shown how computer animation of potentials recorded from 121 electrodes on the canine heart surface is used to study the electrical conduction properties of the heart. Color indicates the magnitude of each electrode´s recorded voltage on the workstation screen. As each electrode´s recorded voltage changes over time the corresponding color on the screen changes. The colors for all 121 electrodes appear to change simultaneously on the monitor, avoiding motion artifacts which could interfere with interpretation of the animation sequence. These color changes clearly show the activation pattern of the heart muscle underneath the grid of recording electrodes. Since all the data are displayed during the animation, regions where smaller activation complexes occur can be quickly identified. The speed of the animation allows the observer to view the spreading activation front (and thus its morphology) without the need to resort to videotape. The software is versatile enough to allow the user to study any portion of a heart beat, or multiple heart beats, during the animation