A practical guide to setting up pig models for cardiovascular catheterization, electrophysiological assessment and heart disease research.

Over the past years, the use of large animals has become increasingly interesting in translational research, to bridge the gap between basic research in rodents and targeted therapies in humans. Pigs are highly valued in cardiovascular research because of their anatomical, hemodynamic and electrophysiological features, which closely resemble those of humans. For studying these aspects in swine, cardiac catheterization techniques are essential procedures.

Characterization of a porcine model of atrial arrhythmogenicity in the context of ischaemic heart failure.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major healthcare challenge contributing to high morbidity and mortality. Treatment options are still limited, mainly due to insufficient understanding of the underlying pathophysiology. Further research and the development of reliable animal models resembling the human disease phenotype is therefore necessary to develop novel, innovative and ideally causal therapies.

Animal models of arrhythmia: classic electrophysiology to genetically modified large animals.

Arrhythmias are common and contribute substantially to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The underlying pathophysiology of arrhythmias is complex and remains incompletely understood, which explains why mostly only symptomatic therapy is available. The evaluation of the complex interplay between various cell types in the heart, including cardiomyocytes from the conduction system and the working myocardium, fibroblasts and cardiac immune cells, remains a major challenge in arrhythmia research because it can be investigated only in vivo.