Electrophysiological and proarrhythmic parameters in transmural canine left-ventricular needle biopsies.

This study was designed to validate the use of small, transmural, left-ventricular biopsies in the dog for investigations of electrophysiological and proarrhythmic properties of the heart. This technique could facilitate pharmacological in vitro testing in remodelled hearts of both man and animal. Small, transmural, semi-cylindrical, left-ventricular biopsies from dogs with normal sinus rhythm (SR) were characterized electrophysiologically and compared with biopsies from electrically remodelled hearts from dogs with chronic, complete AV-block (CAVB).