New opportunities for translational electrophysiology at IEMR

Example of voltage map obtained with 3D mapping system recently installed at IEMR. Courtesy dr. Ole Rossvoll, NTNU/St. Olavs Hospital, and Jacob Norenberg, Abbott Medical.

Over the last two years, the core facility for large animal research at IEMR has added invasive electrophysiology to its already comprehensive technological and surgical opportunities.

The work to acquire, install and implement the new equipment has been a collaboration between Professor Mathis Korseberg Stokke at IEMR, Head of section Morten Eriksen, clinical partners at the Arrhythmia Unit at Dept. of Cardiology, Rikshospitalet and industry partners. Funding has been gained from Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo. The most recent advance is a system for 3D electrophysiology mapping.

“This equipment is identical to the equipment used in patients”, says Professor Stokke. “With this, we are fully equipped to make even further characterizations of arrhythmias in large research animals. We use pigs as a model for arrhythmias that represent potentially lethal conditions in patients. With the technology we now have, we will be able to launch mechanistically oriented research to better understand these arrhythmias, and to invite our clinical partners to perform research that can improve clinical procedures and potentially lead to innovations in the field.”

Read more about IEMFs Core Facility for Large Animal Research