BACKGROUND: Choosing the appropriate animal model for development of novel technologies requires an understanding of anatomy and physiology of these different models. There are little data about the characteristics of different animal models for the study of technologies used for epicardial ablation. We aimed to compare the incidence of ventricular arrhythmias during epicardial radiofrequency ablation between swine and canine models using novel epicardial ablation catheters. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study using data obtained from epicardial ablation experiments performed on swine (Sus Scrofa) and canine (Canis familiaris) models. We compared the incidence of ventricular arrhythmias during ablation between swine and canine using multivariate regression analysis. Six swine and six canine animals underwent successful epicardial radiofrequency ablation. A total of 103 ablation applications were recorded. RESULTS: Ventricular arrhythmias requiring cardioversion occurred in 13.11% of radiofrequency ablation applications in swine and 9.75% in canine (relative risk: 117.6%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 83.97-164.69, animal-based odds ratio [OR]: .55, 95% CI: .23-61.33; P = .184). When adjusting for application position, duration of ablation and power, the odds of developing potentially lethal ventricular arrhythmia in swine increased significantly compared to canine (OR: 3.60, 95% CI: 1.35-9.55; P = .010). CONCLUSIONS: The swine myocardium is more susceptible to developing ventricular arrhythmias compared to canine model during epicardial ablation. This issue should be carefully considered in future studies.

1st Department of Internal Medicine Cardioangiology St Anne´s Hospital Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic

3rd Department of Cardiology School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze Medical University of Silesia Katowice Poland

CEITEC Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic

Department of Biology Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic

Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine Mayo Clinic Rochester Minnesota

Division of Cardiovascular Disease Mayo Clinic Rochester Minnesota

International Clinical Research Center St Anne's University Hospital Brno Brno Czech Republic

University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno Czech Republic

References provided by Crossref.org

ESC working group on cardiac cellular electrophysiology position paper: relevance, opportunities, and limitations of experimental models for cardiac electrophysiology research

AC Pulsed Field Ablation Is Feasible and Safe in Atrial and Ventricular Settings: A Proof-of-Concept Chronic Animal Study