INNOVATIVE ARBITRARY WAVEFORM DEFIBRILLATOR FOR CARDIAC ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY RESEARCH

摘要

An innovative arbitrary waveform defibrillator for animal research is presented. The system is based on two power linear amplifiers in bridge configuration, and it is capable of delivering 10J shocks of arbitrary shape and duration. The system is battery operated, has an isolated output, and is PC controlled via LabView. The system can be used to test new waveforms by comparing them to traditional ones, in in-vitro experiments. Loads with impedance ranging from 15 to 75 ohms can be connected. A maximum of 380 V, 10A can be delivered to the loads. The use of a proper power supply and additional external resistors limit the power dissipated internally, so that up to 1.7KW can be delivered to the load. Starting from an estimation of the load impedance a LabView application calculates the proper settings for the power supply and the additional resistors, if needed. Effective voltage and current are measured and collected in the PC. Examples of waveforms as well as results from experiments of isolated rabbit hearts are presented.