Effects of subcutaneous nerve stimulation with blindly inserted electrodes on ventricular rate control in a canine model of persistent atrial fibrillation

Study purpose: To test the hypothesis that subcutaneous nerve stimulation at the high output is effective in rate and rhythm control of atrial fibrillation (AF) while at the very low output is proarrhythmic in ambulatory dogs.

Data collection: Electrical signals recorded by 3 pairs of bipolar electrodes under the skin in ambulatory dogs. The sampling rate was 1,000/s. The recordings are made during both sinus rhythm and during pacing-induced atrial fibrillation. These electrical signals were recorded to detect cardiac arrhythmia and nerve activity under the skin. The data were analyzed with custom-written software (Nerve_Act), which reads the data and applies filters to optimize the arrhythmia detection and nerve activity detection. In total 9573 files and 385.3 GiB.

Primary conclusion: In ambulatory dogs, we conclude that 3.5-mA ScNS with blindly inserted electrodes can improve ventricular rate (VR) control, reduce atrial fibrosis, and partially improve left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in a canine model of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF).

Curator's Notes

Experimental Design: Bipolar electrodes were used to record cardiac arrhythmia and nerve activity in dogs during stimulation at multiple amperages between 0 mA and 3.5 mA.

Completeness: Complete

Subjects/Samples: The study consists of 31 random dogs (16 males and 15 females) with sustained AF (>48 hours) induced by rapid atrial pacing into 3 groups (sham, 0.25 mA, 3.5 mA) for 4 weeks of ScNS (10 Hz, alternating 20-seconds ON and 60-seconds OFF).

Primary vs. Derived: Experimental data was recorded using custom-written software. Data files are submitted in their original form created by a custom-written software, there is currently no txt or other open version of the data. Data is organized in folders with subject IDs and then subfolders with individual recording sessions. There is no derived data.

Important Notes: The data files can be read using Data Sciences International (DSI)'s Dataquest A.R.T. software, which is no longer available from the company (please see https://www.datasci.com/products/software/dataquest-art). To read this data, investigators will need to contact the investigator.