Optical Mapping of Cardiac Excitation and Arrhythmias

The recent explosion of knowledge in the cardiovascular field has been fueled by the development of powerful and novel technologies for assessing cardiovascular function and disease. Fluorescent imaging techniques in the heart are a major example. Despite its widespread use in basic research and implications to clinical cardiac electrophysiology, there are no definitive and authoritative sources of information on cardiac optical mapping. This is the first and only book to date that comprehensively, in a single volume, covers all aspects of the technique and application of optical mapping in the heart. Written by leading international experts in the discipline, the book contains the basic principles of optical mapping, including: voltage-sensitive fluorescence, optics, imaging, and high speed computer data acquisition. In addition to providing a primer on basic principles, the book''s four main sections cover applications of optical mapping to our understanding of impulse propagation in the heart, cardiac arrhythmias, and cardiac defibrillation. Commentary is provided throughout the book from leaders in the field of clinical cardiac electrophysiology regarding implications to our understanding of arrhythmia mechanisms in patients. This book is essential for scientists, cardiac clinicians, and trainees of all backgrounds who are interested in state-of-the-art imaging approaches to biology, as well as for the investigator who is thinking about establishing an optical mapping system in his/her lab.