Modeling the cardiac action potential using B-spline surfaces

This paper presents a new method for constructing empirical, two State-vari able models of cardiac cell membrane kinetics. The formulation is based on nonuniform rational B-spline surfaces that can be manipulated interactively to produce desired action potential (AP) properties. Using this new method ology, a model of the guinea pig ventricular action potential was construct ed that reproduces experimentally measured relationships between pacing cyc le length and action potential duration and conduction velocity. The model is computationally efficient, requiring about sixfold less CPU time than th e Beeler-Reuter ionic model and only about twice as much time as a FitzHugh -Nagumo type empirical model. Thus, for modeling propagation phenomena, thi s method can produce models that improve on the quantitative accuracy of bo th simple empirical models and elaborate ionic models, with computational c ost comparable to the simplest of empirical models.