Electrograms of Explants of Embryonic Chick Heart Grown in Tissue Culture

Abstract

The electrical activity of pulsating explants (atrium only, ventricle only, or both atrial and ventricular components) of embryonic chick heart of 5 and 6 days grown in tissue culture has been recorded. Recordings obtained from these pulsating fragments show patterns comparable to the patterns obtained from intact hearts. The size of the explants influences the magnitude of the potential changes but seems to affect only slightly, if at all, the electrical patterns derived from the tissue. Atrial tissue yields a polyphasic electrical pattern comparable to ventricle. Hence, the results support the hypothesis that the ecg. is a characteristic of cardiac muscle per se.