Burn-induced subepicardial injury in frog heart: a simple model mimicking ST segment changes in ischemic heart disease

To mimic ischemic heart disease in humans, several animal models have been created, mainly in rodents bysurgically ligating their coronary arteries. In the present study, by simply inducing burn injuries on thebullfrog heart, we reproduced abnormal ST segment changes in the electrocardiogram (ECG), mimicking thoseobserved in ischemic heart disease, such as acute myocardial infarction and angina pectoris. The “currents ofinjury” created by a voltage gradient between the intact and damaged areas of the myocardium, negativelydeflected the ECG vector during the diastolic phase, making the ST segment appear elevated during the systolicphase. This frog model of heart injury would be suitable to explain the mechanisms of ST segment changesobserved in ischemic heart disease.