Bioimpedance monitoring of arrested myocardium during open-chest surgery: from coronary artery occlusion to cardiac resuscitation

In this paper, we discuss an original approach to assessment of the myocardial condition during open-chest cardiac surgery by the aid of online sensing of the electrical bio-impedance. We introduce suitable electrode arrangements and modern micro/nano size electronic components to formulate and design the system of active electrodes that can be glued onto the epicardium of heart muscle, which is silenced chemically using cardioplegia. The designed system demonstrates reasonable resolution in detecting impedance changes under controlled conditions.Clinical Relevance-Although the possibility of using the electrical bioimpedance measurement to assess the physiological state of the myocardium has been known for almost four decades, this method has not yet reached practical surgery. This paper aims to address the obstacles that have hindered the bio-impedance-based approach.