Introduction: Cardiac arrhythmias remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. While optical mapping provides high-resolution spatial data and electrical mapping offers detailed temporal resolution, their combined use enables a comprehensive view of cardiac electrophysiology. However, simultaneous acquisition demands precise synchronization and real-time control, particularly in translational models such as pig and human hearts.
Methods: We developed a fully integrated system composed of two experimental configurations: a whole-heart setup and an epi-endo setup. The whole-heart configuration features a transparent hexagonal tank, 3D-printed rotatable support, and transparent PCBs with 15 silver-coated electrodes per face. The epi-endo setup includes custom Micro Electrode Arrays (MEAs) and unipolar needle electrodes for contact electrical recordings. Dual-camera optical mapping is synchronized via an ESP32-S3 and Teensy 4.1 microcontroller network, achieving sub-millisecond precision.
Environmental parameters such as flow, temperature, and pressure are monitored in real-time using SLF3S-4000B flow sensors and Honeywell pressure sensors. These data are transmitted wirelessly via nRF24L01 modules and simultaneously logged using a Python-based GUI. The GUI allows dynamic selection of stimulation protocols, control of LED duty cycles and camera timing, and real-time experiment logging with environmental data integration.
Results: The system was validated in both pig and human hearts, demonstrating reliable stimulation control, accurate synchronization, and stable environmental monitoring. Automated logging improved experimental reproducibility, while the GUI enabled seamless adjustments during data acquisition.
Conclusion: This integrated hardware-software platform enhances the quality and reproducibility of cardiac mapping studies. It provides a robust, synchronized environment for simultaneous optical and electrical mapping, supporting translational research into arrhythmia mechanisms in both animal and human heart models.