Relationship between Body Surface Potential and Ventricular Excitation in the Dog

The distribution of body surface potential was studied in normal dogs by time normalization of nonsimuitaneously recorded voltages from 200 thoracic electrocardiograms using a digital computer technique. In addition, ventricular excitation data were obtained in the same animals using Scher myo-cardial plunge electrodes. Subsequently, the external surface voltage distribution was correlated spatially and temporally with the process of ventricular activation. It was noted that “dipolar” and “nondipolar” surface voltage patterns were related to the configuration of the instantaneous activation distribution in the ventricles. The reproducibility of the data obtained from the body surface and within the ventricles, and the observed consistent correlations between these two events indicate that there is a predictable relationship between major “inside-outside” activities.