ABSTRACT
Objective To develop a new method to expose the stellate ganglion to increase the success rate of establishing a dog model of atrial fibrillation indinced by sympathetic stimulation .Methods A total of 28 adult dogs were randomly divided into traditional group and improvement group , 14 dogs in each group .The stellate ganglions were separated by the two different methods , respectively , to establish a sympathetic stimulation induced atrial fibrillation model in all the dogs .Changes of vital signs , survival rate of the dogs and the voltage required to stimulate the stellate ganglion were recorded intraoperatively .Changes of cardiac electrophysiology were recorded before and after electric stimulation . The levels of released neurotransmitters were detected by immunohistochemistry . Results The survival rate of the improvement group was 100%(14/14), significantly higher than the 64.3%(9/14) of the traditional group (P<0.05). The operation time of the improvement group was 122.71 ±3.62 min, significantly shorter than the 269.44 ±8.79 min of the traditional group (P<0.05).The threshold voltage of the improvement group was significantly lower than that of the traditional group ( P<0.05) .Conclusions Our modified surgical procedure can effectively reduce the mortality of dogs , significantly shorten the operation time , and reduce the intraoperative blood loss , keeping a more intact stellate ganglion , and maintains a more stable voltage of electric stimulation , Therefore, it is a new method more suitable for establishment of a sympathetic stimulation induced atrial fibrillation model in dogs .