# Selected Large-Animal Models of Ventricular Arrhythmias

## TL;DR

This paper reviews large-animal models used to study dangerous heart rhythm disorders, highlighting their importance for understanding and treating these conditions in humans.

## Contribution

The paper provides a focused synthesis of selected large-animal models and their methodological approaches for ventricular arrhythmia research.

## Key findings

- Porcine models are considered the most translationally relevant due to their anatomical and electrophysiological similarity to human hearts.
- Canine models have contributed significantly but are limited by ethical and regulatory concerns.
- Large-animal models are essential for preclinical testing of new therapies and devices.

## Abstract

Ventricular arrhythmias represent a leading cause of sudden cardiac death and remain a critical challenge in cardiovascular medicine. Their multifactorial mechanisms and substantial fatality risk continue to drive intensive research focused on clarifying arrhythmogenic pathways and optimizing preventive and therapeutic approaches. Large-animal models are central to this effort because they more faithfully reflect human cardiac structure and electrophysiological properties than small-animal systems. Species most frequently used in this field include dogs, cats, pigs, sheep, and goats. Although canine models have contributed extensively to mechanistic and translational insights, their contemporary use is increasingly limited by regulatory constraints and ethical considerations. Ovine and caprine models, while less prevalent, provide complementary information and have supported progress in selected applications. Among available large-animal platforms, porcine models are widely considered the most translationally relevant, given the close anatomical and electrophysiological correspondence between pig and human hearts and the practicality of reproducibly inducing ventricular arrhythmias, particularly in acute ischemia following coronary occlusion. Importantly, large-animal studies remain indispensable for the preclinical assessment of emerging pharmacotherapies, interventional strategies, and medical devices prior to evaluation in humans. This article synthesizes representative studies using large-animal ventricular arrhythmia models, with a focus on reported materials and methodological approaches.

Ventricular arrhythmias are among the most life-threatening cardiac rhythm disturbances. Owing to their complex pathophysiology and high mortality risk, they remain a major focus of research aimed at elucidating underlying mechanisms and improving prevention and therapeutic strategies. In this context, animal models—particularly large-animal models—are of pivotal importance because they more closely recapitulate human cardiac anatomy and electrophysiology. The most commonly used species include dogs, cats, pigs, sheep and goats. Dogs have historically played a prominent role in ventricular arrhythmia research; however, their use is increasingly constrained by legal regulations and ethical–societal considerations. Sheep and goats, although employed less frequently, have also contributed meaningfully to advances in the field. Among large-animal models, swine are regarded as especially promising, largely due to the similarity between porcine and human hearts and the feasibility of reliably inducing ventricular arrhythmias, particularly under conditions of acute ischemia associated with coronary artery occlusion. Large-animal models are also indispensable for the preclinical evaluation of novel drugs, therapeutic approaches, and medical devices prior to translation into human studies. In this article, we review selected investigations employing large-animal models of ventricular arrhythmias, with particular emphasis on the materials and methods reported in the cited literature.