The evaluation of endpoint variability and implications for study statistical power and sample size in conscious instrumented dogs

We describe a statistical procedure to quantitatively evaluate the acute cardiac effects from studies conducted across six sites and objectively examine the variability and sensitivity that were difficult or impossible to calculate consistently based on previous works. Although this report focuses on the evaluation on LVdP/dtmax, this approach is appropriate for other variables such as heart rate, arterial blood pressure, or variables derived from the ECG.