The study validates that equivalent cardiac dipole locations can be determined with acceptable accuracy from external cardiac field potential measurements.
Location of the equivalent cardiac dipole has been estimated but not fully verified in several laboratories. To test the accuracy of such a procedure, injury vectors were produced in 14 isolated, perfused rabbit hearts by epicardial searing. Strongly dipolar excitation fronts were produced in 6 additional hearts by left ventricular pacing. Twenty computer-processed signals, derived from surface electrodes on a spherical electrolyte-filled tank containing the test preparation, were optimally fitted with a locatable cardiac dipole that accounted for over 99% of the root-mean-square surface potential. For the 14 burns (mean radius 5.0 mm), the S-T injury dipole was located 3.4 plus or minus 0.7 (SD) mm from the burn center. For the 6 paced hearts, the dipole early in the ectopic beat was located 3.7 mm (range 2.6 to 4.6 mm) from the stimulating electrode. Phase inhomogeneities within the chamber appeared to have a small but predictable effect on dipole site determination. The study demonstrates that equivalent dipole location can be determined with acceptable accuracy from potential measurements of the external cardiac field.
Ideker et al. (1975) studied this question.