A microcomputer-based heart-torso model successfully simulated epicardial potential maps during a normal heart beat and in left bundle branch block, showing close agreement with literature reports.
A microcomputer-based heart-torso model with over 60,000 cell units can accurately simulate epicardial potentials during normal conduction and left bundle branch block.
Previous cardiac simulation studies have focused on simulating the activation isochrones and subsequently the body surface potentials. Epicardial potentials, which are important for clinical applications as well as for electrocardiography inverse problem studies, however, have usually been neglected. This paper presents a procedure of simulating epicardial potentials using a microcomputer-based heart-torso model with real geometry. The heart model developed earlier which was composed of more than 60,000 cell units was used in this study. To simulate the epicardial potentials, an epicardial surface model which enclosed the whole heart was constructed. The heart model, together with the epicardial surface model, are mounted in an inhomogeneous human torso model. Electric dipoles, which are proportional to the spatial gradient of the action potential, are generated in all cell units. These dipoles give rise to a potential distribution on the epicardial surface, which is calculated by means of the boundary element method. The simulated epicardial potential maps during a normal heart beat and in patients with left bundle branch block (LBBB) are in close agreement with those reported in the literature.
Lu et al. (Fri,) conducted a other in Normal heart beat and left bundle branch block (LBBB). Three-dimensional simulation using a microcomputer-based heart-torso model vs. Literature reports was evaluated on Simulated epicardial potential maps. A microcomputer-based heart-torso model successfully simulated epicardial potential maps during a normal heart beat and in left bundle branch block, showing close agreement with literature reports.