Body surface potential mapping for noninvasive ischemia detection

Abstract

Portable body surface potential mapping system and method for early noninvasive detection of local ischemia is introduced. Mapping system with intelligent data acquisition unit enables simultaneous recording of up to 128 ECG leads. Active electrodes, powering from Li-ion battery and optical connection to USB port of the controlling notebook help to reduce noise in ECG and guarantee patient safety. Modular software for ECG recording and body surface potential mapping is applicable for more detailed cardiac diagnostics. Method for ischemia detection is based on dipolar model of the cardiac electric generator. It uses alterations in time integrals of surface potentials connected with changed repolarization of ischemic myocardial cells together with information on torso volume conductor for estimation of an equivalent dipole representing the ischemic lesion. Testing of the method on patients after myocardial infarction that underwent successful percutaneous cardiac intervention and patients with suspected ischemia suggest that ECG mapping connected with such simplified inverse solution might be a useful tool for noninvasive identification of repolaization changes connected with local ischemia. © 2008 Springer-Verlag.