Synchronous recording of magnetocardiographic and electrocardiographic signals

Abstract

We present a system for simultaneous recording of the electrocardiogram and the magnetocardiogram. The measurement system contained of printed carbon electrodes and SERF magnetometer. The use of this system confirms that the position of the end of the magnetic T wave extends further than the electric T wave, which is an important indicator for the diagnosis of cardiological patients and for drug arrhythmogenicity. We analyze this phenomenon in depth, and demonstrate, that it originates from the fundamental difference between electric and magnetic measurements. The measured value is always bipolar since the electric measurements require two electrodes. We demonstrate how the dual electric and magnetic measuring system adds a new information to the commonly used electrocardiographic diagnosis. The ECG should be interpreted as the spatial asymmetry of the electric cardiac potential, and not as the potential itself. The results seem to prove, that the relation between the magnetic and the electric imaging of neural activities may be broadly applied for the benefit of medical diagnosis in cardiology and many other fields, where the neural activity is measured. This is a pilot study which requires further confirmation at the clinical level.