Body Surface Mapping System Using Uniform Field Generation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for body-surface mapping of cardiac electrical activity, such as electrocardiograms and vectorcardiography, are limited in their ability to provide high-resolution, localized information on regional electrocardiac activity and the localization of arrhythmogenic foci, and traditional endocardial mapping techniques are restricted by the number of electrodes used, resulting in low-resolution two-dimensional maps.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a flexible garment with a plurality of interconnected electrodes, a localization system, and an electronic device with software to measure and control drive currents, creating near-uniform and homogeneous electrical fields, allowing for improved body-surface mapping of the human torso by determining relative electrode positions and calculating three-dimensional positions of electrodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional ECG and VCG techniques are used, then the system is simple and easy to operate, but the measurement precision and localization capability of regional electrocardiac activity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The torso surface is segmented into multiple discrete electrode positions (e.g., 64, 128, or 256 electrodes) arranged in a systematic pattern. Each electrode records electrical potential independently, and the collected data is segmented and processed to reconstruct high-resolution three-dimensional cardiac electrical activity maps, enabling precise localization of electrocardiac events
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from conventional two-dimensional ECG/VCG representations to three-dimensional body-surface potential mapping. By distributing electrodes across the three-dimensional surface of the torso and using mathematical reconstruction algorithms, the system creates volumetric maps of cardiac electrical activity, enabling accurate spatial localization of arrhythmogenic foci and electrocardiac events
2Measurement precision
If traditional endocardial mapping with more electrodes is used, then the measurement precision improves, but the device complexity and difficulty of operation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses body-surface electrodes as intermediaries to indirectly measure endocardial electrical activity. Instead of requiring direct contact with endocardial tissue through invasive catheters, the external electrodes detect electrical potentials that are mathematically reconstructed to represent endocardial voltage distributions, eliminating the need for invasive procedures while maintaining mapping capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a computational copy of the endocardial electrical activity based on measurements from body-surface electrodes. Through inverse solution algorithms, the external measurements are transformed into a virtual representation of endocardial potentials, providing accurate endocardial mapping information without physical contact with the heart tissue
3Ease of operation
If body-surface potential mapping is used, then the ease of operation improves, but the measurement precision and ability to localize cardiac events deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The torso surface is segmented into multiple discrete electrode positions (e.g., 64, 128, or 256 electrodes) arranged in a systematic pattern. Each electrode records electrical potential independently, and the collected data is segmented and processed to reconstruct high-resolution three-dimensional cardiac electrical activity maps, enabling precise localization of electrocardiac events
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from conventional two-dimensional ECG/VCG representations to three-dimensional body-surface potential mapping. By distributing electrodes across the three-dimensional surface of the torso and using mathematical reconstruction algorithms, the system creates volumetric maps of cardiac electrical activity, enabling accurate spatial localization of arrhythmogenic foci and electrocardiac events
4Measurement precision
If direct contact with electrically active tissue is required, then the measurement precision improves, but the ease of operation and patient comfort deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses body-surface electrodes as intermediaries to indirectly measure endocardial electrical activity. Instead of requiring direct contact with endocardial tissue through invasive catheters, the external electrodes detect electrical potentials that are mathematically reconstructed to represent endocardial voltage distributions, eliminating the need for invasive procedures while maintaining mapping capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a computational copy of the endocardial electrical activity based on measurements from body-surface electrodes. Through inverse solution algorithms, the external measurements are transformed into a virtual representation of endocardial potentials, providing accurate endocardial mapping information without physical contact with the heart tissue
Data Source
AI summary
A body-surface mapping system is disclosed that uses a plurality of electrodes to map at least a portion of a human torso without having to adjust the positions of the electrodes. The body-surface mapping system energizes groupings or regions of electrodes, then compares and adjusts the current driven through each grouping or region of electrodes to produce near-uniform fields. The electrodes of the body-surface mapping system may be interconnected by wires capable of sensing interelectrode distances, such that the system can reconstruct a detailed model of a patient's torso surface. The body-surface mapping system may also use a catheter in addition to the body surface electrodes to compute both endocardial and epicardial voltage distributions.