MagnetoHemoDynamics in Aorta and Electrocardiograms

This paper addresses a complex multi-physical phenomemon involving cardiac electrophysiology and hemodynamics. The purpose is to model and simulate a phenomenon that has been observed in MRI machines: in the presence of a strong magnetic field, the T-wave of the electrocardiogram (ECG) gets bigger, which may perturb ECG-gated imaging. This is due a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) eff ect occurring in the aorta. We reproduce this experimental observation through computer simulations on a realistic anatomy, and with a three-compartment model: inductionless magnetohydrodynamic equations in the aorta, bidomain equations in the heart and electrical di ffusion in the rest of the body. These compartments are strongly coupled and solved using fi nite elements. Several benchmark tests are proposed to assess the numerical solutions and the validity of some modeling assumptions. Then, ECGs are simulated for a wide range of magnetic field intensities (from 0 to 20 Tesla).