Forward Simulation of Cardiac Excitation Propagation and ECG Patterns Using an Anisotropic Heart Model — a Toolbox

In the year 1960 Hoffman and Cranefield have published the book “Electrophysiology of the Heart”. Since then a lot of research has been done, which makes it nearly impossible to integrate all discovered knowledge in one handy book for studying the nature of ECG. The relationship between the electrical excitation in the human heart and the body surface potential (BSP) is known as forward problem of electrocardiography. To enable the simulation of the electro anatomical function we coupled a cardiac model consisting of ventricles and atria. For studying the nature of ECG for the sinus beat, arrhythmias, ischemia and infarction this model can be used, and, furthermore, the model was used for developing and verifying electrocardiographic inverse approaches. The simulation toolbox was implemented in AmiraDev 3.0™, which is mainly a visualization-tool that can be expanded with self-developed plug-ins.