Magnetic excitation of heart

A detailed two-dimensional (2-D) finite element model (FEM) of the electroconductive anatomy of a human thorax was formulated to investigate the fields and currents generated by the on-set of a magnetic field. The 2-D model of the thorax was constructed from archived cross-sectional maps and accounts for eight isotropic tissue conductivities and the anisotropic conductivity of the intercostal muscles. A circular excitation coil that surrounds the anatomic structure is assumed to produce a magnetic field that sources a system of induced currents throughout the thorax. Although cross-sectional too, (eddy) currents that irrigate the heart are shown to differ in pattern from the classic (advection) currents which accompany defibrillation. Our exploratory computational results suggest that magnetic excitation may have a potential value in defibrillation.