Simulation of the cardiac electrical activity and derived body ECG using the finite element method

Abstract

Electrocardiography is an important tool for diagnosing and preventing heart diseases. In order to improve this technology, mathematical simulation models are employed to simulate the electrical activity within a patient’s thorax and to generate an ECG on the virtual thorax surface. This is performed by the creation of heart and torso models, that represent their respective physiological characteristics mathematically. In case of the heart, complex differential equations are utilized to simulate the generation of action potentials and their propagation across the heart’s tissue. To derive the corresponding ECG on the body surface, a torso geometry is modeled around the heart and assigned electrical conduction properties based on the human physiology. This allows users to place virtual electrodes on the simulated surface of the torso and analyze the resulting derived ECG. The objective of this thesis is the development of a simulation model of the heart. This task is handled with the use of the finite element method (FEM) software COMSOL Multiphysics. In the course of this study, the model building process will be described together with the corresponding results. One of the main steps is the adjustment of the Aliev-Panfilov equations which are used to describe the electrical activity of the heart in this simulation. Subsequent steps include the integration of the geometry, the mesh generation, and the optimization of study settings. Ultimately, the model which is generated in the course of this thesis is able to generate sufficient action potentials and accurately simulates the excitation propagation across the heart’s tissue. Although there are still some improvements to be made, the model proves to be reliable and a solid foundation for future research and investigations in this field.