Determination of the locus of the heart vector from body surface measurements: model experiments.

Based on the Gabor-Nelson equations a technique is described for measuring the location of the resultant heart dipole (locus-cardiogram). The technique uses three rows of eight electrodes, a head and a foot lead. Experiments with a male and a female human torso model showed good agreement between actual andmeasured dipole locations. The presence of intrathoracic electricla inhomogeneities shifts theapparetn locus of the dipole toward the highly conductive mass. The conductivity of the volume conductor and the dipole monent value do not introduce any error into the computed locus of the dipole. It is concluded that the technique is accurate and simple enough to be used for experimental and clinical observation.