The application of electromagnetic theory to electrocardiology. I. Derivation of the integral equations.

One of the fundamental problems of theoretical electrocardiology is to determine the potential distribution on the surface of the torso due to the time-varying dipolar heart source. In this paper we present a rigorous derivation of the integro-differential equations for the potential, containing, for the first time, the effects of the time dependence of the source and the dielectric properties of the medium. These equations provide a general and rigorous basis from which to attack the problem numerically on a computer and permit the use of a detailed model of the thorax as a multiple region volume of different dielectric and conducting properties.