Parallel computation of ECG fields.

Abstract

A parallel implementation of a finite difference model for computing the electric field of cardiac sources is presented. On a relatively inexpensive SIMD parallel computer, a full-forward solution is obtained in minutes, using accurate thoracic detail including anisotropy if required. Because the computation is based on a volume grid with constant size voxels, it readily accepts anatomical data from classified magnetic resonance imaging scans. By using a variation of the colored successive over-relaxation iteration, our finite difference model takes full advantage of the performance of massively parallel computers. Evaluations of the accuracy and performance of the model show the practicality of using specific anatomical models to recover the electrocardiographic field distributions for individual subjects. A relatively modest parallel machine is capable of assembling and computing a specific direct inverse solution from body surface potentials within an hour of measurement, assuming the magnetic resonance imaging classification has been previously completed.