magneto cardio graphy

Magnetocardiography (MCG) is a non-invasive and risk-free technique used to record the magnetic fields generated by the heart’s electrical activity from the surface of the body. The MCG recording systems enable highly accurate spatial and temporal measurements of the extremely weak magnetic fields produced by currents flowing through myocardial fibers during cardiac activity. While the heart’s electrical activity is typically detected and recorded using electrocardiography (ECG), the biomagnetic data obtained through MCG offer additional insights into cardiac function that go beyond what standard ECG or electrophysiological studies can provide. The primary clinical objective of MCG is to gain functional and diagnostic information about the heart by reconstructing the distribution of its magnetic field.

Optical magnetometers, with their robustness, sensitivity, and relative simplicity (differing from SQUID sensors they do not require cryogenics) are potential candidates to detect cardiac bio-magnetism and even the weaker fields produced by the brain (magnetoencefalogram) as demonstrated by several groups.

In our lab, we have successfully measured and mapped magnetocardiographic signals in an unshielded room, a feature of particular interest for the perspective of spreading this kind of medical diagnostics.