Bedside Magnetocardiography with a Scalar Sensor Array

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Biomedical Engineering
• Cardiology

Background:

• Magnetocardiography (MCG) shows promise for cardiac diagnostics but faces challenges due to sensor limitations and ambient magnetic interference.
• Current MCG systems often require extensive magnetic shielding, limiting their clinical practicality and point-of-care applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report a novel MCG system utilizing an array of scalar optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs).
• To demonstrate the system's capability to reject ambient magnetic interference without the need for magnetic shielding.
• To assess the feasibility of deploying this MCG system in real-world, point-of-care settings.

Main Methods:

• Developed an MCG system centered on an array of scalar OPMs.
• Integrated custom hardware and advanced noise-rejection algorithms.
• Recorded MCG signals and functional magnetic field maps from 30 healthy volunteers in an unshielded office environment.

Main Results:

• The OPM-based MCG system successfully recorded magneto-cardiograms and magnetic field maps.
• The system effectively rejected ambient magnetic interference, eliminating the need for magnetic shielding.
• Data acquisition was performed in a standard office setting, demonstrating real-world applicability.

Conclusions:

• The developed OPM-based MCG system overcomes previous sensor and system limitations.
• This technology enables MCG measurements in unshielded environments, paving the way for point-of-care cardiac diagnostics.
• The system's technical feasibility in real-world settings is established, advancing the clinical adoption of MCG.