Computer heart models and the simulation of the electrocardiogram: newer strategies

This paper offers an overview of present-day newer strategies being used to simulate cardiac activation in computer models of the heart. Three categories of solutions are reviewed: the monodomain isolated heart, the bidomain isolated heart, and the fully-coupled heart-torso solution. In the first two categories, a two-step procedure is used to simulate the electrocardiogram (ECG), first activating the isolated heart, and next obtaining the ECG from equivalent current dipoles. In the third category, the heart and torso models are fully coupled with continuity of boundary potentials and normal currents. The simulation of cardiac activation and ECG is realized in a single step.