Magnetocardiography on an isolated animal heart with a room-temperature optically pumped magnetometer

Jensen, Kasper; Skarsfeldt, Mark Alexander; Stærkind, Hans; Arnbak, Jens; Balabas, Mikhail V.; Olesen, Søren Peter; Bentzen, Bo Hjorth; Polzik, Eugene S.

Abstract

© 2018, The Author(s). Optically pumped magnetometers are becoming a promising alternative to cryogenically-cooled superconducting magnetometers for detecting and imaging biomagnetic fields. Magnetic field detection is a completely non-invasive method, which allows one to study the function of excitable human organs with a sensor placed outside the human body. For instance, magnetometers can be used to detect brain activity or to study the activity of the heart. We have developed a highly sensitive miniature optically pumped magnetometer based on cesium atomic vapor kept in a paraffin-coated glass container. The magnetometer is optimized for detection of biological signals and has high temporal and spatial resolution. It is operated at room- or human body temperature and can be placed in contact with or at a mm-distance from a biological object. With this magnetometer, we detected the heartbeat of an isolated guinea-pig heart, which is an animal widely used in biomedical studies. In our recordings of the magnetocardiogram, we can detect the P-wave, QRS-complex and T-wave associated with the cardiac cycle in real time. We also demonstrate that our device is capable of measuring the cardiac electrographic intervals, such as the RR- and QT-interval, and detecting drug-induced prolongation of the QT-interval, which is important for medical diagnostics.

Citation

Jensen, K., Skarsfeldt, M. A., Stærkind, H., Arnbak, J., Balabas, M. V., Olesen, S. P., Bentzen, B. H., & Polzik, E. S. (2018). Magnetocardiography on an isolated animal heart with a room-temperature optically pumped magnetometer. Scientific Reports, 8, Article 16218. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-34535-z

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 12, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Nov 1, 2018
• Publication Date: Nov 1, 2018
• Deposit Date: Nov 22, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 23, 2018
• Journal: Scientific Reports
• Electronic ISSN: 2045-2322
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 8
• Article Number: 16218
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-34535-z
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1301636
• Publisher URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-34535-z
• Contract Date: Nov 23, 2018