The Influence of Heart and Lung Dynamics on the Impedance Cardiogram — A Simulative Analysis

• Main Authors: M. Ulbrich, A. Schauermann, S. Leonhardt
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: CTU Central Library 2011-01-01
• Series: Acta Polytechnica
• Subjects: impedance cardiography; bioimpedance; simulation; finite integration technique; high temporal resolution; signal source analysis
• Online Access: https://ojs.cvut.cz/ojs/index.php/ap/article/view/1458

Impedance cardiography (ICG) is a simple and cheap method for acquiring hemodynamic parameters. Unfortunately, not all physiological influences on the ICG signal have yet been identified. In this work, the influence of heart and lung dynamics is analyzed using a simplified model of the human thorax with high temporal resolution. Simulations are conducted using the finite integration technique (FIT) with temporal resolution of 103 Hz. It is shown that changes in heart volume as well as conductivity changes of the lung have a high impact on the ICG signal, if analyzed separately. Considering the sum signal of both physiological sources, it can be shown that they compensate each other and thus do not contribute to the signal. This finding supports Kubicek’s model.