A Theoretical Basis for Determining Heart-Lead Relationships of the Equivalent Cardiac Multipole

During the past few years, it has been proposed that the electrical behavior of the heart be represented more precisely by the addition of multipolar current singularities to the equivalent cardiac dipole. In this report, we have explored the factors which determine the relationship of each such multipolar component to the various electrocardiographic lead connections. Specifically, we have been able to amplify and generalize the concept of the ideal electrocardiographic lead field by showing that the electrocardiographic contribution of a given multipole component is related solely to the lead-field component of identical degree and order. Thus, the McFee-Johnston proposal for resolving lead fields is reintroduced, and the heart-lead property of each component is particularized. Finally, some brief, speculative remarks are made concerning possible biomedical applications of the generalized lead-field concept.