Heart current in an anatomically realistic human model due to contact with a low‐frequency energized source

Abstract

AbstractDistributions of 60 Hz contact current around and inside the heart of the anatomically realistic human body are demonstrated under four scenarios: left hand to both feet, right hand to both feet, hand to hand, and foot to foot. The heart‐current ratios and the heart‐current factors are calculated. The new numerical method which is partly modified from the conventional scalar potential finite difference (SPFD) method is proposed. It is found that a part of ∼33–40% of the total contact current passes through the heart in three scenarios of one hand to either the other hand or feet, and these heart‐current ratios are much larger than the ones reported by Freiberger. Furthermore, the heart‐current factor is almost the same as the one in IEC 60479‐1 for the right‐hand‐to‐feet path, but is twice as much as the one in IEC 60479‐1 for the hand‐to‐hand path. Copyright © 2009 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.