E-field Simulation in Human Body Models for High Performance Non-Whole-Body Gradient Coil IEC Cardiac Stimulation Compliance

Motivation: IEC60601-2-33 standard does not provide guidance on cardiac stimulation (CS) compliance for a non-whole-body (NWB) gradient coil (GC) and E-field estimation cannot be easily obtained via direct measurement on humans. Goal(s): Discuss how E-field simulation with human models can be used to obtain conservative and solid electric field strength in the heart generated by GC. Approach: Sim4Life FEM QS solver is used to calculate E-field in the heart of 7 human body models in MAGNUS GC. Numerical error handling and reduction are discussed. Results: FEM simulation with IEEE C95.1 smoothing method can provide conservative E-field estimation in the heart. Impact: CS compliance for a NWB GC has not been widely discussed even though it is a key safety criterion. This work shows the feasibility of simulation-based CS risk assessment in a high-performance head GC.