China Medical News visits the grassroots during the Spring Festival | Magnetocardiography reveals hidden signs, new opportunities for diagnosis of heart disease

Source: Media Roll

　　China Food and Drug Network News: "Auntie, lie down here and we will measure your heart magnetograph." At 11:00 a.m. on January 16, a nurse at the One-Stop Chest Pain Center of Qilu Hospital of Shandong University pressed a button, and Auntie Tang from Linyi, Shandong was sent to the arched heart magnetograph device. The examination was completed in less than 2 minutes. As soon as Auntie Tang got out of bed, a report showing the isomagnetic map, current density map, and the level of the heart magnetograph was printed out.

　　Aunt Tang had been diagnosed with severe coronary artery stenosis through CT angiography at a local hospital and was advised to undergo surgery, so she came to Qilu Hospital for treatment. After examination, Aunt Tang's electrocardiogram and blood test myocardial enzyme indicators showed no abnormalities, but the results of the magnetic heart test indicated a high risk.

　　The magnetocardiography device is a medical-engineering integration research achievement transformation project jointly carried out by the team of Academician Fang Jiancheng of the Institute of Large Scientific Devices of Beihang University and Qilu Hospital. In November 2024, the product was approved for marketing through the "Class II Innovative Medical Device" review channel of the Shandong Provincial Food and Drug Administration, and is used to collect and record human cardiac magnetic signals.

　　Magnetocardiography is based on the extremely weak magnetic signals of the human heart to detect hidden high-risk diseases earlier. "Magnetocardiography equipment has the advantages of being fast, non-invasive, radiation-free and highly accurate. It can be widely used in emergency patients with suspected myocardial ischemia and risk warnings for physical examinations, so that patients can seize the opportunity of early diagnosis and treatment." said Yu Dexin, the main participant of the project and director of the Department of Radiology at Qilu Hospital.

The picture shows hospital staff preparing to conduct cardiac magnetometry for healthy people who come for physical examinations. (Photo by Qi Guirong)
　　It is understood that the magnetic field of the heart is extremely weak, and its intensity is several orders of magnitude lower than the earth's magnetic field. In order to capture the extremely weak magnetic signals of the human body, the technical team needs to be able to create a near-zero magnetic environment that shields interference from the earth's magnetic field, and also develop low-cost, ultra-high-sensitivity extremely weak magnetic measurement technology.

　　Qi Yuankun, a member of Academician Fang Jiancheng's team currently on site at Qilu Hospital, introduced that the team started from scratch and innovated independently, achieving 100% Chinese-made magnetocardiographic equipment from hardware to software.

　　The effectiveness of medical devices requires a lot of clinical research support. As one of the leading units, Qilu Hospital established the Zero Magnetic Medical Research and Application Alliance, established the world's largest database of extremely weak magnetic function information on acute cardiovascular disease, and promoted the clinical transformation and application of magnetic heart imaging equipment through the magnetic heart data of more than 60,000 patients.

　　In order to promote the launch of such a new medical device, the drug regulatory authorities also provided strong support. It is reported that in the early stage of research and development, the Shandong Provincial Drug Administration and the Shandong Provincial Food and Drug Review and Inspection Center intervened in advance to provide guidance, research and review linkage, and shorten the registration review time. According to the staff of the Shandong Provincial Food and Drug Review and Inspection Center, during the research and development stage, the reviewers communicated with the magnetocardiography equipment project team many times, and provided opinions and suggestions from the review perspective, which saved a lot of time for the registration and application of the later products and allowed the products to be used in clinical practice as soon as possible.

　　"It is the common mission of Chinese doctors and scientists to realize the localization of high-end medical equipment for cardiac detection. The approval of magnetocardiographic imaging equipment for marketing has boosted our confidence," said Yu Dexin.

　　It is reported that in addition to conducting clinical research on the device's indications such as myocardial ischemia and arrhythmia, the teams of both parties will also create miniaturized and convenient magnetic heart measurement products as a future research direction, and strive to make cutting-edge technology widely used, even into ordinary people's homes. (Qi Guirong)

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(Editor: Chang Jingjie)