The Influence of High-Induction Magnetic Stimulation on Cardiac Activity - A Preclinical Study

Modern physical therapy could be conducted in many ways. Some of them are based on methods using the biophysical stimulation with a time-varying magnetic field. Although there are many devices functioning on this principle, the effect of the magnetic field remains arguable. Nowadays, the trend is to use low-frequency electromagnetic fields which allow an induced electric current to form in the exposed tissue. However, the use of such magnetic fields is associated with certain risks. It is questionable whether the application of such magnetic fields in certain locations might affect physiological electrical activity concerning the fact that the electrical current is generated in the tissue. For this reason, this paper aimed to monitor the effect of high-induction magnetic stimulation in an area where the electrical conduction system of the heart could be affected. Although no pathological signs in the ECG record were observed by the supervising physician, the results show that after the application of high-induction magnetic stimulation, the variability of the heart rhythm is affected since statistically significant differences were observed in the values of parameters describing the variability, i.e. SDNN (p = 0.040) and std HR (p = 0.004), pre and post the HIMS application.