MCG technology expresses the ECG signals from an integrated perspective mathematically
Premier Heart's MCG System represents a radical departure from traditional resting and stress ECG techniques — Where medicine has historically taken a reductionistic view of the ECG Premier Heart's MCG technology uses an integrative approach, building a mathematical model of the entire cardiac system. This approach allows MCG to obtain accurate diagnoses from a simple, non-invasive test.
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How it Works
Premier Heart's system consists of three stages:
- First, an MCG Client is used to digitally record resting ECG data from the patient. This process is similar to a standard resting ECG and can be performed quickly and easily in nearly any setting.
The ECG data is then transmitted to Premier Heart's datacenter via an encrypted internet connection.
- Once received at Premier Heart's datacenter the MCG diagnostic system takes over, running a series of mathematical transformations on the raw ECG data to identify distinct functional indices.
These indices are compared to our clinically validated database and a numeric score assigned to represent the severity of cardiac disease burden observed during the MCG test.
In addition to the overall severity score the MCG technology also provides a set of differential diagnoses for specific conditions contributing to the result, giving the treating physician guidelines for additional evaluation and treatment.
- The numeric score and identified conditions are compiled into an easy-to-read report which the physician can review on the MCG unit, or any computer with a web browser. These reports can provide guidance when referring a patient to a cardiologist for follow-up testing.
Sample reports for normal and abnormal patients are available
For additional details please see our technical whitepaper.
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How it Compares
When compared to other diagnostic modalities MCG is extremely accurate and reliable, surpassing many established clinical techniques in both sensitivity and specificity. In addition, MCG is capable of accurately detecting coronary artery disease at earlier stages (<70% lumen encroachment), exceeding the capabilities of many other techniques and allowing earlier intervention at stages where coronary artery disease may be controlled by lifestyle changes or medication.
Click here for a comparison chart.
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How is MCG different from a conventional ECG?
| Conventional ECG Reduction Approach |
MCG ECG Systems Analysis Approach |
|---|---|
| Simplifies the ECG data by mapping it to a single dipole, plotted on a two-dimensional scale(time vs. voltage — the Einthoven ECG Model). | Processes the ECG data to produce a mathematical model which accurately represents the complexityof a living heart. |
| Segmental, single-cycle approach, focusing on a single lead at a time, and evaluating sections of the waveform (eg. ST Segment, T-Wave, QT intervals, ...) | Operates on two leads simultaneously (II & v5), and across multiple cardiac cycles. Mathematical transformations (FFT and signal averaging)extract latent information from the ECG signal which is not captured by conventional resting or stress EKGs. |
| Requires experienced expert interpretations or over-reads | Compares extracted data to a large empirical database of clinically validated patients to produce probilistic diagnoses |
| Uses a two-dimensional analysis (time-domain) | Uses a six-dimensional multiphase analysis |
| ECG abnormalities (eg. arrhythmias, bundle branch blocks) may impair accuracy | Accuracy unaffected by most resting ECG abnormalities |
| Provides a subjective and qualitative assessment | Provides an objective, quantitative measure of disease severity |
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Benefits of MCG
In addition to easing the burden of urgent care providers and primary care physicians who may lack the expertise in cardiology necessary to detect the subtle variations in the ECG that can indicate potentially life-threatening conditions, MCG provides the following benefits:
