Current MR safety standards significantly limit the use of some MRI gradient systems to prevent cardiac stimulation, even though there is suspicion that these limits are too restrictive. This work combines a recently developed simulation framework for Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (PNS) with electrical models of excitable cardiac tissue (ventricular muscle and Purkinje fibers) to investigate the relationship between PNS and cardiac stimulation thresholds. Considering the lack of experimental data on gradient-induced cardiac stimulation in humans, the presented simulation approach could provide valuable new insights on the mechanisms behind cardiac magnetostimulation and might eventually help to determine appropriate safety limits.
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