A Novel Mixed Stimulation Pattern for Balanced Pulmonary EIT Imaging Performance

Pulmonary electrical impedance tomography (EIT) offers non-invasive and real-time imaging in a compact device size, making it valuable for pulmonary ventilation monitoring. However, conventional EIT stimulation patterns face a trade-off dilemma between anti-noise performance and image interpretability. To address this challenge, we propose a novel mixed stimulation pattern that integrates opposite and adjacent stimulation patterns with a tunable weight ratio. The results of simulations and human experiments (involving 30 subjects) demonstrated that the mixed stimulation pattern uses 200 stimulation–measurement channels, preserves a high signal-to-noise ratio, improves lung separation, and reduces artifacts compared with the opposite and adjacent stimulation patterns. It maintained stable imaging at 600 μA of stimulation current amplitude (equivalent to 1 mA) and preserved most imaging and clinical indicators’ stability at 200 μA (except GI/RVDSD). The adjustable weight ratio enables imaging performance to be flexibly adjusted according to different noise levels in acquisition environments. In conclusion, the pattern we proposed offers a superior alternative to traditional patterns, achieving a favorable balance of real-time capability, anti-noise performance, and image interpretability for pulmonary EIT imaging.