Electromagnetic field effects on biological materials

In this study, the effect of an imposed electromagnetic field on biological media is analyzed. The local thermal non-equilibrium (LTNE) is taken into account by solving the two-energy equation model for tissue and blood phases. A comprehensive examination of heat transport through biological media is carried out including thermal conduction in tissue and vascular system, blood-tissue convective heat exchange, metabolic heat generation and imposed heat flux. The primary biological media, i.e., bone, liver, cornea, fat, skin and brain are considered in our analysis. The effects of variations of dimensionless electromagnetic wave power and dimensionless electromagnetic wave frequency on the dimensionless tissue and blood temperature profiles are systematically investigated. Results are obtained for a range of dimensionless electromagnetic wave power from 1 to 500 and dimensionless electromagnetic wave frequency from 0.2 to 2. The coupled equations of electromagnetic wave propagation and heat transfer under LTNE assumption are solved using the finite element method (FEM). This investigation provides the essential aspects for a fundamental understanding of heat transport within biological materials while experiencing an applied electromagnetic field such as applications related to the cancer thermal ablation and can be used as a guideline for these types of treatments. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.