Template waveform recognition applied to ECG-VCG analysis.

Abstract Waveform recognition in biological signals is hampered by the variability of the waveforms and the superimposed noise. A method is presented which enables the recognition of onsets or offsets or other points of interest in waveforms, using templates with amplitude-time properties. The method is illustrated with the help of the automatic recognition of begin and end points of QRS complexes. The template is found by the analysis of a learning population of waveforms, recognized beforehand by human observers. The mathematical relationship with other wave recognition methods is indicated: threshold detection, least-squares fitting. The template can be explained in terms of a set of weighted multilevel threshold detectors.