Real-Time Detection of Pathological Cardiac Events for a Wearable Wireless ECG Monitor

Wearable wireless ECG monitors have the potential of monitoring the cardiac function without restricting patients’ freedom of movement. However, due to their reduced size and consequent limited computational resources, they require the development of dedicated algorithms for real-time ECG signal processing. The paper reports a real-time algorithm based on heuristic methods for detecting pathological cardiac events from the ECG signal captured by a wearable wireless ECG sensor developed by the University of Patras. The algorithm parameter optimization is also described, as well as the performance evaluation with the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database, for which Se=95.92% and Sp=98.24% were obtained.

[1]  Arantza Illarramendi,et al.  Real-time classification of ECGs on a PDA , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine.

[2]  O. Pahlm,et al.  Software QRS detection in ambulatory monitoring — a review , 1984, Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing.

[3]  Emil Valchinov,et al.  A wearable wireless ECG sensor: a design with a minimal number of parts , 2010 .

[4]  Vassilis Koutkias,et al.  Home care delivery through the mobile telecommunications platform: the Citizen Health System (CHS) perspective , 2002, Int. J. Medical Informatics.

[5]  Ivo Iliev,et al.  Real-time detection of pathological cardiac events in the electrocardiogram , 2007, Physiological measurement.

[6]  Emil Valchinov,et al.  Wearable Wireless Biopotential Electrode for ECG Monitoring , 2007 .

[7]  Philippe Ravier,et al.  Redefining Performance Evaluation Tools for Real-Time QRS Complex Classification Systems , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[8]  Jukka Vanhala,et al.  Wireless Measurement System for Bioimpedance and ECG , 2007 .

[9]  C. Li,et al.  Detection of ECG characteristic points using wavelet transforms. , 1995, IEEE transactions on bio-medical engineering.

[10]  R. Poli,et al.  Genetic design of optimum linear and nonlinear QRS detectors , 1995, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[11]  W.J. Tompkins,et al.  ECG beat detection using filter banks , 1999, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[12]  N. V. Thakor,et al.  Optimal QRS detector , 1983, Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing.

[13]  Willis J. Tompkins,et al.  A Real-Time QRS Detection Algorithm , 1985, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.