A transconductance driven-right-leg circuit

Biopotential measurements are very sensitive to electromagnetic interference (EMI). EMI gets into the acquisition system by many ways, both as differential and common mode signals, driven-right-leg circuits (DRL) are widely used to reduce common mode interference. This paper reports an improvement on the classic DRL. The proposed circuit uses a transconductance amplifier to drive the patient's body. This configuration has some interesting properties, which provide an extended bandwidth for high-frequency EMI rejection (such as fluorescent lights interference). The improvement is around 20 dB for frequencies of few kilohertz and the circuit is easy to compensate for stability. A comparative analysis against a typical DRL is presented, the results obtained have been experimentally tested.

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