Comparison of ECG Signal Quality Between a Novel Dry Electrode and a Standard Gel Electrode: 1722

BACKGROUND: Electrocardiography has an important role in diagnosis and monitoring of patients. Surface electrodes relay signals from the patient to the electrocardiograph device. Traditionally gel based electrodes are used to transmit the electrical signal. However, gel electrodes are inconvenient because they require aggressive skin preparation and use an electrolytic solution to ensure electrocardiograph (ECG) quality. The purpose of this study was to compare the reliability and signal quality of traditional gel electrodes with a novel dry electrode that requires no abrasive skin preparation or electrolytic solution. The dry electrode is designed with micro-anchors that may penetrate the SC layer of skin. The micro-anchors are intended to reduce motion artifact, increase patient comfort and maintain signal quality relative to traditional electrodes. The sensing element, housing and snap are monothilic polymer plated with Ag/AgClfor conductivity. A novel adhesive scheme is used to maintain the dry electrode skin interface. The tape is clear, flexible and breathable. SUBJECTS: Eleven apparently healthy subjects consisting of 6 males and 5 females volunteered as subject (30.25 +/7.8 years). All subjects signed a consent form approved by the Cleveland State University Institutional Review Board. METHODS: Resting and exercise ECGs were obtained using standard ECG telemetry equipment (ScottCare TeleAdvantage System-Cleveland, Ohio). Subjects were tested on two consecutive days, wearing either the novel dry electrode or the standard 3M Red dot electrode in a lead II configuration. The electrode testing was done in randomized sequence. Data was collected while supine, standing and during a sub-maximal Bruce protocol (GXT). ECG signals for the entire data set were collected at 120 Hz and were analyzed using the Matlab 6th order Debauchy wavelet technique to de-noise the traces and establish a signal to noise ratio. RESULTS: A two tailed paired t-test was performed on the signal to noise ratios to compare the signal quality of the two types of electrodes. The mean signal-to-noise ratio was 16.33 (±2.68) for the standard gel electrode and 17.29 (±2.06) for the dry electrode with a non-significant difference (P value of 0.2573). CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that the novel dry electrode provided signal quality that was comparable to the standard gel electrode without the need for skin preparation or electrolytic solution. The novel dry electrode may be a suitable alternate to gel based electrodes for the ECG studies. Additional studies are pending to exploit the fidelity of the novel dry electrodes in more chronic applications. Comparison of ECG Signal Quality between a Novel Dry Electrode and a Standard Gel Electrode Kenneth E. Sparks, Ph.D., Cleveland State University (Cleveland, Ohio) Aaron T Rood, MA Orbital Research Inc (Cleveland, Ohio)