Immediate evaluation of ECG and movement signals
The evaluation of long-term ECGs is currently performed by the attending physician, who enters the ECG data into a computer for preliminary analysis by a software programme after the patient´s visit. The physician then considers the flagged critical areas to make a diagnosis.
For years, IPMS has been researching a suitable algorithm to make possible an analysis directly within ECG recorder. The goal is to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the current cardiac function. To this end various methods are employed, such as rhythm analysis, QRS classification, analysis of the atrium activity, as well as QT measurement. For example, this software has been integrated into the portable instrument ECG-vital from Fraunhofer IPMS.
When the analysis software detects a change in the ECG, the recorder immediately sends an excerpt from the ECG through a gateway to the physician, who can then decide on the follow-up. In this way, long-term evaluation can be performed without the patient repeatedly having to visit the doctor.
In tandem with the ECG recording, the patient’s movements and physical activity are also recorded and analysed: The instrument automatically recognises whether the patient is standing, lying down, walking, running, or climbing stairs. Thus an ECG recording can be performed under real, everyday conditions, without the patient having to keep a diary of his daily activities.
Due to the link between the physical activity data and the ECG data, an improvement in the analysis results is achieved. In particular, changes occurring in the ECG can be correlated to the corresponding physical stress situations and disturbances caused by movement artefacts can be effectively reduced. For example, if the patient is climbing up stairs and the heart rate increases, then pathological tachycardia will not be mistakenly identified, because an increase is normal under such stress conditions.
Details: www.ipms.fraunhofer.de
Fraunhofer-Institut für Photonische Mikrosysteme IPMS is at Medica, Hall 03, Stand E74
21.11.2009
