A programmable simulator of electrocardiographic signals

Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 1987

Design a Simple Model of Electrocardiograph

The electrocardiograph is an electronic instrument used to produce a written record of the electrical activity of the heart. The electrical waveform produced by the heart is called an electrocardiogram or ECG (sometimes EKG after the German spelling). The various features of the ECG can be related to the pumping activity of the heart and is thus used in the diagnosis of the heart disease. The electrocardiograph system described in this module is a simplified one, but it will perform the same basic functions as a more sophisticated commercial instrument. It has been designed to demonstrate the underlying principles of electrocardiograph operation in terms of the functions of individual stages and their interrelationships in the system. Although the simplified version may not include special features found on more complex commercial instruments, an understanding of the operating principles of this model should help in properly using commercial instruments and in understanding its oper...

Indonesian Journal of electronics, electromedical engineering, and medical informatics

Medical equipment functional test and calibration is a routine activity that must be carried on periodically. Electrocardiograph (ECG) requires an ECG phantom to calibrate the function. This calibrator is commonly called ECG signal simulator. The purpose of this study is to design a simple ECG signal simulator with ten leads of signals that can be used to test ECG recorders with standard recording procedures. With the ECG signal simulator that was designed and made, the development of signal patterns can be made as needed. The normal human cardiac signal displayed on the ECGSIM software. The potential value that displayed on ECGSIM software can be extracted manually and assembled as a flash program of microcontroller, so this microcontroller will generate some digital code by each parallel port. This digital code then converted as an analog signal by DAC. The electrocardiograph signal simulator output is an analog signal that identical with each lead according to the recording meth...

This paper present a virtual instrument using for analysing a electrocardiographical signals. An interesting analisys can be made having on the base the graphical representation of samples series depending on this derivative, using a wavelette transform or fractal analysis.

2010

This statement examines the relation of the resting ECG to its technology. Its purpose is to foster understanding of how the modern ECG is derived and displayed and to establish standards that will improve the accuracy and usefulness of the ECG in practice. Derivation of representative waveforms and measurements based on global intervals are described. Special emphasis is placed on digital signal acquisition and computer-based signal processing, which provide automated measurements that lead to computer-generated diagnostic statements. Lead placement, recording methods, and waveform presentation are reviewed. Throughout the statement, recommendations for ECG standards are placed in context of the clinical implications of evolving ECG technology. (Circulation. 2007;115:1306-1324.)

2010

T his is the sixth and final section of the project to update electrocardiography (ECG) standards and interpretation. The project was initiated by the Council on Clinical Cardiology of the American Heart Association (AHA). The rationale for the project and the process for its implementation were described in a previous publication. The ECG is considered the single most important initial clinical test for diagnosing myocardial ischemia and infarction. Its correct interpretation, particularly in the emergency department, is usually the basis for immediate therapeutic interventions and/or subsequent diagnostic tests. The ECG changes that occur in association with acute ischemia and infarction include peaking of the T waves, referred to as hyperacute T-wave changes, ST-segment elevation and/or depression, changes in the QRS complex, and inverted T waves.

IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, 2005

In this paper the solution of the specialized measuring system for electrocardiography (ECG) signal recording and introductory recognition is presented. The project aims at designing the complete PC-based Virtual Instrument as a "testing platform" for acquisition, processing, presenting, and distributing ECG data. A new design involving the latest technique in signal simulation was developed to create a controllable model of the electrocardiography signal. Then it was implemented for testing of the developed QRS detection algorithm, based on the time-frequency analysis method. The processing stage involving discrete wavelet transform was used to detect QRS complexes in the ECG signal. By using the controlled signal model and the real ones, the algorithm was shown to be advantageous in reducing ventilation artifacts and motion noise, resulting in good accuracy.

This statement examines the relation of the resting ECG to its technology. Its purpose is to foster understanding of how the modern ECG is derived and displayed and to establish standards that will improve the accuracy and usefulness of the ECG in practice. Derivation of representative waveforms and measurements based on global intervals are described. Special emphasis is placed on digital signal acquisition and computer-based signal processing, which provide automated measurements that lead to computer-generated diagnostic statements. Lead placement, recording methods, and waveform presentation are reviewed. Throughout the statement, recommendations for ECG standards are placed in context of the clinical implications of evolving ECG technology. (Circulation. 2007;115:1306-1324.)

Journal of Electrocardiology, 2008

The details of digital recording and computer processing of a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) remain a source of confusion for many health care professionals. A better understanding of the design and performance tradeoffs inherent in the electrocardiograph design might lead to better quality in ECG recording and better interpretation in ECG reading. This paper serves as a tutorial from an engineering point of view to those who are new to the field of ECG and to those clinicians who want to gain a better understanding of the engineering tradeoffs involved. The problem arises when the benefit of various electrocardiograph features is widely understood while the cost or the tradeoffs are not equally well understood. An electrocardiograph is divided into 2 main components, the patient module for ECG signal acquisition and the remainder for ECG processing which holds the main processor, fast printer, and display. The low-level ECG signal from the body is amplified and converted to a digital signal for further computer processing. The Electrocardiogram is processed for display by user selectable filters to reduce various artifacts. A high-pass filter is used to attenuate the very low frequency baseline sway or wander. A low-pass filter attenuates the high-frequency muscle artifact and a notch filter attenuates interference from alternating current power. Although the target artifact is reduced in each case, the ECG signal is also distorted slightly by the applied filter. The low-pass filter attenuates high-frequency components of the ECG such as sharp R waves and a high-pass filter can cause ST segment distortion for instance. Good skin preparation and electrode placement reduce artifacts to eliminate the need for common usage of these filters.

2011

This paperwork presents the design and test of a microcontroller-based ECG (electrocardiogram) simulator. The ECG simulator is capable of generating nine ECG signals and a calibrated square wave (1 Hz, 1 mV at Lead II). The synthesized signals are: normal sinus rhythm (60 beats per minute – BPM, and 90 BPM), sinus bradycardia (30 BPM), sinus tachycardia (120, 180 and 240 BPM), sinus rhythm with tall T wave (6EC0 BPM), ventricular tachycardia (120 BPM), and a rhythm for asynchronous ventricular pacemaker (60 BPM). The simulated ECG signals can have their amplitudes continuously varied from zero to 2 mV at lead II, through a panel potentiometer, whose knob position does not affect the amplitude of the square wave calibrated signal. The technique used to synthesize the ECG signals, a modified direct digital synthesis (DDS), appeared superior in permitting the generation of signals of very good quality and yet using a relatively small amount of memory. This latter feature enabled the us...