PROJECT REPORT

Submitted To

Madam Shahinza Manzoor

Submitted By

Hassan Ahmed

Faizan Sheraz

Roll no

212101025

212101020

Subject

Signal and system

Class

BSCE -4

Date

30 March 2023
 Signal Processing Techniques for Removing Noise from ECG
Signals

1. Abstract: -
The accurate analysis and interpretation of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals are essential

for diagnosing various cardiovascular disorders. However, these signals are often corrupted by

noise, which can hinder accurate interpretation and diagnosis. In this project report, we explore

signal and system techniques for noise removal from ECG signals, aiming to improve the quality

and reliability of the diagnostic information obtained from these signals.

The project begins by providing a comprehensive overview of ECG signals, highlighting

their importance in clinical settings and the challenges posed by noise interference. Various

sources of noise in ECG signals are identified, including baseline wander, power line

interference, muscle artifacts, and electrode motion artifacts. Understanding the characteristics of

these noise sources is crucial for the subsequent noise removal techniques.

Next, a thorough review of signal processing and system techniques is presented. This

includes the application of digital filters, such as finite impulse response (FIR) filters and infinite

impulse response (IIR) filters, to attenuate noise components while preserving the important

ECG features. The design considerations and implementation aspects of these filters are

discussed, including filter order, cutoff frequencies, and filter coefficients determination.

Furthermore, advanced signal processing techniques are explored, such as wavelet

denoising, adaptive filtering, and independent component analysis (ICA). These methods

leverage the properties of noise and ECG signals to effectively separate and remove noise

components. The advantages, limitations, and implementation considerations of each technique

are examined, providing a comprehensive understanding of their applicability in real-world

scenarios.

To evaluate the performance of the noise removal techniques, a dataset of noisy ECG

signals is utilized. Objective metrics such as signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), mean squared error

(MSE), and peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) are employed to quantify the improvement

achieved by each method. Comparative analyses are conducted to identify the most effective

noise removal technique based on these metrics.

The results obtained from the experiments demonstrate the efficacy of the signal and

system techniques for noise removal from ECG signals. By effectively reducing the noise

interference, the diagnostic accuracy and reliability of ECG signals are significantly improved,

facilitating more accurate interpretation and diagnosis of cardiovascular disorders. The findings

of this project contribute to the advancement of signal processing methods in the field of

biomedical engineering and offer valuable insights for researchers and practitioners working on

ECG signal analysis and noise removal.

2. Introduction: -
The Electrocardiogram (ECG) is a signal that describes the electrical activity of the heart.

It contains a P wave (due to atrial depolarization), a QRS complex (due to atrial repolarization

and ventricular depolarization) and a T wave (due to ventricular repolarization). To record an

ECG signal, electrodes (transducers) are placed at specific positions on the human body.

Artifacts (noise) are unwanted signals that are merged with ECG signal and can create obstacles

for the physicians from making a true diagnosis. There are four types of artifacts encountered in
ECG signals: baseline wander, powerline interference, EMG noise and electrode motion

artifacts.

2.1. Baseline Wander: -

Baseline wander is the effect where the base axis (x-axis) of a signal appears to 'wander' or move

up and down rather than be straight. This causes the entire signal to shift from its normal base. In

ECG signals, baseline wander is caused due to improper electrodes, patient movement and breathing.

The frequency content of baseline wander is in the range of 0.5 Hz, but increased movement of the

body during exercise or stress test increases the frequency content. To estimate and remove the

baseline in the ECG signal, Finite Impulse Response (FIR) high-pass zero phase forward-backward

filtering with a cut-off frequency of 0.5 Hz can be used.

2.2. Powerline Interface: -

Electromagnetic fields caused by a powerline are a common noise source in the ECG, as well as

any other bioelectrical signal recorded from the body surface. This noise is characterized by 50-60 Hz

sinusoidal interference, possibly accompanied by harmonics. This narrowband noise renders the

analysis and interpretation of the ECG more difficult, as the delineation of low-amplitude waveforms

becomes unreliable and spurious waveforms may be introduced. It is necessary to remove powerline

interference from ECG signals as it completely superimposes the low frequency ECG waves like P

and T wave. (Figure 1) shows an ECG signal typically affected by a powerline interference.

Figure 1. ECG affected by powerline (50/ 60 Hz) interference

2.3. EMG Noise: -

 Muscle noise is a major problem in many ECG applications, especially in recordings acquired

during exercise. It is not removed by narrowband filtering, but presents a much more difficult

filtering problem since the spectral content of muscle activity considerably overlaps that of the

PQRST complex. Techniques can be used to reduce muscle noise in a way similar to the processing

of evoked potentials, but ensemble averaging is limited to one particular QRS morphology at a time

and requires several beats to be available. There is still a need to develop signal processing techniques

which can reduce the influence of muscle noise. Figure below shows an ECG signal interfered by an

EMG noise.

Figure 2. ECG signal with electromyography (EMG) noise

2.4. Electrode Motion Artifacts

Electrode motion artifacts are caused by skin stretching which alters the impedance of the skin

around the electrode. They occur mainly in the range from 1 to 10 Hz and are manifested as large-

amplitude waveforms which are sometimes mistaken for QRS complexes. They are particularly

troublesome in the context of ambulatory ECG monitoring, where they constitute the main source of

falsely detected heartbeats. A typical ECG signal affected by electrode motion artifact is shown in

(Figure 3) below.
 Figure 3. ECG affected by electrode motion artifacts

3. Objectives: -
Noise removal from ECG signal is an important task in biomedical signal processing, as

the presence of noise can obscure important information in the signal and lead to inaccurate

diagnosis and treatment of cardiac conditions. The objectives of noise removal from ECG signal

can be divided into several categories, including improving the quality of the signal, enhancing

diagnostic accuracy, and facilitating further analysis of the signal.

The primary objective of noise removal from ECG signal is to improve the quality of the

signal. This involves removing any unwanted noise that may be present in the signal, such as

electrical interference from nearby equipment or other sources of electromagnetic interference.

By removing this noise, the resulting signal will be clearer and easier to interpret, enabling more

accurate diagnosis of cardiac conditions and more effective treatment.

Another objective of noise removal from ECG signal is to enhance diagnostic accuracy.

This involves removing noise that may be confounding diagnostic measurements, such as

baseline wander or muscle artifact, which can make it difficult to identify the presence of

arrhythmias or other cardiac conditions. By removing this noise, clinicians and researchers can
more accurately assess the health of the heart and make more informed decisions about patient

care.

Finally, noise removal from ECG signal can facilitate further analysis of the signal, such

as feature extraction and classification, which can provide insights into the underlying

physiology of the heart. This can be particularly useful in research settings, where large amounts

of ECG data may be analyzed to identify trends or patterns that may not be immediately apparent

from visual inspection of the signal. By removing noise from the signal, researchers can obtain

more accurate and reliable measurements, leading to more meaningful results and a deeper

understanding of the cardiovascular system.

4. Methodology: -
There are various signal processing methods for removing the noise from ECG signal.

These methods are simple yet effective. These techniques are described below.

4.1. Removing Baseline Wander: -

A straightforward approach to the design of a filter is to choose the ideal high-pass filter as a

starting point,

{
H ( e jω )= 0 , 0<|ω|<ω c
1 , ωc <|ω|< π

4.2. Removing Powerline Interface: -

A very simple approach to the reduction of powerline interference is to consider a filter defined

by a complexconjugated pair of zeros that lie on the unit circle at the interfering frequency

± j ω0
z 1 ,2=e

Such a second-order FIR filter has the transfer function

H ( z )=( 1−z1 z−1 )( 1−z 2 z−1 )

 −1 −2
¿ 1−2 cos ( ω0 ) z + z

4.3. Removing EMG Noise: -

The EMG noise is a high-frequency noise; hence an n-point moving average (MA) filter may be

used to remove, or at least suppress, the EMG noise from ECG signals. The general form of an MA

filter is

n
y ( n )=∑ bk x (n−k )
k=0

Where x and y are the input and output of the filter, respectively. The bk values are the filter

coefficients or tap weights, k = 0, 1, 2. . . N, where N is the order of the filter.

4.4. Removing Motion Artifacts(electrode): -

One of the widely used techniques for removing the electrode motion artifacts is based on

adaptive filters. The general structure of an adaptive filter for noise canceling utilized in this paper

requires two inputs, called the primary and the reference signal. The former is the d(t) = s(t) + n1 (t)

where s(t) is an ECG signal and n1(t) is an additive noise. The noise and the signal are assumed to be

uncorrelated. The second input is a noise u(t) correlated in some way with n1 (t) but coming from

another source. The adaptive filter coefficients wk are updated as new samples of the input signals are

acquired. The learning rule for coefficients modification is based on minimization, in the mean square

sense, of the error signal e(t) = d(t) − y(t) where y(t) is the output of the adaptive filter. A block

diagram of the general structure of noise cancelling adaptive filtering is shown in figure 13 [10]. The

two most widely used adaptive filtering algorithms are the Least Mean Square (LMS) and the

Recursive Least Square (RLS).

 Figure 4. Block Diagram of Adaptive filtering scheme

5. Implementation and Result: -

We acquired a dataset of ECG signal affected with different types of artifacts and using

this dataset we implemented different noise removal techniques for each type of noise. The

techniques used for removing the noise along with the results are given below.

5.1. For Removing Baseline Wander

Finite Impulse Response (FIR) high-pass zero phase forward-backward filtering with a cut-off

frequency of 0.5 Hz is used to estimate and remove the baseline in the ECG signal
 Figure 5. Results of removing Baseline Wander

5.2. For Removing Powerline Interface

Powerline interference (50 or 60 Hz noise from mains supply) is removed using a notch filter of
50 or 60 Hz cut-off frequency.

Figure 6. Results of removing PowerLine Interface

5.3. For Removing EMG Noise

EMG noise is removed using a low-pass filter of an appropriate cut-off frequency.

Figure 7. Results of removing EMG Noise

5.4. For Removing Electrode Motion Artifacts

A high-pass filter with a cutoff frequency at 4Hz is applied to remove the motion artifact

superimposed in the ECG signal

Figure 8a. ECG signal with motion artifact 8b. ECG signal without motion artifact
6. Advantages: -

Noise removal from ECG (Electrocardiogram) signals offers several advantages,

including:

6.1. Enhanced Signal Quality:

Removing noise from ECG signals improves the overall quality of the signal by reducing

interference and artifacts. This enables better visualization and analysis of the important features and

characteristics of the ECG waveform.

6.2. Accurate Diagnosis:

Noise in ECG signals can obscure or distort vital information, making it difficult to accurately

diagnose cardiac conditions. By eliminating noise, clinicians and researchers can obtain more reliable

and accurate information about the heart's electrical activity, leading to improved diagnostic

capabilities.

6.3. Improved Signal Analysis:

Noise-free ECG signals facilitate more effective analysis and interpretation. Various algorithms

and techniques can be applied to the clean signals to extract valuable information, such as detecting

abnormalities, identifying arrhythmias, measuring heart rate variability, and assessing cardiac

function.

6.4. Noise Artifacts Reduction:

ECG signals can be affected by different types of noise, such as power line interference, motion

artifacts, electrode contact noise, and muscle noise. Removing these noise components minimizes
 false alarms and artifacts, which could otherwise lead to misinterpretation and unnecessary

interventions.

6.5. Increased Sensitivity

Noise reduction enhances the sensitivity of ECG signal analysis. It allows for the detection of

subtle changes in the waveform, which can be indicative of underlying cardiac conditions or

abnormalities that may go unnoticed in the presence of noise.

6.6. Improved Telemedicine and Remote Monitoring

With the advancement of telemedicine and remote monitoring technologies, ECG signals can be

transmitted and analyzed remotely. Noise removal ensures accurate signal transmission, reducing the

chances of misdiagnosis or incorrect treatment decisions due to noise-induced signal distortions.

6.7. Efficient Data Compression:

Clean ECG signals require less storage space, as they do not contain unnecessary noise

components. This is particularly useful when dealing with large volumes of ECG data, enabling

efficient data storage, retrieval, and sharing.

Overall, noise removal from ECG signals leads to improved signal quality, enhanced

diagnostic accuracy, better analysis capabilities, and more reliable interpretations, ultimately

benefiting healthcare providers, researchers, and patients.

7. Applications: -
Noise removal from ECG signals is an essential preprocessing step in electrocardiogram

(ECG) analysis. Removing noise from ECG signals helps improve the accuracy of diagnostic

algorithms, enhances signal quality for visual interpretation, and enables more reliable feature

extraction. Here are some applications of noise removal from ECG signals:
7.1. Clinical Diagnosis

Accurate diagnosis of cardiac abnormalities relies on clean ECG signals. Noise removal

techniques help eliminate artifacts, interference, and baseline wander, ensuring more accurate

detection of abnormalities such as arrhythmias, myocardial infarctions, and conduction disorders.

7.2. Telemedicine and Remote Monitoring

With the increasing popularity of telemedicine and remote patient monitoring, noise removal

becomes crucial for transmitting high-quality ECG signals over network connections. Removing

noise ensures reliable interpretation and analysis of ECG signals by healthcare professionals, even

when monitoring is conducted remotely.

7.3. Signal Processing and Feature Extraction

Noise-free ECG signals provide a better foundation for signal processing techniques, such as

filtering, feature extraction, and time-frequency analysis. These processes are fundamental for

detecting specific features, like QRS complexes, P-waves, and ST segment changes, which aid in

diagnosing various cardiac conditions.

7.4. Biometric Authentication

ECG signals are being explored as a potential biometric modality for individual identification due

to their uniqueness and stability. Noise removal techniques help enhance the reliability of ECG-based

biometric systems by reducing the impact of artifacts and noise on the signal, leading to more

accurate identification.

7.5. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Analysis

HRV analysis is widely used to assess autonomic nervous system activity and cardiac health.

Noise removal from ECG signals improves the accuracy of HRV measurements by eliminating noise-
 induced artifacts, allowing for more precise evaluation of heart rate dynamics and the identification of

autonomic dysfunctions.

7.6. Wearable Health Devices

Wearable ECG monitoring devices are becoming increasingly popular for continuous health

monitoring. Noise removal techniques play a crucial role in enhancing the accuracy of these devices

by minimizing motion artifacts, power line interference, and other sources of noise, ensuring reliable

ECG recordings.

7.7. ECG Data Mining and Research

Noise-free ECG signals facilitate the analysis of large-scale ECG datasets for research purposes.

Removing noise from ECG signals helps identify subtle patterns and abnormalities, supports the

development of machine learning algorithms, and contributes to a deeper understanding of cardiac

diseases and risk factors.

In summary, noise removal from ECG signals has numerous applications ranging from

clinical diagnosis and telemedicine to signal processing, biometrics, and research. By enhancing

signal quality and reducing noise-induced artifacts, these applications benefit from more accurate

and reliable analysis of ECG data.

8. Conclusion

The process of noise removal from ECG signals plays a crucial role in enhancing the

accuracy and reliability of cardiac diagnoses. By effectively removing noise from ECG signals,

healthcare professionals can enhance the accuracy and reliability of cardiac diagnoses, leading to

more precise treatment plans and improved patient outcomes. Noise removal techniques

contribute to the continuous advancement of medical technology and the field of cardiology.

Noise removal from ECG signals is a complex and essential process that requires a combination
of expertise in signal processing, biomedical engineering, and clinical knowledge. With ongoing

research and development in this area, we can anticipate further advancements and innovations

that will continue to enhance the quality and reliability of ECG signal analysis, ultimately

benefiting both healthcare providers and patients.