• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.280-289
• /
• 2022

In this paper, we present a QRS-complex detection algorithm to calculate an accurate heartbeat and clearly recognize irregular rhythm from ECG signals. The conventional Pan-Tompkins algorithm brings false QRS detection in the derivative when QRS and noise signals have similar instant variation. The proposed algorithm uses amplitude differences in 7 adjacent samples to detect QRS-complex which has the highest amplitude variation. The calculated amplitude is cubed to dominate QRS-complex and the moving average method is applied to diminish the noise signal's amplitude. Finally, a decision rule with a threshold value is applied to detect accurate QRS-complex. The calculated signals with Pan-Tompkins and proposed algorithms were compared by signal-to-noise ratio to evaluate the noise reduction degree. QRS-complex detection performance was confirmed by sensitivity and the positive predictive value(PPV). Normal ECG, muscle noise ECG, PVC, and atrial fibrillation signals were achieved which were measured from an ECG simulator. The signal-to-noise ratio difference between Pan-Tompkins and the proposed algorithm were 8.1, 8.5, 9.6, and 4.7, respectively. All ratio of the proposed algorithm is higher than the Pan-Tompkins values. It indicates that the proposed algorithm is more robust to noise than the Pan-Tompkins algorithm. The Pan-Tompkins algorithm and the proposed algorithm showed similar sensitivity and PPV at most waveforms. However, with a noisy atrial fibrillation signal, the PPV for QRS-complex has different values, 42% for the Pan-Tompkins algorithm and 100% for the proposed algorithm. It means that the proposed algorithm has superiority for QRS-complex detection in a noisy environment.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.41 no.2
• /
• pp.107-119
• /
• 2020

The deep neural networks (DNN) that can replicate the behavior of the human expert who recognizes the characteristics of ECG waveform have been developed and studied to analyze ECG. However, although the existing DNNs can not provide the explanations for their decisions, those trials have attempted to determine whether patients have certain diseases or not and those decisions could not be accepted because of the absence of relating theoretical basis. In addition, these DNNs required a lot of training data to obtain sufficient accuracy in spite of the difficulty in the acquisition of relating clinical data. In this study, a small-sized continuous data processing DNN (C-DNN) was suggested to determine the simple characteristics of ECG wave that were not required additional explanations about its decisions and the C-DNN can be easily trained with small training data. Although it can analyze small input data that was selected in narrow region on whole ECG, it can continuously scan all ECG data and find important points such as start and end points of P, QRS and T waves within a short time. The star and end points of ECG waves determined by the C-DNNs were compared with the results performed by human experts to estimate the accuracies of the C-DNNs. The C-DNN has 150 inputs, 51 outputs, two hidden layers and one output layer. To find the start and end points, two C-DNNs were trained through deep learning technology and applied to a parameter acquisition algorithms. 12 lead ECG data measured in four patients and obtained through PhysioNet was processed to make training data by human experts. The accuracy of the C-DNNs were evaluated with extra data that were not used at deep learning by comparing the results between C-DNNs and human experts. The averages of the time differences between the C-DNNs and experts were 0.1 msec and 13.5 msec respectively and those standard deviations were 17.6 msec and 15.7 msec. The final step combining the results of C-DNN through the waveforms of 12 leads was successfully determined all 33 waves without error that the time differences of human experts decision were over 20 msec. The reliable decision of the ECG wave's start and end points benefits the acquisition of accurate ECG parameters such as the wave lengths, amplitudes and intervals of P, QRS and T waves.