Analysis with wavelets of electrocardiographic alterations in chronic Chagas patients

Fernando Riveros Sanabria,Jairo Villegas G

doi:10.12988/asb.2013.3623

Abstract

In this work, an algorithm was created to detect the characteristics of the electrocardiographic signal (ECG) of chronic Chagas patients from the State of Meta, Colombia and records of healthy people, using the Daubechies 5 wavelet (db 5), as an alternative way in the Fourier analysis for this type of signals. A database of 32 ECG records was created using a single channel with a 16-bits high resolution polygraph. This algorithm allowed the identification of the most important characteristics of each ECG record of patients with the disease, measuring the intervals and amplitudes of the waves and heart rate with an accuracy greater than 91%, becoming a tool for a better diagnosis of the symptoms of chronic Chagas disease. 414 Fernando Riveros Sanabria and Jairo Villegas G

Highlights

Chagas disease (American Trypanosomiasis) is produced by a parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi, this parasite is transmitted by vectors called blood-sucking triatomine insects among others, the vector insect is commonly known as “blood-sucking bedbug”
Of the total of people infected, it is estimated that 37% of them develop chronic heart problems and high probability of sudden death from this cause, many of them without being able to get even a diagnosis [6, 9]. This condition is reflected in the size of the heart increased, heart weakness, arrhythmias, chest pain, dilated cardiomyopathy, disability and it affects the transmission system of the heart electrical impulses
A study of the carriers of chronic Chagas disease was made by requesting the Health Secretary of the State of Meta for data about patients carrying the parasite (Trypanosoma cruzi) who had already been diagnosed positive carriers of the parasite

Summary

Introduction

Chagas disease (American Trypanosomiasis) is produced by a parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi, this parasite is transmitted by vectors called blood-sucking triatomine insects (triatominae infestans and Rhodnius prolixus) among others, the vector insect is commonly known as “blood-sucking bedbug” (kissing bugs). An already infected insect sucks the blood of its victim and defecates on the wound that it produces, in the feces of the vector is the parasite which gets through the wound into the bloodstream from the gut of the insect to the human (starting the acute phase of the disease that can last from a few weeks to months) and stays there for a long period of time, enters the cells of the heart and there it is developed, mainly affecting the myocardium [4]. Other studies using mathematical models to study this phenomenon are found in [5, 10]

Wavelets

Materials and methods

Applications of the algorithm

Results and discussion

Conclusions