ECG Enhancement and R-Peak Detection Based on Window Variability.

Lu Wu,Yinglong Wang,Xiaoyun Xie

doi:10.3390/healthcare9020227

Lu Wu, Yinglong Wang + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9020227

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Abstract

In ECG applications, the correct recognition of R-peaks is extremely important for detecting abnormalities, such as arrhythmia and ventricular hypertrophy. In this work, a novel ECG enhancement and R-peak detection method based on window variability is presented, and abbreviated as SQRS. Firstly, the ECG signal corrupted by various high or low-frequency noises is denoised by moving-average filtering. Secondly, the window variance transform technique is used to enhance the QRS complex and suppress the other components in the ECG, such as P/T waves and noise. Finally, the signal, converted by window variance transform, is applied to generate the R-peaks candidates, and the decision rules, including amplitude and kurtosis adaptive thresholds, are applied to determine the R-peaks. A special squared window variance transform (SWVT) is proposed to measure the signal variability in a certain time window, and this technique reduces false detection rate caused by the various types of interference presented in ECG signals. For the MIT-BIH arrhythmia database, the sensitivity of R-peak detection can reach 99.6% using the proposed method.

Highlights

The electrocardiogram (ECG) is a random and unstable signal that records the electrical activity of the heart, and the ECG signals obtained in different environments and from individuals are significantly different
The P wave, QRS complex and T wave are the main components in the ECG waveform [1], and the accurate detection of them is important to ECG signal analysis
The QRS complex is the dominant feature of the ECG signal and its accurate detection is an important issue in many clinical conditions [2]; for example, the RR interval is used for heart rate measurement and diagnosis of several abnormalities—ventricular hypertrophy [3], conduction abnormalities [4], etc

Summary

Introduction

The electrocardiogram (ECG) is a random and unstable signal that records the electrical activity of the heart, and the ECG signals obtained in different environments and from individuals are significantly different. The P wave, QRS complex and T wave are the main components in the ECG waveform (see Figure 1) [1], and the accurate detection of them is important to ECG signal analysis. The QRS complex is the dominant feature of the ECG signal and its accurate detection is an important issue in many clinical conditions [2]; for example, the RR interval is used for heart rate measurement and diagnosis of several abnormalities—ventricular hypertrophy [3], conduction abnormalities [4], etc. The detection of the QRS complex is the first step in all kinds of automatic feature extractions for ECG signals [5]. The first step of R-peak detection is signal denoising, and the QRS complexes are enhanced and detected

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion