Abstract
Continuous ECG monitoring can play an important role in the rapid detection of pathological signatures and arrhythmias. Current systems use electrodes with limitations in wearable long-term applications and spatial selectivity. In this work, two sizes of textile concentric ring electrodes (TCRE42 and TCRE50) were developed and tested for monitoring cardiac activity. The low-cost devices were found to be easy to implement and to potentially have the advantages of textile electrodes for being lightweight, stretchable, adjustable, washable, and long-lasting. Both TCREs yielded similar signal detectability of different ECG waves. The optimal P wave recording area (OPA) for detecting signals was on the upper right chest. Although the absolute signal amplitude of TCRE records was smaller than that of lead II, normalized amplitude in the OPA is similar for T wave and higher for P wave. The TCREs also allowed better analysis of P wave morphology and were able to detect more right and left atrial depolarization waves. TCRE48 showed slightly better detectability, normalized amplitude, and spatial selectivity than TCRE50 within the OPA. The authors consider the TCRE suitable for use in ubiquitous mobile health care systems, especially for atrial activity monitoring and diagnosis.
Highlights
Measurement of electrophysiological signals is crucial for monitoring bodily states and facilitating clinical diagnoses
The analysis of the different cardiac waves in the ECG signals is of major importance; the P wave represents the depolarization wave that spreads from the sinoatrial node throughout the atria; the QRS complex represents ventricular depolarization, while the T wave represents ventricular repolarization
The bipolar concentric ECG signals (BC-ECG) signals recorded at the first 5 points on the right in the sixth row tended to have a very low amplitude. This could be expected since the textile CRE (TCRE) was quite far from the signal source and is in agreement with the findings of other authors [12]
Summary
Measurement of electrophysiological signals is crucial for monitoring bodily states and facilitating clinical diagnoses. The ECG provides information on heart rate and electrical conduction in the heart, which enables the diagnosis of a wide range of cardiac pathologies, such as sinus tachycardia or bradycardia, bundle branch block, AV blocks, or atrial/ventricular fibrillation, which can be dangerous or even cause sudden death [1]. Diagnosis is usually by analyzing 12-lead ECG shortterm records in clinics with benchtop equipment and wet disc electrodes. A conductive gel is a significant drawback as it can dry out over time, increasing contact impedance and losing signal quality [3]. Dry ECG electrodes have emerged as an alternative for long-term ECG monitoring. They do not need gel but operate through natural body
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