Formalizing electrocardiogram (ECG) signal behavior in event-B

Abstract

Recording the electrical activity of the heart over a period of time as detected using electrical sensors is referred to as Electrocardiography (ECG). ECG is recorded as a collection of signal waves that has repetitive patterns. These patterns are usually used in the complex diagnosis process through which ECG may indicate certain problems related to the heart or other parts of the body. Despite the extensive studies conducted on the analysis of ECG signals and their thorough analysis, there is a lack of a formal model that validate their specifications, which results in several inconsistencies and problems in their interpretations and usage. This, on the other hand, may lead to ambiguities and incompleteness in the methods that are developed utilizing ECG specifications and their features. Therefore, in this paper we propose a method to formalize and validate the specifications of ECG signals in Event-B. We formally define the waves of ECG and their relation, and then formalize and validate several properties about their behavior.