A long-term wearable electrocardiogram measurement system

Abstract

A low-power, wearable electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor was developed for long-term data acquisition and analysis. It was designed to maximize both comfort and ECG signal quality, and minimize obtrusiveness. The monitor consists of a central PCB that contains one electrode and most of the electronics. Two additional satellite PCBs house the remaining electrodes and buffer circuits and complete the system. It consumes 7.3 mW and can record single lead ECG for over one week under a variety of activity levels. A clinical test was performed to validate the monitor. Participants (N = 6) wore both the experimental cardiac monitor and a commercially available monitor while engaging in physical activities such as walking, stepping, and running. QRS sensitivity and QRS positive predictability were determined for each ECG waveform. The monitor performed as well or better than the commercial monitor in all interventions. It performed well even under high activity levels such as running, and may be a viable alternative to commercially available monitors.