QRS Detection in Noisy Electrocardiogram Based on Multi-Parameter Constrained Stochastic Resonance

Abstract

One major challenge of QRS wave detection is the deleterious impact of inevitable noise in electrocardiogram (ECG) signals, which can deteriorate the detection performance of algorithms. Previous research has shown a nonlinear monostable potential-based algorithm for enhancing the QRS complex in a noisy environment. Its main mechanism is the stochastic resonance effect, which transfers noise energy to information-carrying ECG signals in the nonlinear potential. However, the QRS detection algorithm based on monostable stochastic resonance (MSR) exhibits a limited noise margin to maintain extremely good performance. To further improve noise robustness, we propose a multi-parameter constrained bistable SR (MCBSR) module for the QRS detection algorithm without requiring a large amount of training data. The MCBSR module can maximize the ECG signal while suppressing noise when there is a QRS complex and minimizes the ECG signal otherwise. Using four publicly available databases for testing, the MCBSR-based QRS detection algorithm has been proven to achieve superior performance among state-of-the-art algorithms. Compared to the conventional nonlinear method, the MCBSR enables the QRS detection algorithm to have significantly stronger noise robustness under various noise types. Therefore, this study successfully provides a more excellent nonlinear potential and greatly enhances the noise robustness of the QRS detection algorithm in large noise environments. © 2025 The Author(s). IEEJ Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Engineering published by Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.