A portable system for acquiring and removing motion artefact from ECG signals

Abstract

A novel electrocardiograph (ECG) signal acquisition and display system is under development. It is designed for patients ranging from the elderly to athletes. The signals are obtained from electrodes integrated into a vest, amplified, digitally processed and transmitted via Bluetooth to a PC with a Labview interface. Digital signal processing is performed to remove movement artefact and electromyographic (EMG) noise, which severely distorts signal morphology and complicates clinical diagnosis. Independent component analysis (ICA) is also used to improve the signal quality. The complete system will integrate the electronics into a single module which will be embedded in the vest.