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Noise in ECG and how

Noise in ECG and how
to deal with it
to deal with it
Djordje Djordje Popovic, MD Popovic, MD
Outline Outline
Frequency characteristics of ECG Frequency characteristics of ECG
Most common sources of noise, Most common sources of noise,
characteristics and examples characteristics and examples
How to deal with some of them (filtering How to deal with some of them (filtering
techniques) techniques)
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Frequency characteristics of Frequency characteristics of
normal ECG normal ECG
Sources of noise Sources of noise
Power line interference Power line interference
Electrode contact noise, baseline drift and Electrode contact noise, baseline drift and
motion artifacts motion artifacts
EMG from the chest wall EMG from the chest wall
Instrumentation noise Instrumentation noise
Electrosurgical noise Electrosurgical noise
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Power line interference Power line interference
60 Hz & multiples 60 Hz & multiples
Up to 50% of QRS amplitude Up to 50% of QRS amplitude
Solutions Solutions
Notch filter at 60 Hz Notch filter at 60 Hz
Comb filter Comb filter
Sampl.rate Sampl.rate=n x 60 Hz =n x 60 Hz
Y(i Y(i)= )=X(i) X(i)- -X(i X(i- -n n) )
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.12
-250
-200
-150
-100
-50
0
Frequency (kHz)
M
a
g
n
it
u
d
e

(
d
B
)
Magnitude Response (dB)
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25
-70
-60
-50
-40
-30
-20
-10
0
10
Frequency (kHz)
M
a
g
n
it
u
d
e

(
d
B
)
Magnitude Response (dB)
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Adaptive filtering of power hum Adaptive filtering of power hum
Electrode contact noise Electrode contact noise
Loose contact Loose contact
Motion artifact Motion artifact
Baseline drift Baseline drift
due to respiration due to respiration
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Solutions Solutions
Typically <0.5 Hz signals (except for the Typically <0.5 Hz signals (except for the
abrupt shifts due to motion) abrupt shifts due to motion)
High High- -pass filtering with cut pass filtering with cut- -off frequency at off frequency at
~ 0.5Hz, realized in hardware or software ~ 0.5Hz, realized in hardware or software
Abrupt motion artifact cancellation Abrupt motion artifact cancellation
Adaptive recurrent Adaptive recurrent
filtering filtering
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EMG EMG
Amplitude Amplitude
~ 10% ECG ~ 10% ECG
Broadband Broadband
(20 (20 1000 Hz 1000 Hz
Solutions Solutions
Low Low- -pass filter with cut pass filter with cut- -off frequency off frequency
>40Hz >40Hz
Adaptive filter with Adaptive filter with aVf aVf as primary and as primary and
aVr aVr- -aVl aVl as reference as reference
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Summary Summary
Many different sources of noise, frequency Many different sources of noise, frequency
content of some of them overlaps with content of some of them overlaps with
ECG ECG
Limited capabilities of linear filtering Limited capabilities of linear filtering
Final solution dependent on each Final solution dependent on each
particular case, and our goals particular case, and our goals
Questions?
Questions?
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Use of adaptive filters in
Use of adaptive filters in
ECG processing
ECG processing
Djordje Djordje Popovic, MD Popovic, MD
Structure of an AF Structure of an AF
S1/S2 or n1/n2 need not be the same, only correlated in some way S1/S2 or n1/n2 need not be the same, only correlated in some way !! !!
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Noise cancellation Noise cancellation
Power line interference Power line interference Baseline drift Baseline drift
EMG cancellation EMG cancellation
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Arrhythmia detection Arrhythmia detection
Goal: to cancel normal QRS complexes, Goal: to cancel normal QRS complexes,
and to analyze the signal that remains and to analyze the signal that remains
after the cancellation after the cancellation
Detection of Detection of ectopic ectopic beats beats
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P P- -wave analysis wave analysis
Atrial Atrial fibrillation and/or flatter fibrillation and/or flatter