Hardware Development of Wearable ECG Devices

Abstract

Personal healthcare devices find many applications where noninvasive monitoring of biopotential signals is required. Among physiological parameters ECG (Electrocardiogram) is one of the most important vital signals because it directly reflects the heart condition. Wearable devices used for recording ECG related information may continuously record heart rate and/or ECG for several hours or days and store it on the system memory. The stored ECG can then be used by cardiologists for subsequent analysis and diagnosis. Holter monitors, developed for the first time by N. J. Holter [44], are commonly used for this purpose. Event monitors record ECG for short periods which are set by the user control [87]. More functionality may be incorporated into the monitoring device by providing interface to PC (Personal Computer), mobile phone and PDA (Personal Data Assistant) through USB (serial Bus Interface) or other standards. In advanced monitors short range transceivers send stored ECG to the control center in the hospital.