A novel single-channel real-time event monitoring software for extremely hardware-limited ECG devices

In this paper a reliable single-lead real-time cardiac monitoring algorithm for extremely limited hardware platforms is presented. The algorithm performs robust detection and classification for QRS complexes as well as a trusted recognition method for certain cardiac events including life-threatening arrhythmias. The ECG analyzing software is developed for clinical and home care applications, validated in real environments and implemented in a portable battery-powered device with up to seven-day operating time and low-power consumption. The whole ECG software implementation requires only 537 Bytes of RAM memory and round 20 kilobyte of ROM flash memory. The QRS detector achieved a sensitivity (Se) of 99.48% and a positive predictivity (P+) of 99.67 % after analyzing the first channel of all MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database records, while a Se of 99.50% and a P+ of 99.33% were attained after considering the first lead of all records provided by AHA Arrhythmia Database.