Design and Construction of a Continuous Ambulatory Electrocardiogram Recorder, Auxiliary in the Detection of Cardiac Arrhythmias

Amongst the factors that benefit preventive treatment of cardiac patients are early detection and correct identification of cardiac arrhythmia patterns. However, in the State of Michoacán, Mexico, cardiac patients are seldom monitored as part of routine diagnostic in public health institutions due to the lack of ECG monitoring equipment. This paper describes the design and construction of an Ambulatory Electrocardiogram (ECG) Recorder, the ECGITM04. The ECG-ITM04 resulted from an initiative between Morelia Institute of Technology and the Michoacán State Public Health Secretariat to produce biopotential instrumentation for use as part of routine diagnostic in public health clinics. The 3-wire ECG monitoring device complies with several specifications: low-power consumption (battery operated), on-line graphics display, 7-days continuous data logger, patient electrical safety, minimal signal processing operations to facilitate the identification of cardiac arrhythmia patterns and a JTAG programming port so that the device can be updated without changing the data acquisition hardware.