Two-way converter between the HL7 aECG and SCP-ECG data formats using BioSig

This paper presents an effort launched in 2006 by the OpenECG network, led by the Graz University of Technology and supported by IEEE 1073, ISO 11073 and CEN TC251 to create a two-way converter in C++ between the SCP-ECG and the HL7 aECG standards. In the conversion, GDF, the BioSig internal data format, was used as an intermediate structure. This design approach allowed people with different expertise to be involved in the implementation of the converter. ECG data sets from the OpenECG portal were used to test the converter. However, some data mapping problems were identified. In fact, the SCP-ECG standard includes clinical data of the patient such as blood pressure, weight, and height, etc, which are not part of the HL7 aECG standard. Moreover, the annotations of HL7 aECG can be translated to GDF events, but, currently the only way SCP-ECG might support HL7 aECG annotations or GDF events is by using custom tags or sections. The first version of the converter has been released in open source to be tested by the BioSig and OpenECG communities. Some data mapping issues remain open in this first release. However, it is the expectation of the OpenECG community that they will be addressed in the collaboration among the relevant Standard Developing Organizations as a critical step towards the improvement of interoperability in electrocardiography.