Fast FIR filters for a stress test system

The authors describe a technique for design of fast finite-impulse-response (FIR) filters with a flat frequency response for certain frequencies. Such filters are well suited for stress test electrocardiograms (ECGs). A 0.5 Hz high-pass and a 30 Hz low-pass filter were designed. To evaluate the design method and computing time of the fast filter and of an equivalent traditional filter were compared. The performance of the fast filters was superior to the traditional filter. The induced distortion of the filters was evaluated by comparison with standard analog ECG filters