A Low Cost Sensing Device to Detect Cardiac Timing and Function

This paper presents a design of a device to detect cardiac timing required for diagnosis of cardiac deficiencies. This low cost device can have an accuracy which is comparable to the expensive echocardiography when combined with the ECG signal. The device includes an ECG sensor, a microphone to record phonocardiogram, and a tri-axis accelerometer to detect the seismic motion of the heart. Data are collected in a logger to view in real time or store in a file for later analysis. Experiment results have shown a working prototype to provide accurate waveforms of the seism cardiogram to identify critical points in a cardiac cycle to millisecond accuracy.