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ECG recording, storing, filtering and First Posted 16 Jun 2003
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By Georgi Petrov | 14 Apr 2004

VC 6 Dev Advanced

Full open code project for making driver and application software for ECG medical measurements.

Article Browse Code Stats Revisions 4.00 (95 votes) 226 Sponsored Links

Download source code - 242 Kb

Download ECG Test file 1 - 1.58 MB
Download ECG Test file 2 - 556 Kb

Before I start, I would like to excuse myself about my poor English skills, my writing, and bad quality of
the published materials. But this is done because writing is a time consuming job, and when it is on
English� I think you will understand me.

Introduction
This program is a full ended open code project. It concerns to long time medical ECG single channel
record & one additional sensor record - signal from velo test power generator. You can find code for how
you can build your drivers without using DMA controller, this is very good for data acquisition systems
just like medical ECG recorders. To use this code, you need to compile all 3 DLL files:

driver
visualization
See Also...
On the end of this work, compile the application program using just built DLL files. So, use a demo file to
see what it can do for you. Application can make DSP on the input signal and can detect ECG QRS-PR-
QT segments.

Electro Cardio Graph or simply ECG (EKG) is a very useful medical instrument, its purpose is to help
doctors easily diagnose human or animals' heart activity and to detect abnormal functions of the heart
muscle.

Today, it is not so difficult to construct such a device, but there are many standards concerned to
human safety (direct & indirect) especially for intensive health care usage. So, I don�t mind to talk
about them! But there are many other ECG applications, such as rehabilitation holter monitors (long time
ECG recorders), remote holter monitors and some sports applications such as veloergometry ECG testers.
The last application can be met in many types and varieties from special MEDICAL to ACTIVE TRAINER
ECG TESTERS.

"ECG_1" software is concerned to sport ECG veloergometry. Researches that can be made using such
a software and non professional ECG instrumentation PC card can help a lot for these people (students)
who are interested in these fields: sports, medicine, medical electronics and much more. The main
purpose of the project is not to construct and design software and hardware; there is a bigger
objective! Creating free, fully opened, database for medical (physiological) chemical, electrical and image
records. I know, this is already done in big hospitals and universities, but it is still too hard for beginner
students and any others to get this information correct and free! In addition, I think that this one must
be corrected! Why? Because making an object oriented medical (sports & physiological) database system
Announcements
containing different long time records and results, such as veloergometry, can be very helpful for
research (not only for students). This is my opinion, you may have another, but let's begin!

ECG signal. Before you try to understand the software, I think that it is necessary to explain some of
the parameters of the normal ECG signal. This signal contains the main segments: P, Q, R, S, T, c. You
can see them on the next picture. Red line fixes the QRS time interval; it was made in software to help
to see the time segments in the electrocardiogram. The Daily Insider

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2/12/2011 ECG recording, storing, filtering and rec…

For humans, it is not so difficult to detect them on the paper, and I maintain that is not so difficult to
show the PC to recognize them. In standard electrocardiography, we use 12 recording channels, but in
veloergometry applications, they are limited to one � this signal is used to detect the heart rate/min.
and to detect some rhythm anomalies? � Search in the web for: �ECG time interval variability data�. All
these features are included in the ECG_1 main project � class DSP_ECG. Here, I�ll try to explain the
first and the main detection technique, QRS segment detection.

Because I suppose that sportiest are normally healthy people, and probably have normal
electrocardiograms in this first �ECG_1� version, for fast implementation of the project, I used simplified
QRS detecting algorithm, see below:? www.dsp.com?

1. We will push the raw ECG input signal through a system of filters � see class DSP_Filter.
a. Use noht filter function to remove 50 or 60 Hz power line signal � see void
DSP_Filter::RFilter_Noht and void DSP_Filter::WFilter_Noht functions or
use them directly.
b. Use a low pass filter. If it is necessary, first try to use 100Hz low pass filter � see void
DSP_Filter::WFilter_Low100Hz, and if this filtration can�t give the proper quality,
use 40Hz low pass filter void DSP_Filter::WFilter_Low40Hz. Using lower filtration
length is not recommended because most popular ECG measurements have an interest of the
signal spectrum 0.67Hz � 40Hz.
2. After proper filtration, ECG signal is ready to be detected.
a. First we will find the first difference of the ECG signal � this is done by next code:

X contains a filtered ECG signal array. Y contains a first difference of the ECG signal (X & Y
are dynamic double precision arrays).

C ollapse
for( i=0;i<length++;i++){*(Y+i) = *(X+i+1) - *(X+i);}

3. Therefore, this was the beginning! Now is the main algorithm, QRS detection. As I mentioned
before in the picture above and as you can see, the standard QRS complex contains high amplitude
(approximately 0.5-3mV) short time deviation impulse (50-200ms). From the main ECG waveform, it
is simple to recognize QRS complex. We will make this using first difference of the ECG signal (array
Y). This is done by finding the standard deviation of the signal � using double
DSP_Filter::StandardDeviation. This function returns the standard deviation of the double
array signal. Using this result and going through the Y array, we will mark all points of this array
that have values greater than �1.2*deviation�:
C ollapse
dev = dev*1.2;
for(i=0;i<lenght-1;i++)
{ D = arD1[i];
Delta[i] = D;
if(D>dev)
*(AR_MINMAX+i) = 2;
if(D<-dev)
*(AR_MINMAX+i) = -2;
}

There is a great chance that QRS segments are represented by these bigger differences, but this
is not all!

4. Finally, we have marker array (AR_MINMAX), that show to us points with bigger + & - deference
(>1.2*dev). Using the array (AR_MINMAX), we go to the next step of our simplified algorithm,
decide what is QRS and what is not. Independent of the low pass filtering (<40hz), in the ECG
delta array Y, may be met some disturbances (caused by physiological or physical external
sources) that can produce single deviations bigger than standard (�dev�). Moreover, if we
suppose that each maximum value in the Y array is QRS, we will fall in a trap. As you can see from
the picture above, QRS is not a single pulse of logical �1�, QRS is a composite waveform,
containing many bigger than standard deviation values with values + & -. Rest on this supposition,
and some statistical information, QRS complex can be any series (at least 3 or 4) containing bigger
deviation than standard �dev Y�. (This is a very simplified algorithm, but it really works, and can
be used in large varieties of ECG signals after proper filtering).

This is done in the following lines of code:

C ollapse
do{ i++;d_count++; } while(*(AR_MINMAX+i)==2); if(d_count>3) //we have QRS

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2/12/2011 ECG recording, storing, filtering and rec…
In the next steps of the function int DSP_ECG::QRS_COUNT, we are finding and fixing the maximum of
R wave, minimum of S, and minimum of Q. Because the algorithm is not simplified yet, I�m not going to
explain it, but it works.

There are many students at technical universities all over the world, and there are many standard
projects to do. But the main difficulty for these my mates is how to show their projects working! It is too
difficult when all that you study is not concerned about how to make market compatible solutions, even
if they are laboratory samples. To make your hardware working on a standard PC is a nasty work. To
build sample test hardware is not the same as to write drivers, and further more applications to use
them. But in many cases, it is enough to write a simple program to show your concepts on possible
customers or colleagues. It is very funny to see a completed project; just ready to fly in space, but
using Excel graphs to show its operation /just like my article/.

To complete this point, it is too important to know that writing a test driver for new hardware is a very
easy thing, and the main point is that you can write your drivers without sophisticated Windows DDK!
You can spare long days and nights doing Windows Driver fully compatible with Windows architecture,
and just like my time yours will be totally lost. In some cases, you can use this type of driving for
completed version of your program.

When you can use this driving model?

1. To test your hardware ports and functions, just like typing port driver for sound card in DOS.
2. To test and to use low speed ADC, DAC modules connected to your LPT port.

Why using LPT for your projects?

Before you start vituperating me, think about the things listed below!

First, there are many easy to program hardware chips, and it is easy to make them do something for you
without using expensive PIC or DSP. In many cases, migrating your code from PC to programmable chips
is a standard work; so all you beginning �scientists� can avoid this boring work. Many companies prefer
to rewrite all your code, do not think that your project will be pat on the market just as you created it!
If you use LPT, it is easy to emulate all serial protocols (RS232, 484, SPI, I2C, CAN and much more!).
And last but not least, buying an LPT-PCI card is much cheaper (10-12$) than buying multi (10-12) port
I/O periphery (50-100$).

Troubleshooting things concerned to �LPT driver�

As I said before, direct �porting� may be impossible when testing high-speed hardware, like video
adapters or CCD camera � the data rate must be bigger, standard LPT byte rate is maximum 1MB/s. But
even then, you can make a simple �show� application. It is a big mistake to start designing of PC
periphery signal converters trying to make your hardware compatible with USB or RS232. Do not shame
to say, �I can't drive code for PIC to implement USB routines�, this is a standard procedure, someone
can write it for you for less then 10$!

When it is possible, how to use it in real time applications?

Before you start building time dependent applications and hardware, remember one thing:

Using direct porting on Windows is possible when using Windows Multimedia Timers, and maximum speed
you can get is 1000 times per second! /Be sure that your driver code can hold within timer events/.
Read the source code for drvECG_1.dll, if you have questions I�ll try to answer you. The main driving
process is to set multimedia timer (see timeSetEvent() function) to clock on needed time, and to
specify attached to it �driver� function � it must be static defined (using _inp(), _outp()
statements � see conio.h). It is better to make a private data block to store data coming from your
chip. When sampling process is done, you can activate a callback function in your application to remove
data in main processing program, or simply to store it in multimedia file or DSP it.

Concrete, driver attached to ECG project source files have some evil features at this moment, it makes
memory lay out after closing the program � 1MB! It is important to know this before using, but it works.
This is because in drvECG_1.dll file, there is static declared function; soon I�ll try to correct it. All ECG
driver code must work on Windows 95/98; for NT, XP you may need to use special I/O DLL files, search
in the web for �DriverLINX�. I think that Windows 98 is better for research projects like mine.

QRS segment detection

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2/12/2011 ECG recording, storing, filtering and rec…

QT segment detection

PR segment detection

You can recalculate all records for better detecting. If you want, it is possible to add more recalculating
properties in this dialog.

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2/12/2011 ECG recording, storing, filtering and rec…

Program can store measurements in single files, all information is so-so compatible with ECG-SPC
standard for medical records.

You can review all statistical information concerned to your records - tests. First and main, you can see
the heart-rate in time-black line. Second, you can see the veloergometer power sensor-red line.

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2/12/2011 ECG recording, storing, filtering and rec…

After long time recording, there may be errors in your automatic report, so you can confirm your
diagnosis, and this confirmation will be stored in your file.

It is too long to explain how it works, read about this soon, just see! If you have problems with compiling
& if you need more test files, write to me just now, I'll try to send you some records.

For this moment, I have a problem with saving BMP graphs, so if you can help, I'll be very thankful.
Additional problem is that I cant understand FFT, so the DSP functions are a little slow, but they work
good for this time. Finally, the ECG program was done for 20 days, including drivers and application.
When you use it on Win95/98, you will see that it use much memory...

You can use this code in your applications, however you want! But I can't take any responsibility for its
use!

So, get it and test it...

Because this is an open code project, the hardware construction is too open. And now here it is...

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2/12/2011 ECG recording, storing, filtering and rec…

And this is scanned PCB with mounted elements. Sorry about the picture quality, but it was scanned
after mounting in a box.

This is my isolation, it is cheap 1chp 6N137 ~ 0.5$

This is 6N137 chip inside.

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2/12/2011 ECG recording, storing, filtering and rec…

License
This article has no explicit license attached to it but may contain usage terms in the article text or the
download files themselves. If in doubt please contact the author via the discussion board below.

A list of licenses authors might use can be found here

About the Author

Georgi Petrov PhD, Cum Laude in digital

automation systems
M.S. in Telemommunication
management
B.S. in Telecommunication
systems engineering
Programming: C, C++, VHDL
Software and Hardware
development and consulting:
data acquisition, medical
instrumentation, telemetry
Instructor / Trainer

Bulgaria

Member

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i am very new at ecg. if you have got a circuit picture can u send it to me. Because i have to use your
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test files woocash_sirnick 22:22 17 Sep '06

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want more test files [modified] AnayKulkarni 3:47 7 Aug '06
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This project in VB.NET fredfateman 9:53 22 Mar '06

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