Comparison of waveforms in conventional 12-lead ECGs and those derived from EASI leads in children

To investigate the possibility of simplifying electrocardiogram (ECG) recording in children, we compared waveforms in conventional 12-lead ECGs to those derived from EASI leads in 221 children of various ages. The conventional 12-lead ECGs and the ECGs using EASI electrode positions were collected simultaneously. We developed and determined the value of age-specific transformation coefficients for use in deriving 12-lead ECGs from the signals recorded at the EASI sites. We compared the results of using age-specific coefficients to the results of using adult coefficients and studied the "goodness-of-fit" between the conventional and the derived 12-lead ECGs. The age-specific coefficients performed slightly better than the adult coefficients, and good agreement was usually attained between the conventional 12-lead ECG and the EASI-derived 12-lead ECG. Our conclusion is that EASI leads in children have the same high levels of "goodness-of-fit" to replicate conventional 12-lead ECG waveforms, as reported earlier in adults.