Use of dynamic time warping for accurate ECG signal timing characterization

Dynamic time warping techniques have been used to characterize the timing variation of the constituent components of the human electrocardiogram (ECG). Lead II ECG recordings were obtained in 21 subjects, 10 male and 11 female aged between 13-65 years. The fiducial points in each cardiac cycle were identified in the recordings across the range of heart rate from 46-184 beats/min. A set of second order equations in the square root of the cardiac cycle time was obtained to describe the duration each of the constituent components in the ECG signal. The accuracy of the dynamic time warping technique was verified against professionally annotated clinical recordings in the on-line PhysioNet™ database. The equations obtained allow a Lead II ECG signal to be synthesized in which the variation with heart rate of the profile of each in the signal mirrors the true in-vivo behaviour.