High-Capacity Cardiac Signal Acquisition System for Flexible, Simultaneous, Multidomain Acquisition

Capturing cardiac electrical propagation or electrocardiographic images demands simultaneous, multidomain recordings of electrocardiographic signals with adequate spatial and temporal resolution. Available systems can be cost-prohibitive or lack the necessary flexibility to capture signals from the heart and torso. We have designed and constructed a system that leverages affordable commercial products (Intantech, CA, USA) to create a complete, cardiac signal acquisition system that includes a flexible front end, analog signal conditioning, and defibrillation protection. The design specifications for this project were to (1) record up to 1024 channels simultaneously at a minimum of 1 kHz, (2) capture signals within the range of ± 30 mV with a resolution of 1 μV, and (3) provide a flexible interface for custom electrode inputs.We integrated the Intantech A/D conversion circuits to create a novel system, which meets all the required specifications. The system connects to a standard laptop computer under control of open-source software (Intantech). To test the system, we recorded electrograms from within the myocardium, on the heart surface, and on the body surface simultaneously from a porcine experimental preparation. Noise levels were comparable to both our existing, custom acquisition system and a commercial competitor. The cost per channel was $32 USD, totaling $33,800 USD for a complete system.