Signal Quality Assessment of a Novel ECG Electrode for Motion Artifact Reduction

The presence of noise is problematic in the analysis and interpretation of the ECG, especially in ambulatory monitoring. Restricting the analysis to high-quality signal segments only comes with the risk of excluding significant arrhythmia episodes. Therefore, the development of novel electrode technology, robust to noise, continues to be warranted.

The signal quality of a novel wet ECG electrode (Piotrode) is assessed and compared to a commercially available, commonly used electrode (Ambu). The assessment involves indices of QRS detection and atrial fibrillation detection performance, as well as signal quality indices (ensemble standard deviation and time-frequency repeatability), computed from ECGs recorded simultaneously from 20 healthy subjects performing everyday activities.

The QRS detection performance using the Piotrode was considerably better than when using the Ambu, especially for running but also for lighter activities. The two signal quality indices demonstrated similar trends: the gap in quality became increasingly larger as the subjects became increasingly more active.

The novel wet ECG electrode produces signals with less motion artifacts, thereby offering the potential to reduce the review burden, and accordingly the cost, associated with ambulatory monitoring.