Activity Type Effects Signal Quality in Electrocardiogram Devices.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Sports Science
• Physiological Monitoring

Background:

• Electrocardiogram (ECG) devices are crucial for monitoring heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV).
• Signal quality from wearable ECG devices can degrade during non-upright activities due to motion artifacts and muscle interference.
• Existing validation protocols may not adequately represent real-world, dynamic usage scenarios.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the ECG signal quality of three commercial chest-worn devices and a multi-lead ECG monitor during various physical activities.
• To evaluate the impact of different activity types (treadmill walking, circuit training, obstacle course) on ECG signal integrity.
• To identify devices that maintain superior signal quality under dynamic, non-upright conditions.

Main Methods:

• Compared signal quality using the beat signal quality index (SQI) for Polar H10, Equivital EQ-02, Zephyr BioHarness 3.0, and BIOPAC devices.
• Assessed ECG performance during treadmill walking, circuit training, and an obstacle course.
• Calculated signal rejection rates based on SQI thresholds (<0.7) and physiological plausibility.

Main Results:

• Both device type and activity significantly impacted ECG signal quality (p < 0.001).
• Higher signal rejection rates were observed during the obstacle course and circuit training compared to treadmill walking (p < 0.01).
• The Zephyr BioHarness 3.0 showed higher rejection rates than Polar H10 and BIOPAC; Polar H10 exhibited lower average rejection rates.

Conclusions:

• Dynamic, non-upright activities significantly affect ECG signal quality in commercial devices.
• The Polar H10 demonstrated greater robustness across diverse activities compared to the Zephyr BioHarness 3.0.
• Validation protocols for ECG devices should incorporate realistic, dynamic tasks to reflect real-world performance.