New approach for T-wave peak detection and T-wave end location in 12-lead paced ECG signals based on a mathematical model.

This paper presents an innovative approach for T-wave peak detection and subsequent T-wave end location in 12-lead paced ECG signals based on a mathematical model of a skewed Gaussian function. Following the stage of QRS segmentation, we establish search windows using a number of the earliest intervals between each QRS offset and subsequent QRS onset. Then, we compute a template based on a Gaussian-function, modified by a mathematical procedure to insert asymmetry, which models the T-wave. Cross-correlation and an approach based on the computation of Trapezium's area are used to locate, respectively, the peak and end point of each T-wave throughout the whole raw ECG signal. For evaluating purposes, we used a database of high resolution 12-lead paced ECG signals, recorded from patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) in the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, UK, and the well-known QT database. The average T-wave detection rates, sensitivity and positive predictivity, were both equal to 99.12%, for the first database, and, respectively, equal to 99.32% and 99.47%, for QT database. The average time errors computed for T-wave peak and T-wave end locations were, respectively, -0.38±7.12 ms and -3.70±15.46 ms, for the first database, and 1.40±8.99 ms and 2.83±15.27 ms, for QT database. The results demonstrate the accuracy, consistency and robustness of the proposed method for a wide variety of T-wave morphologies studied.

An innovative approach of QRS segmentation based on first-derivative, Hilbert and Wavelet Transforms.

The QRS detection and segmentation processes constitute the first stages of a greater process, e.g., electrocardiogram (ECG) feature extraction. Their accuracy is a prerequisite to a satisfactory performance of the P and T wave segmentation, and also to the reliability of the heart rate variability analysis. This work presents an innovative approach of QRS detection and segmentation and the detailed results of the proposed algorithm based on First-Derivative, Hilbert and Wavelet Transforms, adaptive threshold and an approach of surface indicator. The method combines the adaptive threshold, Hilbert and Wavelet Transforms techniques, avoiding the whole ECG signal preprocessing. After each QRS detection, the computation of an indicator related to the area covered by the QRS complex envelope provides the detection of the QRS onset and offset. The QRS detection proposed technique is evaluated based on the well-known MIT-BIH Arrhythmia and QT databases, obtaining the average sensitivity of 99.15% and the positive predictability of 99.18% for the first database, and 99.75% and 99.65%, respectively, for the second one. The QRS segmentation approach is evaluated on the annotated QT database with the average segmentation errors of 2.85±9.90ms and 2.83±12.26ms for QRS onset and offset, respectively. Those results demonstrate the accuracy of the developed algorithm for a wide variety of QRS morphology and the adaptation of the algorithm parameters to the existing QRS morphological variations within a single record.

A new approach to QRS segmentation based on wavelet bases and adaptive threshold technique.

In this paper, we develop and evaluate a new approach to QRS segmentation based on the combination of two techniques: wavelet bases and adaptive threshold. Firstly, QRS complexes are identified without a preprocessing stage. Then, each QRS is segmented by identifying the complex onset and offset. We evaluated the algorithm on two manually annotated databases, the QT-database and the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia database. The QRS detector obtained a sensitivity of 99.02% and a positive predictivity of 99.35% over the first lead of the validation databases (more than 192,000 beats), while for the QT-database, values larger than 99.6% were attained. As for the delineation of the QRS complex, the mean and the standard deviation of the differences between the automatic and the manual annotations were computed. Using QT-database which contains recordings of annotated ECG with a sampling rate of 250 Hz, we obtain the average of the differences not exceeding two sampling intervals, while the standard deviations were within acceptable range of values.