THEORY/SYNOPSIS

The heart rate can be display to obtain by measuring the time between signal peaks and then
calculating the frequency of the peaks in units of beats per minute. The desired weak signal
can be detect in the presence of noise from other muscles and electrical sources.
Electrocardiogram (ECG) means recording of electrical activity of the heart. Small electrical
impulses are created in the heart by so called pacemaker cells. These impulses spread through
the heart muscle and make it contract. ECG records these signals as they travel through the
heart. In most cases ECG is measured from the skin surface with ECG electrodes. These
electrodes detect very small electrical changes on the skin that comes from the heart as it
contracts. ECG is widely used to detect various abnormalities in heart rhythm, size of the
heart chambers or possible damage to the heart muscle or the nervous system.
ECG (electrocardiography) sensors measure the bio-potential generated by electrical signals
that control the expansion and contraction of heart chambers. ECG sensors directly use
electrical signals produced by heart activity. PPG uses electrical signals derived from light
reflected due to changes in blood flow during heart activity. ECG is a reference standard
signal that is used for monitoring cardio health and wellness by healthcare providers . PPG
sensors on the other hand typically use ECG signals as a reference for static HR (Heart
Rate) comparison. With ECG, HR can be measured accurately. HR can be measured with
PPG, however it is only suitable for average or moving average measurements. ECG
sensors dont require long settling times, so meaningful readings can be obtained very shortly
after start-up. PPG sensors require a relatively long settling time due to the need for
measuring the amount of ambient light and calculating the compensation needed for
cancelling its effect. PPG sensors may also require compensation of motion artifacts to
produce a reading.
Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) develops as a response to press or volume overload of the
left ventricle. It is encountered in systemic hypertension, aortal stenosis and aortal
insufficiency, mitral valve insufficiency, some congenital cardiac defects and hypertrophic
obstructive cardiomyopathy. The most frequent cause of LVH in the adult population is
hypertension. Prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertensive individuals varies
considerably, depending on the applied diagnostic method and characteristic of the group of
hypertonic subjects. The presence of ECG signs of LVH is an infaust prognostic sign which at
any level of blood pressure causes marked deterioration of the patient's prognosis. Classical

ECG criteria for detection of LVH have a satisfactory specificity but low sensitivity. The
sensitivity declines dramatically in the presence of obesity. The most sensitive but least
specific criterium is high voltage in the precordial leads. The accuracy of ECG diagnosis of
LVH improves considerably by multiplying the voltage by the duration of the QRS complex.
Most probably the best results are obtained by Cornell's product. Falsely positive ECG signs
of LVH (most frequently voltage criteria) are present in asthenic subjects. The author
describes the case-history of a patient with hypertension who develops an ECG tracing
imitating an infarction of the posterior wall and left ventricular hypertrophy with
overburdening.
The main problem of digitalized signal is interference with other noisy signals like power
supply network 50 Hz frequency and breathing muscle artefacts. These noisy elements have
to be removed before the signal is used for next data processing like heart rate frequency
detection. Digital filters and signal processing should be designed very effective for next realtime applications in embedded devices. Heart rate frequency is very important health status
information. The frequency measurement is used in many medical or sport applications like
stress tests or life treating situation prediction. One of possible ways how to get heart rate
frequency is compute it from the ECG signal. Heart rate frequency can be detected d from
ECG signal by many methods and algorithms.
Noise that exists in the environment easily swamps the tiny pulse signal from the heart. The
leads that connecting to the electrode to the amplifier acts like an antenna which will
inadvertently receive unwanted radiated signals such as signals are for example the 50Hz
from power lines and emfs from fluorescent lights will add a tiny sinusoidal wave which is
generally quite difficult to filter away. Muscles other than the heart also produce voltage
potentials and these can also be detected although the large relative size and regularity of the
heart muscles help to differentiate it from the rest.

REFERENCES
1. 3 Opamp Instrumentation Amplifier eCircuit Centre 2002
http://www.ecircuitcenter.com/Circuits/instamp1/instamp1.htm
2. LM741 Operational Amplifier SD009341 August 2000, National Semiconductor
Corporation
3. AD620 Low Cost, Low Power Instrumentation Amplifier Rev E. 1999 Analog

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