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. 2010:3:1-9.
doi: 10.2147/mder.s9321. Epub 2010 Jul 5.

An ultra-high input impedance ECG amplifier for long-term monitoring of athletes

Gaetano Gargiulo  1 , Paolo Bifulco, Mario Cesarelli, Mariano Ruffo, Maria Romano, Rafael A Calvo, Craig Jin, André van Schaik
Affiliations

An ultra-high input impedance ECG amplifier for long-term monitoring of athletes

Gaetano Gargiulo et al. Med Devices (Auckl). 2010.

Abstract

We present a new, low-power electrocardiogram (ECG) recording system with an ultra-high input impedance that enables the use of long-lasting, dry electrodes. The system incorporates a low-power Bluetooth module for wireless connectivity and is designed to be suitable for long-term monitoring during daily activities. The new system using dry electrodes was compared with a clinically approved ECG reference system using gelled Ag/AgCl electrodes and performance was found to be equivalent. In addition, the system was used to monitor an athlete during several physical tasks, and a good quality ECG was obtained in all cases, including when the athlete was totally submerged in fresh water.

Keywords: ECG monitoring; bioelectric potentials; biomedical electrodes.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematics of the biopotential amplifier.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematics of the BlueSenseAD connections.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Front view and cross section of the conductive rubber electrode.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Input referred noise power spectral density of the biopotential amplifier and its dry electrodes.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Gain of the biopotential amplifier as a function of frequency.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Direct comparison of an ECG recording with the proposed system (top) and a clinically approved system (g.Bsamp) using wet Ag/AgCl electrodes.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Direct comparison of an ECG recording with the proposed system (top) and a clinically approved system (g.Bsamp) using wet Ag/AgCl electrodes after 48 hours.
Figure 8
Figure 8
ECG recorded with our system during rest.
Figure 9
Figure 9
ECG signals recorded during a squatting exercise. Top: raw data, bottom: band pass filtered data.
Figure 10
Figure 10
ECG signals recorded during a bench press exercise. Top: raw data, bottom: band pass filtered data.
Figure 11
Figure 11
ECG signals recorded during a pullup exercise. Top: raw data, bottom: band pass filtered data.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Underwater ECG recording. Top: raw data, bottom: band pass filtered data.
Figure 13
Figure 13
ECG signals recorded using textile electrodes after 24 hours of wearing. Top: raw data, bottom: band pass filtered data.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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