Non-contact ECG Monitoring System for Detection of Atrial Fibrillation

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The aim of the proposed research is to show that a new class of wearable bioelectric sensor can enhance the effectiveness of long-term monitoring of atrial fibrillation. The public health burden of atrial fibrillation is enormous and is expected to increase significantly in ensuing decades due to the increased number of elderly in the population. Long-term electrocardiographic monitoring is frequently required to determine the efficacy of antiarrhythmic therapies. However, the monitoring techniques currently employed are all invasive, and are based upon the use resistive contact electrodes that are ill-suited for long-term monitoring. This program will address issues with current monitoring techniques by developing a system for long-term electrocardiographic monitoring, based upon a novel non-contact technology, which has the revolutionary property of measuring bioelectric potentials without skin preparation, without regard to skin conductivity or amount of hair, and even through fabric. Two series of tests will be performed to compare the new bioelectrode technology with conventional electrodes: the first will involve monitoring of patients at risk of arrhythmias, and the second will quantify the bioelectrode's performance under various subject ambulatory motion. The first series of tests will be conducted at New Mexico Heart Institute under the auspices of Dr. Chris Wyndham and Dr. Luis Constantin. The second series of tests will be conducted in the laboratory at QUASAR under controlled conditions. The proposed research will offer the possibility of collecting long-term EGG data without significantly changing a subject's lifestyle, and will be a valuable tool for arrhythmia specialists, hospitals, clinics and other monitoring facilities by enabling them to become more efficient and accurate in the clinical monitoring of patients, with increased patient compliance.