Non-contact ECG System for Unobtrusive Long-Term Monitoring

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The aim of the proposed research is to demonstrate an innovative noninvasive system for long-term monitoring of the electrocardiogram (ECG). In many patients, arrhythmias and changes in the ECG are asymptomatic or transient, and therefore may remain undetected or undiagnosed. However, long-term ECG studies using current technology is invasive, suffers from low user compliance, and is typically confined to high at-risk patients using implantable devices. In the proposed system, novel non-contact bioelectrode sensors are integrated into a pad that can be placed on a chair or bed. The primary feature of the system is that it requires little or no compliance from the subject. This program will demonstrate the system's signal quality and quantify the performance of the system by comparing measurements from the pad with measurements from conventional ECG electrodes. The new possibilities afforded by prolonged ECG monitoring in a home setting are yet to be quantified or even assessed at a preliminary level owing to the prior lack of suitable technology. This research will provide a new capability for long term cardiac monitoring that can be used for monitoring patients for the early detection of cardiac disease or to track the progression of heart disease in sick patients. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The aim of this program is to produce a pad with embedded sensing technology that can produce electrocardiogram (ECG) data. This pad would allow subjects to sit in a chair or lie on a bed while heart monitoring is being conducted. This would provide a more comfortable and longer-term measurement than current technology allows, and have applicability for monitoring of arrhythmia and congestive heart failure patients.