ECG using a Soundcard

Abstract

A pumping heart is driven by a bio-electrical impulse that propagates through the heart’s chambers and activates the cardiac muscle to start their jobs. This bio-electrical signal can be detected by using a type of medical equipment. That particular device is the ECG, which is used to detect and record the bio-electric signal (electrical activity) from the heart and display it through the monitor or printed ECG graph paper. The recording of the signal exerted by the heart is known as ECG waveform or Electrocardiogram. This waveform consists of several component wave known as PQRST wave. These waves are obtained from several different electrical activities that propagated on the skin surface by different activity of the beating heart. The usual ECG devices are usually bulky and the price tag is rather expensive. So, in order to cut the cost as well as bringing the convenience of portable ECG, we would like to develop the simple yet fully functional electrocardiograph that is connected to the computer. The method of its functional process is by detecting and recording the signal of the propagating electrical signal found on the surface of the skin by using a simple contact sensor. The ECG prototype that we will develop is the circuit of amplifying and filtering that will amplify and filter the input signal before processed by the sound card of the computer. The prototype is backed up by the special JAVA program that will processes and displays the output ECG along with the heart beat rate of the test subject per minute on an easy and intuitive user interface. A pumping heart is driven by a bio-electrical impulse that propagates through the heart’s chambers and activates the cardiac muscle to start their jobs. This bio-electrical signal can be detected by using a type of medical equipment. That particular device is the ECG, which is used to detect and record the bio-electric signal (electrical activity) from the heart and display it through the monitor or printed ECG graph paper. The recording of the signal exerted by the heart is known as ECG waveform or Electrocardiogram. This waveform consists of several component wave known as PQRST wave. These waves are obtained from several different electrical activities that propagated on the skin surface by different activity of the beating heart. The usual ECG devices are usually bulky and the price tag is rather expensive. So, in order to cut the cost as well as bringing the convenience of portable ECG, we would like to develop the simple yet fully functional electrocardiograph that is connected to the computer. The method of its functional process is by detecting and recording the signal of the propagating electrical signal found on the surface of the skin by using a simple contact sensor. The ECG prototype that we will develop is the circuit of amplifying and filtering that will amplify and filter the input signal before processed by the sound card of the computer. The prototype is backed up by the special JAVA program that will processes and displays the output ECG along with the heart beat rate of the test subject per minute on an easy and intuitive user interface.