scholarly journals Flexible Carbon Nanotube-Based Polymer Electrode for Long-Term Electrocardiographic Recording

Materials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 971 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miao Chi ◽  
Jingjing Zhao ◽  
Ying Dong ◽  
Xiaohao Wang

The long-term monitoring of electrocardiogram (ECG) is critical for the accurate diagnosis and tracking of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, the commercial Ag/AgCl electrode is not suitable for long-term monitoring due to skin allergies and signal degradation, caused by the conductive gel drying over time. In this paper, a flexible gel-free electrode, composed of a multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), is proposed for long-term wearable ECG monitoring. To achieve uniform dispersion of MWCNTs in viscous PDMS, we developed a novel parallel solvent-assisted ultrasonic dispersion method, wherein the organic solvent n–Hexane served as a dispersion to avoid MWCNT aggregates. The properties of the MWCNT/PDMS electrode were assessed through structural characterization, contact impedance tests, ECG measurements, and biocompatibility tests. When the MWCNT weight fraction reached 5.5 wt%, the skin-electrode contact impedance of the MWCNT/PDMS electrode was lower than that of the Ag/AgCl electrode below 100 Hz. In daily ECG monitoring, the MWCNT/PDMS electrodes showed superior performance against motion artifact compared to the Ag/AgCl electrode. After seven days of wearing the MWCNT/PDMS electrode, ECG signals did not degrade and no side effects, such as skin redness and swelling, were observed. Thus, this electrode could enable long-term ECG monitoring in wearable healthcare systems.

Author(s):  
Marco Longoni ◽  
Diego Carrera ◽  
Beatrice Rossi ◽  
Pasqualina Fragneto ◽  
Marco Pessione ◽  
...  

We present a prototype wearable device able to perform online and long-term monitoring of ECG signals, and detect anomalous heartbeats such as arrhythmias. Our solution is based on user-specific dictionaries which characterizes the morphology of normal heartbeats and are learned every time the device is positioned. Anomalies are detected via an optimized sparse coding procedure, which assesses the conformance of each heartbeat to the user-specific dictionary. The dictionaries are adapted during online monitoring, to track heart rate variations occurring during everyday activities. Perhaps surprisingly, dictionary adaptation can be successfully performed by transformations that are user-independent and learned from large datasets of ECG signals.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
Andrzej Kułach ◽  
Milena Dewerenda ◽  
Michał Majewski ◽  
Anetta Lasek-Bal ◽  
Zbigniew Gąsior

Introduction: Silent atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cause of cryptogenic ischemic stroke (CIS). The 24-h-Holter is insufficient to reveal an occult arrhythmic cause of stroke and the strategy to select the patients for long-term monitoring is missing. Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate 7-day-Holter monitoring to identify cases with the arrhythmic cause of stroke in CIS patients in whom 24-h-Holter was free from arrhythmia, and to assess the relation between supraventricular (SV) runs in baseline Holter and the incidence of AF in a 3-year follow-up period. Methods: 78 patients (aged 60 ± 9 years, 45 males) with CIS and no arrhythmic findings in 24-h-Holter were enrolled. All patients had 7-day-Holter monitoring after stroke and were followed up for 36 months, and then 7-day Holter was repeated. We assessed SV runs (≥5 QRS) in the initial 7-day Holter and analyzed the relation of the findings with clinical characteristics of novel AF episodes revealed early after stroke and during a 3-year follow-up. Results: Baseline 7-day-Holter revealed SV runs in 36% of patients and AF in 9% of cases. During a 3-year follow-up, 8 additional cases were confirmed, both in standard care and in repeated Holter (a total of 19% of AF cases). There was no difference with regard to CHADS2VASc score (3.6 ± 1.1 vs. 3.4 ± 1.5; p = NS) and left atrium parameters between patients with SV runs and the non-arrhythmic group. Patients with SV runs had a higher incidence of AF both after stroke and in a 3-year follow-up (46% vs. 4%, RR 11.6, p < 0.001). In 8 cases, patent foramen ovale was detected during follow-up. Conclusions: A strategy of baseline 7-day-Holter monitoring after stroke allows for disclosing SV runs in every third case and AF in 9% of stroke survivors. Patients with SV runs have a higher incidence of AF (RR 11.6, p < 0.001) and should be considered for extended continuous ECG monitoring.


Author(s):  
Barbara S. Minsker ◽  
Charles Davis ◽  
David Dougherty ◽  
Gus Williams

Kerntechnik ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 513-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Hampel ◽  
A. Kratzsch ◽  
R. Rachamin ◽  
M. Wagner ◽  
S. Schmidt ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea G. Locatelli ◽  
Simone Ciuti ◽  
Primož Presetnik ◽  
Roberto Toffoli ◽  
Emma Teeling

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