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

Abstract

Gaetano Gargiulo1,2, Paolo Bifulco1, Mario Cesarelli1, Mariano Ruffo1, Maria Romano1, Rafael A Calvo2, Craig Jin2, André van Schaik21Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettronica, Biomedica e delle Telecomunicazioni, Federico II University of Naples, Italy; 2School of Electrical and Information Engineering, University of Sydney, AustraliaAbstract: 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: bioelectric potentials, biomedical electrodes, ECG monitoring