These e-textile ECG electrodes produce signals of acceptable quality ( 10) and are resistant to repeated washing in aqueous solutions without losing their properties ( 11, 12). Electronic-textile-based cardiac monitoring offers a viable option ( 6) for long-term ambulatory monitoring outside of the hospital premises.Įlectronic textiles, also known as e-textiles, are defined as “fabrics that have electronics and interconnections woven into them ( 7).” In the field of cardiology, researchers have developed e-textile sensors that can monitor the cardiac activities of patients while they are engaging in their day-to-day life ( 8) or in hospital settings ( 9). Ventricular dysrhythmias are the prominent factors indicating heart failure, stroke, and cardiac death. A study published in 2019 reported that long-term ambulatory ECG monitoring could play a vital role in detecting the onset of ventricular dysrhythmias and atrial fibrillation ( 5). At the same time, the prevalence of CVD is also higher in this older age group, placing increased pressure on the medical system ( 4). Population aging in developed countries increases the demand for available health care. Heart attack and stroke are the most common events constituting more than 85% of the CVD incidents in 2017 ( 1, 3). This number is predicted to rise to 23.6 million by 2030 ( 2).
Heart monitor lead placement trial#
A clinical trial in a larger sample is recommended to validate the results in a clinical population.Ĭardiovascular Disease (CVD) is the number one non-communicable disease and the highest cause of death worldwide, with an estimated life loss of 17.92 million people in 2015 ( 1). When compared to the traditional Holter monitor, there was no significant difference in signal quality, which indicated textile monitoring was as good as current clinical standards (non-inferior).Ĭonclusion: The e-textile EASI ECG monitor could be a viable option for real-time monitoring of cardiac activities. Wet textile electrodes showed better signal quality compared to their dry counterparts. Regarding location, placing the “A” and “I” electrodes on the left and right anterior axillary points, respectively, showed higher signal quality compared to the standard EASI electrode placement. Results showed that the ECGs from 3 and 5 mm textile electrodes showed good quality. Results: The overall signal quality from the 70 mm 2 textile electrodes was higher compared to the smaller area electrodes. Different signal quality parameters, including signal to noise ratio, approximate entropy, baseline power signal quality index, and QRS duration and QT intervals, were used to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of the textile-based ECG monitor. The effect of electrode placement within the EASI configuration was also studied. Three different textile area electrodes (40, 60, and 70 mm 2) and electrode thicknesses (3, 5, and 10 mm) were considered in the experiment. Each movement or activity was recorded for 5 min with 2-min intervals between each recording.
Methods: ECGs during different body movements (yawning, deep-breathing, coughing, sideways, and up movement) and activities of daily living (sitting, sitting/standing from a chair, and climbing stairs) were collected from a baseline standard of normal healthy adult male using a novel e-textile ECG and a reference Holter monitor. Specific objectives were to investigate the effect of the textile electrode characteristics, placement, and condition on signal quality, and finally to compare results to a reference ECG obtained from a current clinical standard the Holter monitor. Objectives: This study aimed to determine whether signals produced by an e-textile ECG monitor with textile electrodes in an EASI configuration are of sufficient quality to be used for cardiac monitoring. Electronic-textile (e-textile)-based cardiac monitoring offers a viable option to allow cardiac rehabilitation programs to be conducted outside of the hospital.