Complete foetal ECG morphology recording by synchronised adaptive filtration

• Published in: Medical & biological engineering & computing Vol. 28; no. 4; pp. 287 - 292
• Main Authors: Adam, D., Shavit, D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Springer 01.07.1990
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Electrocardiography; Fetal Heart - physiology; Fetal Monitoring - instrumentation; Filtration - instrumentation; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; Management. Prenatal diagnosis; Medical sciences; Pregnancy. Fetus. Placenta; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; Electrocardiography; Electrodiagnosis; Exploration; Fetus; Technique
• ISSN: 0140-0118; 1741-0444
• DOI: 10.1007/BF02446144

Present noninvasively measured indices of foetal stress are indirect and not sufficient. Foetal electrocardiography (FECG) is a potential noninvasive measurement of the foetus wellbeing which has been little utilised because of the difficulties of measuring it. The development of time-sequenced adaptive filters which are synchronised to the QRS complex by the use of Doppler echocardiography allowed the recording of relatively noise-free FECG. The paper describes the use of this technique for obtaining the complete complex of the FECG. Several sets of time-sequenced adaptive filters are combined to allow a multilead abdominal recording to produce a measurement system which rejects maternal ECG and enhances the FECG. Five subjects have been analysed, and their FECGs have been accurately reproduced with minimal changes of the filters' parameters.