International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)

ISSN (Online): 2319-7064

Impact Factor (2012): 3.358

Design of an Effective Algorithm for ECG QRS

Detection using VHDL
Priyanka Mundhe1, Anand Pathrikar2
1
Student Savitribai Phule Womens Engineering College Aurangabad, India
2
Asst.Prof Devgiri Institute of Engineering and Management Studies Aurangabad, India

Abstract: ECG (Electrocardiogram) is said to be a golden tool for diagnosis of various heart related diseases, it is considered as a
standard for heart rate monitoring.QRS complex is the most striking feature within the ECG. Great clinical information can be derived
from its features. Identification of these features in ECG is known as QRS detection, but ECG signals are easily contaminated with
noise and artifacts which make it difficult to analyze with naked eyes so feature extraction becomes complex. Therefore here we
developed a QRS complex detector so that physicians can spend more time in diagnosing and treating the patient rather than
deciphering these signals. In this system real time ECG signal is taken as an input and baseline wondering and background noise are
removed from original ECG signal using linear and non-linear filters. The ECG QRS complex detectors design is simulated using
modelsim simulator.

Keywords: ECG, QRS complex, baseline wondering and background noise, Modelsim Simulator.

1. Introduction previously. These approaches vary from use of Artificial

Neural Network, Genetic algorithms, wavelet transforms.
An Electrocardiogram is a test that measures electrical some algorithms were based on template matching in which
activity of heart In an ECG test, the electrical impulses made algorithms employ a specific QRS template, which might be
while the heart is beating are recorded and usually shown on considered the best way to prevent the QRS detection
a piece of paper. The characteristic wave of an ECG consists performance from being degraded by the undesired noise
of P wave, QRS Complex and T wave. sources contributed from: (1) baseline drifts, (2) artifacts due
to electrode motion or power-line interference, and (3) other
ECG components with similar morphologies to the QRS
complex, such as P and T waves. However, since the
template-matching technique involves intensive cross
correlation-based similarity measurement between the QRS
template and a number of windowed ECG segments, such a
heavy computational burden might somehow undesirably
restrict its use to only a limited number of aspects .The basic
structure of QRS detection is as shown in below figure.

Figure 1: Schematic representation of ECG signal.

Figure 2: Basic structure for QRS detector
QRS is the most important parameter in an ECG signal.
Once the QRS complex has been identified a more detailed Most of the algorithm differ from each other in the way the
examination of ECG signal including the heart rate, the ST processing is carried out .In preprocessing stage ECG signal
segment etc. can be performed since the accuracy of is passed through a number of filtering stages in order to
instantaneous heart period estimation relies on the overcome the effect of these unwanted signals which could
performance of QRS detection. The QRS detection should be otherwise lead to false peak detection. The decision stage is
accurate. On the other hand, it is acknowledged that QRS heuristic and is dependent on the output of preprocessing
complex is varying with the physical variations and also stage. The QRS detection algorithm introduced by Pan and
affected by noise as time evolves. Therefore, seeking for a Tompkins [1] is the most widely used and often cited
reliable QRS detection algorithm is essential to the algorithm for the extraction of QRS complexes from
realization of automatic ECG diagnosis. electrocardiograms. The algorithm presented in this paper
consists of linear filters connected one after another in a
The QRS detection is a research topic since last 40 years and sequence. The nonlinear part is signal amplitude squaring
numerous approaches to QRS detection have been proposed block. Adaptive threshold and blanking were used as a part
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Paper ID: SUB156554 1321
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 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Impact Factor (2012): 3.358
of decision rule. The methodology followed is that the ECG simulator. The direct form structure of lowpass filter is as
is passed through a low-pass and a high-pass filter in order to shown in following figure. The lowpass filter is designed
remove noise from the signal. Then the filtered signal is using number of registers and adders. The output of this
passed through derivative, squaring and moving Window lowpass filter is provided as an input to the highpass filter.
integration phases. Finally, a thresholding technique is This filter is used to remove noise.
applied and the R-peaks are detected.

The main advantage of this algorithm is the use of integer

arithmetic in carrying out the processing. The coefficients of
filters used in algorithm were all integers and mostly powers
of 2.

Figure 4: Lowpass Filter Implementation In System

Generator

Highpass Filter
ECG signal do not retain at a constant DC level at all the
times. Sometimes they are raised to higher or reduced to
lower DC level. In this design the highpass filter comes after
the lowpass filter removes the low frequency signal or DC
offset signal and set it to zero level. The transfer function of
the highpass filter is

Figure 3: stages of QRS detection algorithm

This algorithm uses a hybrid of several processing methods,

drawing heavily on digital filtering techniques and
sophisticated peak selection rules. In this algorithm the QRS And its corresponding differential equation is
detector consists of three stages that are expanded on below:
1. Linear digital filtering
2. Nonlinear transformation As it is a highpass filter, it removes low frequency signals
3. Decision rule algorithms hence its cutoff frequency is 5 Hz. The gain of this particular
filter is 32 and when this filter is implemented it introduces a
I. Preprocessing Stage: delay of 16 samples for the input to the next stage. The
The preprocessing consists of a number of filtering stages. output of this stage is provided as a input to the next filtering
These filters remove the unwanted noise signal picked up by stage i.e. derivative filter.
the ECG due to interferences with the power lines within the
room where recording is carried out. In this algorithm
preprocessing consists of lowpass filter, highpass filter,
Derivative Filter, Squaring stage and integration.

Lowpass Filter
The second order lowpass filter is used in this algorithm and
the transfer function of the filter is given by equation

And its corresponding differential equation is Figure 5: Highpass Filter Implementation In System
Y(nT)=2y(nT-T)+x(nT-6T)+x(nT-12T)Where T is sampling Generator
period and n is arbitrary constant. The cutoff frequency of the
filter is about 11Hz.The gain of this lowpass filter is 32db. Derivative Filter
The filter introduces a delay of 6 samples in next stages. The Derivative filter is used to find the slope information in ECG
lowpass filter removes all the high frequency spikes or noise filter. This technique of finding slope is very popular among
from input ECG signal. As we are designing this algorithm all ECG analysis algorithms. The Differential equation and
using VHDL so all filters are implemented in modelsim transfer function of this filter are given below.
Volume 3 Issue 7, July 2014
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Paper ID: SUB156554 1322
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Impact Factor (2012): 3.358
2x (nT) +x (nT-1)-x (nT-3)-2x (nT-4)
Y(nT) =
8

2+Z-1-Z-3-2Z-4
H (z) =
8
This filter introduces a delay of two samples. The output of
preprocessing stage is provided to the peak detection stage.

II. Peak Detection: In this algorithm the peak detection is

carried out by thresholding method. In this stage the first 400
samples are initially read and threshold is initialized to 30%
of maximum value among all 400 samples. Then the input
sample is compared with the threshold value, if the sample
value is greater than the threshold value then the control
moves to the next stage. Like this the point which lies in QRS
region are detected. Once these points are detected then they Figure 3: Output of Derivative and Squaring Filter
are compared with each other and highest value among them
is located.

2. Results
The results of presented system are obtained by using ECG
signal from MIT BIH database as input. Following are the
results of presented ECG QRS Detection Algorithm.

Figure 4: Output of QRS Detection Algorithm in Modelsim.

Figure 1: Input ECG Signal

Figure 5: Output of QRS Detection Algorithm in Matlab

Figure 2: output of Bandpass Filter

Volume 3 Issue 7, July 2014
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Paper ID: SUB156554 1323
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Impact Factor (2012): 3.358
3. Conclusion Author Profile
This paper has presented a novel algorithm for QRS Priyanka Mundhe, is student of ME Electronics from Savitribai
detection based on filtering and thresholding and its Phule Womens Engineering college Aurangabad.
implementation. The algorithm is evaluated with MIT/BIH
A.K.Pathrikar is firmly assistant professor in Devgiri Institute of
standard ECG database to achieve a good detection rate and
Engineering And Management Studies Aurangabad. His
accuracy. The obtained results of the system are compared qualification ME (Electronics).His major areas of interest are VLSI,
and validated by an expert cardiologist. Microwind and signal processing.

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