Complete foetal ECG morphology recording by synchronised adaptive filtration

Med Biol Eng Comput. 1990 Jul;28(4):287-92. doi: 10.1007/BF02446144.

Abstract

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.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Electrocardiography
  • Fetal Heart / physiology*
  • Fetal Monitoring / instrumentation*
  • Filtration / instrumentation
  • Humans
  • Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted*