Design and implementation of an ECG based emergency telediagnostic system

Abstract

This thesis aims for the design and implementation of a software system for distributed emergency diagnosis to be used in conjunction with ambulatory electrocardiography (ECG/EKG) devices. The software consists of a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) helper library for processing and conditioning the ECG signals, a database for central data storage, and an expert user interface for ECG data evaluation. The system primarily aims to reduce the gap between patients and experts (cardiologists) and allows for the rapid diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), commonly known as heart attack. This will consequently decrease the time span between the onset of symptoms and treatment. However, this system can also be used for the diagnosis of other forms of cardiovascular diseases, as well as a means of routine monitoring of cardiac patients.|Keywords: Telemedicine, ECG/EKG, telecardiology, electrophysiology, AMI, MI, pre-hospital thrombolysis.