Implementation of Digital Filters for ECG analysis

Abstract-Heart rate variability (HRV) is defined as oscillation in the interval between consecutive heartbeats as well as the oscillations between consecutive instantaneous heart rates. HRV is a measure of cardiac autonomic modulation, as potentially useful predictive and prognostic tool in medicine. In a continuous Electrocardiogram (ECG) record, each QRS complex is detected, and the normal-to-normal (NN) intervals (that is, all intervals between adjacent QRS complexes resulting from sinus node depolarization) or the instantaneous heart rate is determined. For accurate HRV analysis of ECG data, it is vital that ECG signal be free from noise caused by external interferences. High quality digital filters are required to preprocess the ECG signal to eliminate the noise. In this project we will implement four digital filters, namely, low pass filter, high pass filter, notch filter and narrow band filters and demonstrate their use in HRV analysis. Keywords-Digital Filters, ECG signal, HRV Analysi