NIT Rourkela develops new ECG lead system for atrial arrhythmias diagnosis

NEW DELHI: Researchers at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela have developed an effective upgrade to electrocardiography (ECG), one of the most commonly-used techniques to monitor heart activity, according to officials. The new system helps easily detect subtle electrical signals from the upper chambers of the heart, which are often too indistinct to be seen clearly in regular ECGs.

These signals play a key role in identifying abnormal heart rhythms that can lead to serious conditions, such as atrial fibrillation that can further lead to a stroke, they said. Atrial arrhythmias are irregular heart rhythms originating from the heart's upper chambers (atria). The research has been published in international journals "Biomedical Signal Processing and Control", "Medical Hypotheses" and "Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine".

The NIT team has also filed a patent application for the Atrial Lead System (ALS). The project has received financial backing from the government's Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF). According to J Sivaraman, Assistant Professor, Department of Biotechnology and Medical Engineering, NIT-Rourkela, irregular heart rhythms, or arrhythmias, are responsible for a large number of cardiac-related deaths around the world.

"Irregular heart rhythm in the heart's upper chambers, known as atrial arrhythmias, are among the most common, especially in patients who have been hospitalised. Identifying these arrhythmias in an early state can help doctors begin timely treatment and prevent complications," he said.

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ECG detects heart's electrical activity

An ECG records the electrical activity of the heart using electrodes placed on the body. In an ECG, doctors check the "P-wave", which reflects the electrical activity in the upper chambers of the heart. However, P-waves are often small and easily lost in background noise or obscured by stronger signals from other parts of the heart. As a result, detecting atrial arrhythmias can sometimes be difficult, particularly in busy clinical settings or with low-cost monitoring equipment.

To address this challenge, the NIT-Rourkela research team has designed the ALS, a novel lead-placement system. "In an ECG, leads refer to specific patterns of electrical measurement created by placing electrodes on different parts of the body. Lead placement involves positioning these electrodes to capture clear signals from the heart. The ALS uses a modified arrangement to improve how electrical activity from the atria is recorded.

"By strengthening these signals, especially the P-wave, the system helps improve the accuracy of arrhythmia detection, both by doctors and by computer-based diagnostic tools. We introduced novel electrode placements that significantly increased the visibility of atrial activity on ECG readings. The improved signal clarity allows for quicker analysis and better clinical decision making," Sivaraman said.

He explained that one of the most promising aspects of this work is that it requires no change to the ECG machine itself. "The innovation lies entirely in the way the leads are placed, which means the upgrade can be easily adopted in both public and private healthcare settings, without additional cost," he said.

NIT Rourkela researchers

The research was led by Sivaraman, N Bala Chakravarthy and Kunal Pal, along with research scholars Prasanna Venkatesh and Arya Bhardwaj from the NIT-Rourkela, with clinical collaborations and validation provided by R Pradeep Kumar, Senior Interventional Cardiologist, MIOT International Hospital, Chennai, and visiting consultant at the Jaiprakash Hospital and Research Centre, Rourkela.

Highlighting the clinical importance of the research, Kumar said, "A clearly-appreciated P wave in ECG gives a clue to the diagnosis of atrial pathology. To distinguish atrial fibrillation from other supraventricular arrhythmias, P-wave morphology needs to be taken into consideration."