Evaluation of a combined approach for denoising ECG measurements using unconventional sensors

The human electrocardiogram is a key indicator to examine the electrical heart condition and function. A common problem is that its recording can be impacted by external sources of noise. In this paper, we focus on the reduction of powerline interference in ECG measurements using a combined approach. We discuss the typical noise types affecting ECG recordings and describe several filtering techniques currently used to denoise ECG measurements. We propose an approach that combines unconventional ECG electric field sensors with Wiener filtering to improve the ECG denoising performance. Validation tests are performed though an experimental system using both pre-recorded ECG and ambient noise signals. We show that our approach can lead to an overall improved noise cancelling and the corresponding retrieval of the desired ECG signal reducing the noise levels from – 25dB down to -52dB.?