A pulse transit time measurement method based on electrocardiography and bioimpedance

Abstract

In this paper, a novel pulse transit time (PTT) measurement method which employs electrocardiography and bioimpedance measurement (ECG-BIM) is proposed. Unlike conventional method based on ECG and photoplethysmography (ECG-PPG), the proposed method offers a promising technique for continuous and portable monitoring of cardiovascular diseases, as it requires only electrical components that can be fully integrated in a low-power and low-cost silicon circuit. To verify the validity of the proposed ECG-BIM method, experiments have been conducted on a human body in various conditions, using both the ECG-PPG and the ECG-BIM methods which is implemented using discrete off-the-shelf components. Experimental results show that the PTT data achieved from ECG-PPG and ECG-BIM methods are highly correlated, with correlation coefficient of 0.93, hence indicating the validity of the proposed method which can offer high level of integration and low power consumption for portable continuous cardiovascular signal monitoring.