Biomedical

Instrumentation(BM8502)

Ms.M.Ilakkiya
Assistant Professor in BME Department
SMK FOMRA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
UNIT II BIOPOTENTIAL MEASUREMENTS
Bio signals characteristics – frequency and amplitude ranges. ECG
– Einthoven‘s triangle, standard 12 lead system, Principles of
vector cardiography.EEG – 10-20 electrode system, unipolar,
bipolar and average mode. EMG– unipolar and bipolar mode.
Recording of ERG, EOG and EGG
HEART-ELECTRO CONDUCTION SYSTEM
Sinoatrial node

AV node

Bundle of His

Bundle Branches

Purkinje fibers
IMPULSE CONDUCTION & THE ECG
Sinoatrial node

AV node

Bundle of His

Bundle Branches

Purkinje fibers
IMPULSE CONDUCTION & THE ECG
(Contd..)
Representative electric activity from various regions of the
heart. The bottom trace is a scalar ECG, which has a typical QRS
amplitude of 1-3 mV.
THE ECG WAVEFORM
THE ECG PAPER

 Horizontally
 One small box - 0.04 s
 One large box - 0.20 s
 Vertically
 One large box - 0.5 mV
 ECG -AMPLITUDE & DURATION
 ECG MAIN FEATURES
 P wave: Atrial depolarization
 QRS complex: Ventricular
depolarization
 T wave: Ventricular repolarization
 U wave: Origin for this wave is not
clear - but probably represents after
depolarizations" in the ventricles.
 ECG AMPLITUDE
 P Wave: 0.25 mV
 R Wave: 1.60mV
 Q Wave: 25% of R wave
 T Wave: 0.1 to 0.5 mV
 U Wave: 1/3 T wave amplitude
ECG - AMPLITUDE & DURATION (Contd..)
 ECG INTERVALS
PR interval : 0.12 to 0.20 sec
Time interval from onset of atrial depolarization (P wave) to onset of
ventricular depolarization (QRS complex).
(i.e.,)Atrial depolarization + delay in AV junction (delay allows time
for the atria to contract before the ventricles contract)
QT interval : 0.35 to 0.44 sec
Duration of ventricular depolarization and repolarization.
ST Segment : 0.05 to 0.15 sec
P Wave interval: 0.11sec
Duration of atrial cycle (an indicator of atrial rate)
RR interval : 0.09sec
Duration of ventricular cardiac cycle (an indicator of ventricular rate)
ECG ELECTRODES
ABBREVIATIONS & COLOR CODES
 BIPOLAR LIMB LEADS (Contd..)

BIPOLAR LEAD
• ECG recording by using two electrodes such that the final trace
corresponds to the difference of electrical potentials existing
between them. They are called standard leads
• Lead I: the electrodes are placed on the right and the left arm
(RA&LA).
• Lead II: the electrodes are placed on the right arm and left leg
(RA&LL).
• Lead III :the electrodes are placed on the left arm and left leg
(LA & LL).
ECG - EINTHOVEN TRIANGLE

 An electrocardiographic lead is a
recording electrode or a pair of
recording electrodes at a specified
location.
 Einthoven's law
In the ECG,the potential of any
wave or complex in lead II is equal
to the sum of the potentials of leads I
and III.

Figure : Einthoven’s triangle

ECG LEAD CONFIGURATION
BIPOLAR LIMB LEADS
UNIPOLAR LIMB LEADS
UNIPOLAR (OR) AUGMENTED LIMB LEAD
 Also know as augmented limb leads, examine the composite potentials from all
three limbs simultaneously.
 In all three augmented leads, the signals from two limbs are summed in resistor
network and then applied to the amplifier’s inverting input.
 The signal from the remaining limb electrode is applied to the non-inverting
input.
UNIPOLAR LIMB LEADS
CARDIAC AXIS-UNIPOLAR &BIPOLAR LEADS

LEAD I :LA+RA
LEAD II :LL+RA
LEAD III :LL+LA
AVR :RA & LA+LF
AVF :LF & RA+LA
AVL :LA & RA+LF
 PRECORDIAL LEADS
UNIPOLAR CHEST LEADS
V1 through V6 are measured with the signals from certain specified location on the
chest applied to the amplifier non inverting input.
PRECORDIAL ELECTRODE PLACEMENT
UNIPOLAR CHEST LEADS
 V1 - the fourth intercostals space on the right side of the sternum
 V2 - the fourth intercostals space on the left edge of the sternum
 V3- half way between C2 and C4
 V4 - the fifth intercostals space in the left mid-clavicular line
 V5 - straight line from the C4 point perpendicularly to the left front
auxiliary line in the intersection point with this line.
 V6 - at the same level as C5, but in left mid-axiliary line
 Leads V1, V2, and V3 are referred to as the right precordial leads and V4,
V5, and V6 are referred to as the left precordial leads
PRECORDIAL LEADS
Precordial Leads
Precordial Leads
Arrangement of Leads on the EKG
TYPICAL ECG TRACINGS
Normal And Abnormal ECG
 Normal ECG

 Sinus Bradycardia
Normal And Abnormal ECG
 Sinus Tachycardia

 Sinus arrhythmia
Normal And Abnormal ECG
 1st Degree AV Block

 2nd Degree AV Block

 3rd Degree AV Block

Block diagram of a typical clinical ECG
Block diagram of a typical clinical electrocardiograph.To understand the
overall operation of the system, let us consider each block separately.
1. Protection circuit: This circuit includes protection devices so that the
high voltages that may appear across the input to the electrocardiograph
under certain conditions do not damage it.
2. Lead selector: Each electrode connected to the patient is attached to the
lead selector of the electrocardiograph. The function of this block is to
determine which electrodes are necessary for a particular lead and to
connect them to the remainder of the circuit. It is this part of the
electrocardiograph in which the connections for the central terminal are
made. This block can be controlled by the operator or by the
microcomputer of the electrocardiograph when it is operated in automatic
mode. It selects one or more leads to be recorded. In automatic mode,
each of the 12 standard leads is recorded for a short duration such as 10 s.
 Block diagram of a typical clinical ECG
3.Calibration signal: A 1 mV calibration signal is momentarily introduced into
the electrocardiograph for each channel that is recorded.
4. Preamplifier: The input preamplifier stage carries out the initial amplification
of the ECG. This stage should have very high input impedance and a high
common-mode-rejection ratio (CMRR). A typical preamplifier stage is the
differential amplifier that consists of three operational amplifiers (op amps). A
gain-control switch is often included as a part of this stage.
5. Isolation circuit: The circuitry of this block contains a barrier to the passage of
current from the power line (50 or 60 Hz). For example, if the patient came in
contact with a 120 V line, this barrier would prevent dangerous currents from
flowing from the patient through the amplifier to the ground of the recorder or
microcomputer.
6. Driven-right-leg circuit: This circuit provides a reference point on the patient
that normally is at ground potential. This connection is made to an electrode on the
patient’s right leg. Details on this circuit
 Block diagram of a typical clinical ECG
7. Driver amplifier: Circuitry in this block amplifies the ECG to a level
at which it can appropriately record the signal on the recorder. Its input
should be ac coupled so that offset voltages amplified by the
preamplifier are not seen at its input. These dc voltages, when amplified
by this stage, might cause it to saturate. This stage also carries out the
bandpass filtering of the electrocardiograph to give the frequency
characteristics. Also it often has a zero-offset control that is used to
position the signal on the recorder. This control adjusts the dc level of
the output signal.
8.Memory system: Many modern electrocardiographs store
electrocardiograms in memory as well as printing them out on a
recorder. The signal is first digitized by an analog-to-digital converter
(ADC), and then samples from each lead are stored in memory. Patient
information entered via the keyboard is also stored. The microcomputer
controls this storage activity.
 Block diagram of a typical clinical ECG
9. Microcomputer: The microcomputer controls the overall
operation of the electrocardiograph. The operator can select several
modes of operation by invoking a particular program. For example,
she or he can ask the microcomputer to generate the standard 12-
lead electrocardiogram by selecting three simultaneous 10 s
segments of the six frontal plane leads followed by three 10 s
segments of the six transverse plane leads. The microcomputer in
some machines can also perform a preliminary analysis of the
electrocardiogram to determine the heart rate, recognize some
types of arrhythmia, calculate the axes of various features of the
electrocardiogram, and determine intervals between these features.
A keyboard and an alphanumeric display enable the operator to
communicate with the microcomputer.
Block diagram of a typical clinical ECG
10. Recorder–printer: This block provides a hard copy of
the recorded ECG signal. It also prints out patient
identification, clinical information entered by the operator,
and the results of the automatic analysis of the
electrocardiogram. Although analog oscillograph-type
recorders were employed for this function in the past,
modern electrocardiographs make use of thermal or
electrostatic recording techniques in which the only moving
part is the paper being transported under the print head
(Vermari€en, 2006). Digitized electrocardiograms can also
be stored in permanent memory such as flash memory or
optically based disk media such as CDs or DVDs.
THANK YOU