Detection of cardiac activity using a 5.8 GHz radio frequency sensor

Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2009:2009:4682-6. doi: 10.1109/IEMBS.2009.5334223.

Abstract

A 5.8-GHz ISM-Band radio-frequency sensor has been developed for non-contact measurement of respiration and heart rate from stationary and semi-stationary subjects at a distance of 0.5 to 1.5 meters. We report on the accuracy of the heart rate measurements obtained using two algorithmic approaches, as compared to a reference heart rate obtained using a pulse oximeter. Simultaneous Photoplethysmograph (PPG) and non-contact sensor recordings were recorded over fifteen minute periods for ten healthy subjects (8M/2F, ages 29.6 + or - 5.6 yrs) One algorithm is based on automated detection of individual peaks associated with each cardiac cycle; a second algorithm extracts a heart rate over a 60-second period using spectral analysis. Peaks were also extracted manually for comparison with the automated method. The peak-detection methods were less accurate than the spectral methods, but suggest the possibility of acquiring beat by beat data; the spectral algorithms measured heart rate to within + or -10% for the ten subjects chosen. Non-contact measurement of heart rate will be useful in chronic disease monitoring for conditions such as heart failure and cardiovascular disease.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Algorithms
  • Female
  • Heart Rate / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Monitoring, Physiologic / instrumentation*
  • Monitoring, Physiologic / methods
  • Respiratory Rate / physiology*
  • Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted*