Usability of wireless ECG body sensor for cardiac function monitoring during field testing

Abstract

Wireless ECG body sensor Savvy is a feasible solution for reliable and accurate long-term heart rhythm monitoring. However, there were no studies dealing with usability of this sensor in field testing. Accordingly, the aim of the study is to evaluate the quality of the ECG signal measured with wearable wireless ECG body sensor when used in field test settings and to determine how different types of sensor fixation affects the quality of the ECG signal during sub-maximal and maximal running settings. Twenty-three participants, 10 females and 13 males, were included in the study (20.56 ± 1.19 years). All subjects performed shuttle run (SR), Cooper 2400 m (C), and 100 m sprint test (S), once wearing the sensor attached to self-adhesive skin electrodes, additionally fixed with self-adhesive tapes, and secondly with the sensor attached to Polar belt and strapped around the chest. Test outcomes were compared applying the Student t-test for dependent variables, or the non-parametric Wilcoxon test, depending on the results of the normality test. The results showed a significant difference (p<0.05) in the running speed that provides an assessable ECG signal between two different types of fixation in all three running tests – C, S, SR, as well as between the parameters “QRS detected as negative”, “correct software detection”, and “detected QRS” in the C and SR tests. Findings obtained in this study proved that if properly fixed, the ECG signal recorded with wireless ECG can be efficiently used for heart monitoring during physical activities in real setting and potentially could be used as additional tool in detection of cardiovascular diseases. In addition, fixation with Polar belt is more adequate for measurements made during physical activity in real setting compared to fixation with tape.