An ultra-high input impedance ECG amplifier for long-term monitoring of athletes

Gaetano Gargiulo^1,2, Paolo Bifulco¹, Mario Cesarelli¹, Mariano Ruffo¹, Maria Romano¹, Rafael A Calvo², Craig Jin², André van Schaik<sup>2

1</sup>Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettronica, Biomedica e delle Telecomunicazioni, Federico II University of Naples, Italy; ²School of Electrical and Information Engineering, University of Sydney, Australia

Abstract: We present a new, low-power electrocardiogram (ECG) recording system with an ultra-high input impedance that enables the use of long-lasting, dry electrodes. The system incorporates a low-power Bluetooth module for wireless connectivity and is designed to be ­suitable for long-term monitoring during daily activities. The new system using dry electrodes was compared with a clinically approved ECG reference system using gelled Ag/AgCl electrodes and performance was found to be equivalent. In addition, the system was used to monitor an athlete during several physical tasks, and a good quality ECG was obtained in all cases, ­including when the athlete was totally submerged in fresh water.

Keywords: bioelectric potentials, biomedical electrodes, ECG monitoring