System for ECG, PPG Signal Acquisition and Peak Detection

The statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) are one of the major causes of mortality in both men and women. Individuals with high risk have to be identified in order to accurately diagnose and effectively treat the disease. Regular monitoring of cardiac activity will help in the early detection of CVDs. Electrocardiogram (ECG) is generally used for this purpose. Along with ECG, Photoplethysmogram (PPG) signals are also used. Biomarkers extracted from ECG and PPG provide sufficient information about the cardiac activity and the condition of the blood vessels. A multi-parameter device which provides research grade signals is not available at present. Therefore a system for the simultaneous acquisition of ECG and PPG signals was designed and implemented. A suitable method for peak detection is also proposed here. PPG signals of good quality were acquired using the acquisition system. The system needs to be further refined, tested and validated.