A database of electrocardiogram signals acquired in different magnetic resonance imaging scanners

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an imaging technique widely used in medical diagnostics as well as in minimally invasive, image guided interventions. During an MRI scan, the patient's electrocardiogram (ECG) can be required for either gating or patient monitoring purposes. However, the hostile environment of an MRI scanner with its various types of magnetic fields (strong static magnetic field, switch gradient magnetic fields in the Hz or kHz range as well as high frequency magnetic fields in the MHz range) causes serve distortions of the acquired ECG signals. These distortions or artifacts hamper the QRS detection and a more detailed ECG-based diagnosis. To study these effects of the MRI environment, we created a database consisting of ECG signals acquired in various MRI scanners. This database was published on Physionet in order to encourage other researchers to enhance the quality of ECG signals during MRI exams.