Jeroen Adrianus Johannes Thijs

Wearable approach for continuous ECG - and activity patient-monitoring

The paper describes an approach to monitor a persons ECG and activity continuously with functional clothing. A belt with integrated electronics has been developed and has proven long-term robustness of all electrical components. A low-power module measures the ECG signal as well as the acceleration (2-axis) and stores data continuously up to two days. A user test has been performed to evaluate the belt according to system performance at different daily-life activities like sleeping, walking and so on. System parameters are ECG-signal quality, system up-time, and ECG-signal coverage during a day.

A Comparison of Continuous Wave Doppler Radar to Impedance Cardiography for Analysis of Mechanical Heart Activity

The paper compares the data obtained from a continuous wave Doppler radar sensor based on a commercially available microwave motion sensor KMY24 to an impedance cardiograph measured using a cardiac output monitor (Medis Niccomo). Both sensors are used to analyze the mechanical activity of the heart. System parameters, signal content and robustness are discussed

A handheld device for simultaneous detection of electrical and mechanical cardio-vascular activities with synchronized ECG and CW-Doppler Radar

This paper presents a handheld miniaturized sensor embodiment that allows simultaneous measurement of the electrical and related mechanical cardio-vascular activity. Mechanical motion is detected with a continuous wave Doppler radar sensor and interpreted with a synchronously detected ECG. The patients posture and activity is measured using accelerometers. Challenges of the current technical approach are the positioning of the sensors, the influence of posture and the correct interpretation of the signals. The Doppler signals are compared with phonocardiography measurements, with a focus on the challenges of this technique. There is still research in an improved modeling of the sensor setup and signal interpretation required.

The use of a two channel Doppler radar sensor for the characterization of heart motion phases.

This paper investigates a two-channel Doppler radar sensor that can provide information on the direction of movement. The radar sensor has the advantage of non-invasive, contactless measurements, compared to ultrasound. From theoretical considerations and a working model, we deduce a criterion for extracting points of no movement in a heart cycle. We propose to use this criterion to characterize the heart motion phases, beyond looking at signal morphology only. In contrast to the ECG, this technique provides easy and comfortable access to information about the mechanical activity of the heart