Real-time ECG monitoring and arrhythmia detection using Android-based mobile devices

We developed an application for Android (TM)-based mobile devices that allows real-time electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring and automated arrhythmia detection by analyzing ECG parameters. ECG data provided by pre-recorded files or acquired live by accessing a Shimmer (TM) sensor node via Bluetooth (TM) can be processed and evaluated. The application is based on the Pan-Tompkins algorithm for QRS-detection and contains further algorithm blocks to detect abnormal heartbeats. The algorithm was validated using the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia and MIT-BIH Supraventricular Arrhythmia databases. More than 99% of all QRS complexes were detected correctly by the algorithm. Overall sensitivity for abnormal beat detection was 89.5% with a specificity of 80.6%. The application is available for download and may be used for real-time ECG-monitoring on mobile devices.