NOVEL TECHNIQUE FOR FETAL QT MEASUREMENT BASED ON QUATERNION-PCA METHOD

SORIA, PAULA ROMINA; CRUCES, PABLO DANIEL; ARINI, PEDRO DAVID

Buenos Aires

Congreso; Congreso Argentino de Bioingeniería y XII Jornadas de Ingeniería Clínica; 2023

Sociedad Argentina de Bioingeniería

Background: Early diagnosis of possible anomalies or congenital heart diseases can prevent severe consequences for humans, particularly if the diagnosis is made during gestation. Fetal Electrocardiography is a non-invasive technique that provides valuable information regarding cardiovascular fetal health. However, the technique still requires many improvements in order to be incorporated into clinical diagnosis. Materials and methods: A robust algorithm was developed for obtaining cardiac information, such as QT interval, that may be useful in anticipating fetal health during pregnancy. An average heartbeat was made over 12 fetuses by discriminating heartbeats according to the temporal locations of fetal and maternal QRS complexes. 20 fetal heartbeats with a correlation greater than 0.9 and stable RR interval duration were used. In order to obtain cardiac parameters, the Quaternion-PCA method (Q-PCA method) was applied. It was possible to determine the onset and end of waves using the angular velocity of a three-dimensional system. Results: We generated 48 average heartbeats, four for each fetal electrocardiogram. The duration of the cardiac parameters found by Q-PCA method were: QT interval: 261.1 ± 28.5 and QTc: 388.3 ± 35.9. High correlation values were obtained when compared to results from Direct Fetal Electrocardiography, delineated by experienced observers. Conclusion: These findings emphasize the importance of developing low-cost monitoring devices and digital signal processing techniques that enable early detection of fetal cardiac risk.