Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!mcnc!ecsvax!jwb From: jwb@ecsvax.UUCP Newsgroups: net.ai Subject: computer ECG Message-ID: <2043@ecsvax.UUCP> Date: Fri, 24-Feb-84 13:07:36 EST Article-I.D.: ecsvax.2043 Posted: Fri Feb 24 13:07:36 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 25-Feb-84 04:20:35 EST Lines: 73 At least three companies are currently marketing computer ECG analysis systems. They are Marquette Electronics, IBM, Hewlett-Packard. We use the Marquette system which works quite well. Marquette and IBM use variants of the same program (the "Bonner" program below, original development funded by IBM.) Apparently because of fierce competition, much current information, particularly with regard to algorithms, is proprietary. Worst in this regard (a purely personal opinion) is HP who seems to think nobody but HP needs to know how they do things and physicians are too dumb to understand anyway. Another way hospitals get computer analysis of ECG's is through "Telenet" who offers telephone connection to a time sharing system (I think located in the Chicago area). Signals are digitized and sent via a modem through standard phone lines. ECG's are analyzed and printed information is sent back. Turn-around time is a few minutes. They offer an advantage to small hospitals by offering verification of the analysis by a Cardiologist (for an extra fee). I understand this service has had some financial problems (rumors). Following is a bibliography gathered for a lecture to medical students about computer analysis of ECG's. Because of this it is mainly from more or less clinical literature and is oriented toward methods of validation (This is tough, because reading of ECG's by cardiologists, like many clinical decisions, is partly a subjective process. The major impact of these systems so far has been to force the medical community to develop objective criteria for their analysis.) BIBLIOGRAPHY Computer Analysis of the Electrocardiogram August 29, 1983 BOOK Pordy L (1977) Computer electrocardiography: present status and criteria. Mt. Kisco, New York, Futura PAPERS Bonner RE, Crevasse L, Ferrer MI, Greenfield JC Jr (1972) A new computer program for analysis of scalar electrocardiograms. Computers and Biomedical Research 5:629-653 Garcia R, Breneman GM, Goldstein S (1981) Electrogram computer analysis. Practical value of the IBM Bonner-2 (V2MO) program. J. Electrocardiology 14:283-288 Rautaharju PM, Ariet M, Pryor TA, et al. (1978) Task Force III: Computers in diagnostic electrocardiography. Proceedings of the Tenth Bethesda Conference, Optimal Electrocardiography. Am. J. Cardiol. 41:158-170 Bailey JJ et al (1974) A method for evaluating computer programs for electrocardiographic interpretation I. Application to the experimental IBM program of 1971. Circulation 50:73-79 II. Application to version D of the PHS program and the Mayo Clinic program of 1968. Circulation 50:80-87 III. Reproducibility testing and the sources of program errors. Circulation 50:88-93 Endou K, Miyahara H, Sato (1980) Clinical usefulness of computer diagnosis in automated electrocardiography. Cardiology 66:174-189 Bertrand CA et al (1980) Computer interpretation of electrocardiogram using portable bedside unit. New York State Journal of Medicine. August 1980(?volume):1385-1389 Jack Buchanan Cardiology and Biomedical Engineering University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (919) 966-5201 decvax!mcnc!ecsvax!jwb