Title :
EcgRuleML: A rule-based Markup Language for describing diagnostic ECG criteria
Author :
Bond, R.R. ; Finlay, D.D. ; Nugent, C.D. ; Moore, G.
Author_Institution :
Univ. of Ulster, Belfast, UK
Abstract :
From the clinician´s perspective, computerized interpretation of the electrocardiogram (ECG) is carried out in a `black box´. That is, the rules used for interpretation are not easily accessible to the clinician. In this study we propose the ECG Rule Markup Language (ecgRuleML) as a way to externalize decision rules used to interpret the ECG. EcgRuleML utilizes the eXtensible Markup Language (XML) to provide a framework for articulating quantitative rules for measuring intervals, segments, widths, peaks, heart rate and the cardiac axis. Abstract features of the ECG such as slurred S waves cannot be easily represented numerically and are therefore articulated using codes. To test the ecgRuleML framework, rules have been defined to assess ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) in a Lux-192 Body Surface Potential Map (BSPM). An algorithm has been integrated into a BSPM viewer where the rules have been parsed from an ecgRuleML document and executed in 63ms (mean from 10 trials) on a PC (3GHz CPU, 3GB RAM).
Keywords :
bioelectric potentials; electrocardiography; medical computing; patient diagnosis; surface potential; ECG rule markup language; EcgRuleML; Lux-192; ST elevation myocardial infarction; black box; body surface potential map; cardiac axis; computerized interpretation; diagnostic ECG criteria; electrocardiogram; extensible markup language; externalize decision rule; rule-based markup language; Cardiology; Computers; Electrocardiography; Knowledge based systems; Lead; XML;
Conference_Titel :
Computing in Cardiology, 2010
Conference_Location :
Belfast
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-7318-2