Algorithm for real-time pulse wave detection dedicated to non-invasive pulse sensing

This study presents a simple algorithm for pulse wave PW detection dedicated to real-time pulse sensing devices in an emergency. Two basic principles are implemented - identification of extrema by time-amplitude criteria, and validation of the most prominent rising edges preceding the systolic peak according to criteria for slope and similarity to neighbors within 4 s. The pilot version of the algorithm (Matlab implementation) is developed and tested over independent subsets of arterial pressure PW signals from MGH/MF waveform PhysioNet database. Referring to ECG-synchronized beat annotations, the following performance is reported for the test set: positive predictivity PPV=96.4 %, sensitivity Se=98.9 % (443116/447983) for normal beats, Se=92 % (5522/6004) for supraventricular beats, Se=78.7 % (2834/3603) for premature ventricular beats, Se=97 % (27691/28547) for paced beats. The algorithm is also implemented in a prototype with photoplethysmographic (PPG) sensor for detection of carotid pulse from the neck region. It has been validated on 10 volunteers for whom ECG and PPG signals with duration of 10 s are superimposed to confirm 100 % coincidence between QRS and detected PWs. The results prove that the presented method is a reliable tool for non-invasive pulse sensing in an emergency.