Signal processing for recovery of cardiac conducting system activity

The muscular activity of the heart is co-ordinated and controlled by small electrical signals flowing in the specialised cardiac conducting system. Information about these signals, and hence about the integrity of the conducting system, is of increasing diagnostic value. The paper describes hardware and software which have been developed for detecting and processing conducting system activity. Signals sensed at body surface electrodes or from within the high right atrium are amplified, filtered and subjected to computer processing. A suite of programs is available allowing interactive signal analysis with facilities for signal averaging, digital filtering and spectral analysis. Results are presented showing pre-atrial signals detected within the high right atrium and His-Purkinje system activity sensed at the body surface. The effects of varying the system bandwidth are examined using digital filtering and spectral analysis.