NATIONAL POLYTECHNIC SCHOOL

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Design and Implementation of an

Electrocardiograph
Cachago Esteban, Gaibor Edder, Palomo Richard
National Polytechnic School, Faculty of Electrical and Electronic
Engineering, Quito, Ecuador
E-mails: esteban.cachago@epn.edu.ec, edder.gaibor@epn.edu.ec,
richard.palomo@epn.eduu.ec,

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to design and implement an

advanced Electrocardiograph (ECG) signal monitoring and
analysis system design using LM741 for design filters. An
electrocardiogram, also called an ECG or EKG, is a simple,
painless test that records the heart's electrical activity. The main
Tasks in ECG signal analysis are the detection of how fast heart
is beating, whether the rhythm of your heartbeat is steady or
irregular and the strength and timing of electrical signals as they
pass through each part of your heart. The proposed LM741
based Electrocardiogram system can operate with high
performance, Time to Market, Low cost, high reliability, longterm to Maintenance, and maximum throughput.

In the human body a wide variety of electrical signals are

generated, caused by the chemical activity that takes place in
the nerves and muscles that make it up. The heart, for
example, produces a characteristic pattern of voltage
variations. The recording and analysis of these bioelectrical
events are important from the point of view of clinical
practice and research. The potentials are generated at the
cellular level, that is, each of the cells is a tiny voltage
generator.
An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a widely used physical test to
assess the condition of the heart in a non-invasive way. This
test is used to evaluate the state of the conduction system of
the heart, that of the muscle. The ECG is the graphical
representation of the bioelectrical activity of the heart
muscle, so an ECG recording device (electrocardiograph) is
comparable to a voltmeter that performs a recorder function.

Keywords: ECG, low-pass, high-pass, notch,

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1. INTRODUCTION

The electrocardiogram (ECG) is a routine study that is

performed to observe the electrical activity of the heart. The
electrocardiogram can provide a lot of information about the
heart and how it works. With this study, it is possible to find
out more about heart rate, size and functioning of the heart
cavities and heart muscle. The electrocardiogram of a healthy
person presents a path. When changes occur on that path, the
doctor can determine if there is a problem.
2. ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY OF THE HEART
The heart has four chambers: two atria and two ventricles,
left and right. The right atrium receives the venous blood
from the body and sends it to the right ventricle, which
pumps it to the lungs, where the blood is oxygenated and
releases carbon dioxide (CO2) and from the left atrium. From
this the blood is derived to the left ventricle, from where it
distributes, as it contracts, to the whole body and returns to
the right atrium closing the cardiac cycle.
The conduction system begins with depolarization of the
sinoauricular node and must transmit that electrical impulse
from the atria to the ventricles. To do this, it consists of the
following elements: the sinoatrial nodule, the atrioventricular
node, the bundle of His, with its right and left branches and
the Purkinje Fibers.

Fig. 1 Electric conduction heart system

1. Node SA; 2. Nodule AV.

3. DEPOLARIZATION AND REPOLARIZATION OF

THE HEART
The depolarizing field in the heart is a vector which alters its
direction and magnitude through the cardiac cycle. The
placement of the electrodes on the surface of a patient
determines the view which will be obtained of that vector as
a function of time. The most commonly used electrode
placement scheme is shown in Figure 1. Here the differential
potential is measured between the right and left arm, between
the right arm and the left leg and between left arm and left
leg. These three measurements are referred to as leads I, II,
III respectively.
This measurement lead placement was developed by
Einthoven who stated that through measurement of lead I and
lead II the signal seen at lead III could be calculated. This is
the most basic form of ECG lead placement: from this the
various features of the hearts depolarization can be
calculated. Clinically there is a range of lead placement
schemes which incorporate limb leads and chest leads.

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Fig.4 ECG Chain

Fig.2 Leads

Therefore, the ECG waveform shows the clinician the

electrical waveforms associated with the contraction of the
atria and ventricles. From an ECG, a clinician may determine
the relative timing of the contractions of the atria and the
ventricles and assess the relative amplitude of the atrial and
ventricular depolarization and repolarization. This
information may allow the identification of mild heart block.
Following a heart attack a patients ECG shows changes as
the timing and shape of the waveform are dependent on the
transmission of the waveform through the muscle tissue. This
changes with ischemic muscle damage associated with heart
attacks.

The amplifiers we use in biomedical engineering, data

acquisition or where the signal of interest is represented by a
small voltage fluctuation superimposed on a voltage offset
are called Instrumentation amplifiers. Instrumentation
amplifiers have a high CMRR (Common Mode Rejection
Ratio) which means they have the ability of a differential
amplifier to not pass (reject) the portion of the signal
common to both the + and inputs. The famous producers of
Instrumentation amplifiers are Texas Instruments and Analog
Devices. I used the amplifiers from the second company,
Analog Devices.
The schematic is shown on Figure 5, and it was taken from
this datasheet where it is explained in more details.

Fig. 5 ECG Schematic with AD620

Fig.3 Leads in different parts of the body and connection diagram

The signal from the body is being amplified (the signals from
the body are small and weak, ranging from 0.5 mV to 5.0
mV), filtered (to remove the noise), sampled (by sampling I
mean it goes to an Analog to Digital converter aka ADC) and
then sent to your computer through RS232 (wireless or any
other way but RS232 was chosen because it is the simplest
and fastest to make). The first two steps are shown in Figure.

The noise comes from muscle contractions, power line

interference 50-60 Hz, electrode contact noise, noise from
other electronic devices etc. The filter for the ECG
application should be a notch filter (high-pass and low-pass
filter). It should filter in the range from 0.5 Hz to 50 Hz. I
created a simple RC high-pass and low-pass filter, in series
connected (just two capacitors and resistors).

Fig.6 Heart Signal

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R4 =

4. ELECTROCARDIOGRAPH CIRCUITS DESING

15 k
( 21 )

A low pass filter with cut off frequency of 100hz

R4 =15 k
2
k

R1=

2
6.2831 x 103 2

R1=225

Fig. 7 Low pass filter

We assumed

R1=

C1 =10uf R3=15 k

R2=

2
mk

R2=

2
6.2831 x 103 2 1.5

Calculus:

K=2 F C 1
K=2 100 10 uF

R2=150

K=6.2831 x 103

C2 =mC 1

= 2

C2 =1.5 10uF

H=2

C2 =15uf
2

m=

(
+ H1 )
4

A High Pass Filter with Cut-Off

Frequency of 0.5 Hz

2
m= + ( 21 )
4
m=1.5

R4 =

R3
( H 1 )

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Fig. 8 high pass filter design

R2=

We assumed:

C1 =10uf R3=18 k

R2=45017

Calculus:

C2 =C1=10 uf

K=2 F C 1
K=2 0.5 10 uF

4
1

2+ 2 3.1415 105

A Notch Filter with Cut-Off Frequency

of 60Hz

K=3.1415 105
= 2
H=2

R4 =

R3
( H 1 )
Fig. 9 notch filter design

18 k
R4 =
( 21 )
f 0=
R4 =18 k
R 1=

2
k

1
=60 hz
2 R1 C1

R1=R2 =15 k

+ 2 +( H 1)
R 1=
4k

2+ 2 +(21)

R3=7.5 k
C2 =C1=10 uf

R 1=

4 3.1415 105

C3 =20 uf

R1=225085
R 2=

4
+ +(H 1)
2

An instrumentation amplifier with gain=

100

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Fig. 10: Instrumentation Amplifier

Fig. 12 Instrumentation Amplifier Implemented

U1:A(V+)

2R
A v =(1+
)
Rgain

wout2
Vin1

C3

R1
28k

2R
Rgain

U?:A
8

28k
3

C4

U1:A(V-)

100nF

A v 1=

220nF

R2

LM358

Rgain=

2R
A v 1

Fig. 13 Low Pass Filter

Given already the circuit of instrumentation implemented in

the primary part we have the circuit passes low allowing thus
to pass the frequencies lower and attenuating the highest
ones.

R=10 k

Rgain=

2 10 k
1001

R4(2)

C1
100nF

R4
2500K

C2

U?:A

100nF
5

Rgain=202.02

LM358

R5
4000K

5. DESIGN ECG AND RESULTS

U1(+VS)

R31

Fig. 14 High pass Filter

51

U1

R17
7
1

ecg

22k

R21

3
6
2

4
8
5

22k
AD620

While in the high pass filter we must allow the passage of the
cut frequencies without attenuation in this case a frequency
of 0.5 Hz.

Fig. 11: Instrumentation Amplifier

In this part you can observe the AD620 implemented in Protector for
power after use, but for the costs it was decided to make an
instrumentation amplifier commonly with operational amplifiers
LM741 and to color a variable gain with a potentiometer of value of
1 Kohmios.

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R11
11k

C8

122nF

122nF

U2:A

C5

U2:A(OP)

3
1

R10

R9
22k

22k

LM358

R6

C6
242nF

1k

R3
13k

Fig. 15 Notch Filter

This Notch filter allows us to pass signals whose frequencies are
comprised between the upper and lower cutoff frequencies for our
case at a frequency of 60 Hz.

Fig. 18 Experimental tests.

U1:A(V+)
U1(+VS)

R31

wout2
Vin1

U1
3

28k

R4(2)

C1

R4
2500K

100nF

C2

R11

U?:A

100nF

220nF

11k

5
7

22k
4
8
5

R2

U?:A

28k

LM358

3
1

C4
100nF

R5

122nF

122nF

R10

R9

22k

22k

U2:A
3

4000K
4

U1:A(V-)

C8

AD620

C5

LM358

R21

U2:A(OP)
1

2
4

22k

C3

R1

7
1

R17

51
ecg

LM358

R6

C6
242nF

1k

R3
13k

Fig. 16 Coupling System.

Here the System designed in Proteus and with the respective

outputs in frequency, the System described is the System
implemented without the virtual earth system for the right
leg.

Fig. 19 Experimental tests.

Fig. 17 Virtual ground connected with right leg

Circuit implemented for the virtual ground of the right leg.

6. RESULTS

Fig. 20 Experimental tests.

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8. CONCLUSIONS

It is important to be able to know the operation of

the ECG because thanks to it we can observe the
signals of the heart and thus to be able to verify
some diseases in the same one.

In order to perform the ECG, only the LM741

operational amplifiers were used because of their
low cost and also because of their double feed, both
positive and negative, allowing us to analyze the
input signals both positively and negatively.

In the case of electrodes, we have to keep in mind

that we must place them in the hands where the
heart pulse is clear and we also have to clean
ourselves with alcohol so we can not interfere with
the signals.

For the right leg a virtual earth was made which is

connected from the gain resistance of the
instrumentation amplifier an array of resistors and
capacitors and an amplifier to obtain a virtual
ground to which our signal measurements will be
referred.

To have a better signal we must clean the skin where

the electrodes are going to be placed because when
they are not used, the electrodes do not adhere well
to the skin, thus giving possibility to have noise in
them.

Fig. 21 Experimental tests.

7. DISCUSSION
This project was developed by basing on all the different
stages of a commercial electrocardiograph do the objective
was to demonstrate how this biomedical instrument works.
Once the designs were physically implemented there was
some aspects which are important to comment about.
The filters quality was the best possible but since it is a noncommercial design, they were not that exact so these could be
one of the facts that could create mistakes on the final signal.
The other important point is that the electrodes acquired were
the most common ones so the signal probably could be
clearer if the electrodes were of more quality.

9.

REFERENCES

http://www.radiolocman.com/shem/schematics.html?
di=47010

There are others facts to discuss about but the two just
explained were the most relevant.

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