Portable ECG Logger

Exhibitor: Jessica Lambourn

Supervisor: Udantha Abeyratne

Research Group: Electromagnetics and Imaging

Industry Sector: Health / Medical Technology

The objective of this project, sponsored by Intellidesign Pty. Ltd., is to design two ECG holter monitors which meet the standards required for medical devices. One of the devices will have a wireless link, whilst the other will be approximately the size of a credit card.

These devices will be used by cardiologists in the diagnosis of Heart Disease. They are targeted at two different markets – the larger device with a wireless link, has several different modes and is powered by AA alkaline batteries, whilst the smaller device has only one mode and is powered by a lithium polymer rechargeable battery.

Devices like these usually retail for up to $10,000 each and only continuously record for a maximum of 24-48 hours. Due to new battery and memory technologies and ultra low-power ICs, it is now possible to design a device that will last for a minimum of 5 to 7 days. This device will retail for approximately $4-5000. The American Heart Association claims that cardiovascular disease is the cause of an average of 1 death every 33 seconds. In Australia, one person every 10 minutes dies from cardiovascular disease. Hence there is an obvious need for diagnostic devices in the prevention and detection of heart disease.

Thesis Document (PDF)