A glance into effective electrocardiographic signal processing for automated arrhythmia detection and cardioversion

The human heart beats rhythmically, maintaining a steady beat to pump blood across the body. This constant beating is also required to maintain the vessel blood pressure, preventing circulatory collapse and subsequently ischemia or infarction. Arrhythmia or irregular rhythm, due to a pre-existing condition or damage to the heart’s neuromuscular structure, can lead to a change in the heart rate and the flow pressure in the blood vessels. In resolvable or temporary arrhythmia, the therapeutic procedure of choice remains synchronized cardioversion. Cardioversion, a procedure akin to defibrillation, essentially involves reconfiguring the heart’s electrical system by delivering a calculated charge of electric current at the appropriate junction in the cardiac rhythm. However, if performed unnecessarily or incorrectly, cardioversion can result in arrhythmia or cardiac arrest. Thus in cases requiring the utilization of this protocol, it is of vital importance to monitor the patient’s cardiac rhythm and deliver the cardioversive shock only at the appropriate juncture. This paper reviews the various techniques utilized to track and deliver cardioversion.