A New Method of Identifying Characteristic Points in the Impedance Cardiography Signal Based on Empirical Mode Decomposition.

The accurate detection of fiducial points in the impedance cardiography signal (ICG) has a decisive impact on the proper estimation of diagnostic parameters such as stroke volume or cardiac output. It is, therefore, necessary to find an algorithm that is able to assess their positions with great precision. The solution to this problem is, however, quite challenging with regard to the high sensitivity of the ICG technique to the noise and varying morphology of the acquired signals. The aim of this study is to propose a novel method that allows us to overcome these limitations. The developed algorithm is based on Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD)-an effective technique for processing and analyzing various types of non-stationary signals. We find high correlations between the results obtained from the algorithm and annotated by an expert. This, in turn, implies that the difference in estimation of the diagnostic-relevant parameters is small, which suggests that the method can automatically provide precise clinical information.

An Effective Method of Detecting Characteristic Points of Impedance Cardiogram Verified in the Clinical Pilot Study.

Accurate and reliable determination of the characteristic points of the impedance cardiogram (ICG) is an important research problem with a growing range of applications in the cardiological diagnostics of patients with heart failure (HF). The shapes of the characteristic waves of the ICG signal and the temporal location of the characteristic points B, C, and X provide significant diagnostic information. On this basis, essential diagnostic cardiological parameters can be determined, such as, e.g., cardiac output (CO) or stroke volume (SV). Although the importance of this problem is obvious, we face many challenges, including noisy signals and the big variability in the morphology, which altogether make the accurate identification of the characteristic points quite difficult. The paper presents an effective method of ICG points identification intended for conducting experimental research in the field of impedance cardiography. Its effectiveness is confirmed in clinical pilot studies.

A Survey of Methods and Technologies Used for Diagnosis of Scoliosis.

The purpose of this article is to present diagnostic methods used in the diagnosis of scoliosis in the form of a brief review. This article aims to point out the advantages of select methods. This article focuses on general issues without elaborating on problems strictly related to physiotherapy and treatment methods, which may be the subject of further discussions. By outlining and categorizing each method, we summarize relevant publications that may not only help introduce other researchers to the field but also be a valuable source for studying existing methods, developing new ones or choosing evaluation strategies.