Association of a Wristband PPG and an ECG Sensor - Analysis, Synchronization and Robustness

Abstract: Context: The CardioHolter, developed by Kaunas Institute of Technology, Lithuania, has been used in previous studies on cardiovascular behavior at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Lund University. This equipment associates two finger photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors and an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor. It is robust and efficient but very bulky. The CardioHolter equipment is getting outdated and hence, new equipment is needed for future chamber exposure studies. The equipment should be easy to use for the study nurse and comfortable for the study participants and the acquired data should be of sufficient quality. This is why another solution is explored with this thesis. Objective: The objective of this project is to investigate the feasibility of replacing the CardioHolter by the association of a Wristband PPG sensor (Empatica Embrace Plus Wristband PPG) and an ECG sensor (Bittium Faros 360 ECG) in a future chamber exposure study. Methodology: The first phase of the project is the data acquisition with the CardioHolter, the Empatica Embrace Plus and the Bittium Faros 360. Then the characteristics of the signals gathered are analyzed and compared in order to know the quality and robustness of each signal. Conclusion: The signals of the Faros and Empatica devices are robust and of good quality, but one problem remains: the synchronization between both devices.