title: Artefacts in continuous ECG recordings--provoking and preventing manoeuvres.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A systematic estimation of the effects of some clinically important artefact provoking and artefact-preventing manoeuvres.
  
  
  METHODS
  A test protocol for the evaluation of technical modifications of continuous ECG recordings was tested in 17 patients. The programme comprised ECG recordings during five artefact-provoking manoeuvres (slight shaking of the ECG cables, rotating shoulders, slight electrode touching, washing, teeth-brushing) and two simple artefact-preventing manoeuvres (taping ECG cables and covering electrodes with paper cups).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The artefact-provoking manoeuvres induced a substantial increase in artefactual ECG. The artefact-preventing manoeuvres only incompletely prevented this increase.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a great need of technical improvements to reduce the distortion of ECG by artefacts. The test protocol developed by us exposes a broad spectrum of different categories of ECG qualities and is therefore suitable for evaluating technical improvements concerning artefactual ECG.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electronics, Mälardalen University, Västerås, Sweden. jens.lonnblad@mdh.se
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lönnblad
authors.forename: Göran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.forename: Mia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Folke
authors.forename: Bertil
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hök
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lindén
authors.forename: Ylva
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bäcklund
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016477:Artifacts; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004566:Electrodes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged