title: Interoperability in digital electrocardiography: harmonization of ISO/IEEE x73-PHD and SCP-ECG.
abstract: The ISO/IEEE 11073 (x73) family of standards is a reference frame for medical device interoperability. A draft for an ECG device specialization (ISO/IEEE 11073-10406-d02) has already been presented to the Personal Health Device (PHD) Working Group, and the Standard Communications Protocol for Computer-Assisted ElectroCardioGraphy (SCP-ECG) Standard for short-term diagnostic ECGs (EN1064:2005+A1:2007) has recently been approved as part of the x73 family (ISO 11073-91064:2009). These factors suggest the coordinated use of these two standards in foreseeable telecardiology environments, and hence the need to harmonize them. Such harmonization is the subject of this paper. Thus, a mapping of the mandatory attributes defined in the second draft of the ISO/IEEE 11073-10406-d02 and the minimum SCP-ECG fields is presented, and various other capabilities of the SCP-ECG Standard (such as the messaging part) are also analyzed from an x73-PHD point of view. As a result, this paper addresses and analyzes the implications of some inconsistencies in the coordinated use of these two standards. Finally, a proof-of-concept implementation of the draft x73-PHD ECG device specialization is presented, along with the conversion from x73-PHD to SCP-ECG. This paper, therefore, provides recommendations for future implementations of telecardiology systems that are compliant with both x73-PHD and SCP-ECG.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electronics Engineering and Communications, Communications Technologies Group, Aragón Institute of Engineering Research (I3A), Polytechnic Center, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, 50018, Spain. jtrigo@unizar.es
authors.forename: Jesús D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Trigo
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chiarugi
authors.forename: Alvaro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alesanco
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martínez-Espronceda
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Serrano
authors.forename: Catherine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Chronaki
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Escayola
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: García
mesh_terms: D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D018511:Systems Integration; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards; D013686:Telemetry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards