title: Evaluation of a textile-based wearable system for the electrocardiogram monitoring in cardiac patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We developed a textile-based wearable system, named MagIC, for the unobtrusive monitoring of one electrocardiogram (ECG) lead, respiratory frequency and motion. In the present study, we investigated the ability of this system to monitor cardiac rhythm and arrhythmic events in cardiac patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study was carried out by comparing ECG tracings simultaneously recorded by MagIC and traditional ECG devices (Trad-ECG) in 40 cardiac patients at rest and during physical exercise. Data were manually scored by two cardiologists. At rest the artefact rates observed with MagIC and Trad-ECG were virtually identical (1.4% of the registered signal); while during physical exercise the artefact rate observed with MagIC was much lower than with Trad-ECG (4.07 vs. 17.31%). Recordings from MagIC allowed a correct identification of the type of rhythm in the vast majority of patients (92.5%) and an estimation of PQ interval and QRS duration similar to Trad-ECG (<0.016 s). MagIC displayed a good performance in detecting arrhythmias, with only 14 misclassified events out of 3618, and both specificity and sensitivity being above 99%. No practical difference was observed in the estimation of the beat-by-beat RR interval by the two methods.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study indicates that in static condition MagIC has a capability of monitoring cardiac rhythm and arrhythmic events which is comparable with what obtainable by a traditional one-lead ECG recorder. During movement MagIC provides an ECG signal of better quality.
authors.affiliation: Polo Tecnologico, Centro S. Maria Nascente IRCCS, Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Via Capecelatro 66, 20148 Milano, Italy. mdirienzo@dongnocchi.it
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Rienzo
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Racca
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bordoni
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Parati
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Castiglioni
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Meriggi
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferratini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016477:Artifacts; D003020:Clothing; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005080:Exercise Test; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D056152:Respiratory Rate; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013686:Telemetry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013784:Textiles; D014159:Transducers