Towards real time QRS detection: A fast method using minimal pre-processing

This paper proposes a method for the detection of QRS complexes. The method applies the algorithm proposed by Kupeev [K.Y. Kupeev, On significant maxima detection: a fine-to-coarse algorithm, in: Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Pattern Recognition, IEEE, vol. 2, August 1996, pp. 270–274] to a shifting window over the ECG signal. The method was tested on the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia database and achieves a total failure rate of 1.7%, and processes a single record (30 min sampled at 360 Hz) within 1.5 s. The method requires little or no pre-processing. Further, the method makes very few a priori assumptions about the nature of the signal.