ECG Data Compression Using Fourier Descriptors

Abstract

The method of Fourier descriptors (FD's) is presented for ECG data compression. The two-lead ECG data are segmented into QRS complexes and S-Q intervals, expressed as a complex sequence, and are Fourier transformed to obtain the FD's. A few lower order descriptors symmetrically situated with respect to the dc coefficient represent the data in the Fourier (compressed) domain. While compression ratios of 10:1 are feasible for the S-Q interval, the clinical information requirements limit this ratio to 3:1 for the QRS complex. With an overall compression ratio greater than 7, the quality of the reconstructed signal is well suited for morphological studies. The method is resistant to noisy signals and is simple, requiring implementation of forward and inverse FFT. The results of compression of ECG data obtained from more than 50 subjects with rhythm and morphological abnormalities are presented.