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Cardiac Applications

New Prep-Free Sensing Capability
More than 100 years after the invention of the electrocardiogram, ECG, detailed analysis of the electrical function and health of the heart has almost been perfected. One advance remains — improving the interface to the body itself. Inconvenient, irritating to the skin, and problematic for long-term wear, conventional paste-on electrodes are the single remaining obstacle to achieving an almost effortless ECG.

At a time when cardiovascular disease is the #1 killer in the United States, QUASAR has identified the need to provide a new method for detecting electrical signals in the body — it’s easy, quick, and accurate.

Cardiac Monitoring
Our technology is currently developing the first truly noninvasive cardiac diagnostic and monitoring products. QUASAR has demonstrated excellent correlation and performance reliability exceeding leading heart rate monitors and also the conventional wet electrode system in clinical trials.

Since the QUASAR sensor operates without requiring direct electrical connection to the subject, ECG measurements can be made very fast, with no skin preparation, and through a layer of fabric. As such, the QUASAR system dramatically increases the opportunities to obtain and use ECG information. Since the QUASAR system does not require the use of gels or adhesives, patient comfort is increased and the system can be used for ‘tender’ patient populations (e.g. elderly, allergic, pediatrics, and neonates), long-term studies, and rare events (syncope).

QUASAR’s current prototype system for performing through-clothing ECG measurement includes two sensors and an electronics module. The sensors can be placed in an ECG belt, or sewn into a shirt.


Cardiac Sensing System — Test Results
The QUASAR Cardiac Sensing System has been tested extensively under a wide range of conditions. The system has operated successfully in high and low humidity environments, on dry and moist skin types, through fabric, during extreme motion, and under high EMI conditions. In all cases, the system has demonstrated excellent performance.

Proven Performance:

Limited clinical trial shows QUASAR system correlation with "wet" electrodes greater than 99%
    • QUASAR sensors operated through fabric on 40 subjects
    • Paste-on electrodes used for R-wave timing comparison

  • Tests verify performance of QUASAR system for physiological monitoring
        • Subjects undergo vigorous activity, similar to firefighters or military personnel
        • QUASAR system achieves greater than 99% correct classification of heart rate

  • Cardiac diagnostic tests show QUASAR system outperforms conventional electrodes
        • Correlation of 93% in ECG morphology
        • QUASAR system demonstrates better


    Recent Results
    In June of 2004, QUASAR conducted a comparison test of its heart rate monitoring system versus a leading heart rate monitor. The test was conducted using three subjects, with each sitting still, running, stepping, and on an obstacle course.

    Averaged over all of the data collected, including through fabric data, the QUASAR system achieved 99.8% correct classification of the heart rate compared to the leading heart rate monitor’s 94.5%. This corresponds to a mere 23 points incorrectly classified or missing in 10,417 points for the QUASAR system.

    During this test, the QUASAR system was also compared to a conventional ECG diagnostic wet electrode system. Three subjects were tested, with each sitting still, rocking in place, and with one subject twisting his upper torso. Excellent results was recorded with an average ECG morphology correlation greater than 0.93 over 14 data sets.

    After reviewing the data, a leading cardiologist commented:

    "Overall I was pleasantly surprised that the QUASAR electrodes could produce a signal, to my eye, that was at least equivalent, and often superior, to the standard wet electrodes. I see these results as very encouraging for the development of QUASAR electrodes for clinical applications."

    Prototype ECG Shirt
    A noninvasive, zero prep time ECG shirt system was developed for use with firefighters. The shirt offers the first ECG system of its kind, allowing almost instantaneous ECG collection. QUASAR has patent pending on its ECG shirt modality.

    • Pull on, adjustable shirt for ECG
    • Operates with off-the-shelf batteries
    • Clinical quality data with subject at rest
    • Excellent R-R wave determination even under high physical motion


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