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Abstract

A fetal heart rate monitor monitors weak fetal electrocardiogram signals in the presence of strong interfering material ECG complexes, general random background muscle noise, and 60 Hz power line noise. An electrocardiographic adaptive cancellation process to cancel the maternal ECG component from an abdominal ECG signal recorded from a pregnant subject's abdomen signal is processed using computer software. A set of easily movable maternal abdominal and thoracic ECG electrodes is used. An operator views the ECG data in an oscilloscope and optimally places the set of thoracic electrodes to adaptively cancel the maternal ECG signal from the signal separately derived from a movable abdominal electrocardiographic lead. The invention noninvasively obtains from the abdomen of a pregnant subject the fetal ECG signal, fetal heart rate, and accurate beat-to-beat fetal heart rate variability. Computer software provides cancellation of the maternal ECG component derived from a maternal abdominal ECG lead using a separate set of maternal thoracic ECG leads. A starting fetal ECG signal is obtained from an electrocardiographic digital signal processing normalized correlation automatic start-up procedure. Ensuing fetal ECG complexes are matched with the starting complex for detecting ensuing ECG signals. Fetal heart rate and FHR variability are accurately and reliably measured and reported from the signals in an instantaneous or beat-to-beat fashion.

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First Claim