Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Today, a rather comprehensive view of the state of the cardiovascular system can be obtained in the clinical environment. The already established methods, such as electrocardiography, phonocardiography, and impedance cardiography, are relatively inexpensive methods and produce information about the electrical phenomena, sound waves, and impedance variations produced by the function of the cardiovascular system. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging, echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, and X-ray computed tomography, on the otherhand, are relatively expensive and labor-intensive methods that produce images of the cardiovascular system and provide information about the perfusion and metabolism of themyocardium and also the blood flow. \n \nSeismocardiography (SCG) is a newly revived inexpensive method where local vibrations due to cardiovascular function are detected non-invasively from the sternum. These vibrations provide information about the mechanical function of the cardiovascular system that can be used as an independent diagnostic cue or as a complement to the contemporary methods. Thusfar, SCG has been proposed to be a useful tool in ischemia detection. SCG is also proposed to function as a relatively simple method for assessing myocardial contractility. While the bulkiness of the sensors and limited computing capacity hindered the feasibility of SCG in the clinical environment, the advances in computing power and accelerometer technology have now enabled practical SCG implementations. \n \nIn this thesis, the feasibility of SCG and the means to successfully implement a practical system for detection of SCG signals were studied. Two different SCG measurement systems were implemented and their performance was evaluated. The present implementations featured improved acceleration measurement sensitivity and a multimodal approach to the detection of SCG and auxiliary physiological signals. Also, the three-dimensional aspect of the SCG signals was more extensively utilized than in previous works. These enhancements improved SCG measurements and will increase the potential of SCG to be taken into clinical practice.
Source: Aaltodoc (Aalto University)
Author: Mikko Paukkunen
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2257341915