Comprehensive Solution for ECG Noise Reduction and Alarm Fatigue

What Is ECG Noise?

Electrocardiogram (ECG) noise refers to unwanted electrical signals that interfere with the accurate detection of heart activity. These disturbances can distort ECG waveforms, making it difficult to analyze cardiac conditions and leading to clinical errors.

Common Causes of ECG Noise

ECG noise can originate from both internal and external sources. The most common causes include:

1. Patient Preparation:
   - Ensure skin is clean and dry; use alcohol wipes to remove oils and dirt.
   - Shave excess hair at electrode sites to improve contact.
2. Electrode Placement:
   - Use high-quality electrodes and conductive gels.
   - Follow standard placement guidelines to reduce motion artifacts.
3. Minimizing Movement:
   - Ask patients to remain still during ECG recording.
   - Ensure they are comfortably positioned to avoid involuntary movements.
4. Equipment Maintenance:
   - Check that cables and electrodes are intact and properly connected.
   - Use shielded cables to block electrical interference.
5. Environmental Control:
   - Limit electronic devices nearby to reduce ambient electrical noise.
   - Maintain stable room temperature to avoid thermal artifacts.
6. Filtering Techniques:
   - Apply high-pass/low-pass filters to remove baseline wander and high-frequency noise.
   - Use notch filters to eliminate powerline interference (50/60 Hz).

Problems Caused by ECG Noise

ECG noise is not just a technical inconvenience—it has real clinical and operational consequences:

• False Alarms (False Positives):
  - Triggers unnecessary alerts, causing alarm fatigue.
  - Wastes staff time and may delay response to real emergencies.
• Missed Diagnoses (False Negatives):
  - Masks subtle ECG abnormalities like ST changes or ectopic beats.
  - Can lead to undetected cardiac events and delayed treatment.
• Inaccurate Interpretation:
  - Noisy traces mislead physicians into misdiagnosis or ordering unnecessary tests.
• Interrupted Monitoring / Data Loss:
  - Excessive noise may cause signal dropout or suppress recordings.
• Increased Operational Costs:
  - More alarms = more manual checks, unnecessary testing, and inefficient resource use.
• Reduced Trust in Monitoring Systems:
  - Frequent false alarms reduce clinician confidence and engagement with monitoring tools.

What Is Alarm Fatigue?

Alarm fatigue is a critical safety issue in healthcare. It occurs when caregivers become desensitized to frequent alarms—many of which are false—leading to slower response times or completely missed alarms. This has been linked to adverse patient outcomes and even fatalities.

Our Solution: Fix the Source, Not the Symptoms

We follow the philosophy of 'Garbage in, garbage out.' Instead of relying on algorithms and filtering to remove noise after it occurs, our approach tackles noise at its origin:

• ECG Electrode
• ECG Leadwire
• ECG Electrode Connector
• ECG Shield Patch

By shielding the ECG system from external interference at the hardware level, we ensure the quality of the input signal—dramatically reducing false alarms and improving diagnostic accuracy.

Our 3 Anti-Noise ECG Solutions

We proudly offer the following innovations to help healthcare providers reduce ECG noise:

1. Shieldy-Snap (SS-99): Anti-noise electrode connector
   https://www.nvk.com.tw/ecg-leadwires/shieldy-sanp.html
2. Black Sensor (GS-10): Anti-noise ECG electrode
   https://www.nvk.com.tw/ecg-leadwires/shielded-connector-sensor.html
3. Shield Sheet: Anti-noise ECG patch
   https://www.nvk.com.tw/ECG-electrodes/disposable-ecg-electrodes.html

The Future: ECG + Artificial Intelligence

As AI becomes integrated with ECG systems, the need for clean, high-quality data becomes critical.

- AI algorithms require large, precise datasets to detect patterns, mark abnormalities, and support physicians.
- Clean ECG signals improve AI accuracy and reduce time spent reviewing days of patient data.

Partnership: NVK × HST

This project is a collaboration between NVK and Health Science Technologies (HST) in Tokyo, Japan.
Website: https://hst-jp.com/en/

Conclusion

ECG noise is more than a technical nuisance—it’s a direct threat to patient safety and healthcare efficiency. By addressing the problem at its source, we provide solutions that improve:

• Monitoring accuracy
• Clinician confidence
• Patient outcomes