Electrode positioning for monitoring fetal ECG: A review

Abstract

Monitoring of maternal electrocardiogram (MECG) and Fetal ECG (FECG) can detect fetal asphyxia early in the evolution to acidosis. The MECG recorded from the maternal abdominal surface of a pregnant woman is a composite of MECG, FECG, Electromyogram (EMG), power line interference, baseline drift, motion artifact and electrode contact noise. Various electrodes can be placed on the surface of the maternal abdominal so as to obtain higher SNRs which will further enable to monitor FECG using a proper algorithm. In this paper, various electrode placement configurations are compared and reviewed based on the number of electrodes or leads placed on the maternal abdomen, filter design parameters, number of subjects with their record details, gestation periods and the methods used to extract FECG.