A biomedical signal segmentation algorithm for event detection based on slope tracing

In this paper a simple signal segmentation algorithm is introduced. The algorithm determines the epochs of signal components of interest based on signal characteristic such as amplitude, slope, deflection width, or distance between neighboring deflections. The epochs are segmented indirectly by means of a slope trace wave that traces a signal with its average slope and predetermined delay. The algorithm is applied to ECG and electrogram to show its practical applicability and efficiency. It is found that the algorithm can be used to choose particular signal components appropriately without significant signal preprocessing or complexity.