Non-invasive fetal ECG analysis

Despite the important advances achieved in the field of adult electrocardiography signal processing, the analysis of the non-invasive fetal electrocardiogram (NI-FECG) remains a challenge. Currently no gold standard database exists which provides labelled FECG QRS complexes (and other morphological parameters), and publications rely either on proprietary databases or a very limited set of data recorded from few (or more often, just one) individuals. The PhysioNet/Computing in Cardiology Challenge 2013 enables to tackle some of these limitations by releasing a set of NI-FECG data publicly to the scientific community in order to evaluate signal processing techniques for NI-FECG extraction. The Challenge aim was to encourage development of accurate algorithms for locating QRS complexes and estimating the QT interval in non-invasive FECG signals. Using carefully reviewed reference QRS annotations and QT intervals as a gold standard, based on simultaneous direct FECG when possible, the Challenge was designed to measure and compare the performance of participants' algorithms objectively. Multiple challenge events were designed to test basic FHR estimation accuracy, as well as accuracy in measurement of inter-beat (RR) and QT intervals needed as a basis for derivation of other FECG features. This editorial reviews the background issues, the design of the Challenge, the key achievements, and the follow-up research generated as a result of the Challenge, published in the concurrent special issue of Physiological Measurement.