Active Filtering Technology Transfer for Magnetocardiogram Data Sets (ATTMEDS)

Lead Research Organisation: University of Sheffield
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy

Abstract

Creavo Medical Technologies make magnetocardiographs, devices for detailed modelling of the heart of patients presenting with symptoms consistent with heart disease.

We propose a collaborative research project with Creavo, that utilises existing expertise in signal processing, vibration isolation, vibration measurement, and dynamic tracking of sine wave components of data, to try and improve the filtering of background noise in the hospital environment found to affect Creavo devices. This expertise was gained whilst the Sheffield group was working on instrument science in connection with the LIGO gravitational wave detectors, and thus this project represents technology transfer from LIGO (with STFC support) to a UK owned and located SME. This project has the potential to impact heart patients worldwide, to help a strong British business, and to achieve impact from STFC-funded, nominally ' blue skies ' University research.

The proposed duration of the project is two years, during which specialised noise removal techniques will be tried in Creavo units under evaluation in test facilities at Creavo's research headquarters, and also at the University of Sheffield. We will also explore the use of specialised vibration measurement hardware and explore possibilities for the implementation of the developed methods in commercial unites manufactured by Creavo.
 
Description The IWAVE algorithm can be used to extract a signal for the magnetic field of the heart from magnetocardiograph data produced by an instrument made by Creavo medical technologies. A combination of subtraction of patient-electrocardiograph phase coherent data using IWAVE and non-electrocardiograph-coherent noise subtraction using an average waveform subtraction technique led to very significant noise removal.
Exploitation Route I will try and publish our results, which will I think be very useful to the magnetocardiograph imaging community.
Sectors Healthcare

 
Description We have learned how to image the magnetic field of the heart more effectively. This may, with further development, lead to improved uptake of magnetocardiography as a hospital diagnostic for patients with suspected heart disease. This in turn will impact the healthcare sector, where triage of patients complaining of chest pains is an expensive and time consuming activity.
First Year Of Impact 2017
Sector Healthcare
Impact Types Societal

 
Description Creavo Medical Technologies 
Organisation Creavo Medical Technologies
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution We implemented a novel method for extracting waveforms of the magnetic field of the human heart from very noisy data from their multichannel magnetometer detector
Collaborator Contribution The Creavo team contained several expert staff who were helpful in showing us how to read their data, describing the origins of various troublesome sources of noise, and loaning us instruments to help us to generate our own data
Impact A paper is in preparation.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Feebly Interacting Particles (FIPSs) workshop 2022, CERN 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Talk on dark photon stars. Attended by Ningqiang Song (PDRA Liverpool) and John March-Russell (collaboration partner, Oxford).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://indico.cern.ch/event/1119695/