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From: mcmillan@eosp1.UUCP (Tobias D. Robison)
Newsgroups: net.ai
Subject: Re: computer ECG
Message-ID: <621@eosp1.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 27-Feb-84 10:13:03 EST
Article-I.D.: eosp1.621
Posted: Mon Feb 27 10:13:03 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 28-Feb-84 07:45:30 EST
References: <2043@ecsvax.UUCP>
Organization: Exxon Office Systems, Princeton, NJ
Lines: 39

I worked in the field of ECG analysis in the mid 1970's.  ECG analysis
programs (such as Bonner's) have a very hard time doing the necessary pattern
recognition on ECG wave forms.  Once they have approximately recognized wave
types, they do MUCH better than any human being at quantifying the
characteristics of abnormal wave forms.  In 1974, the Bonner program was
already considered more accurate than good human cardiologists in certain
respects, and less likely to pronounce a good heart bad (or vice versa) athan
average cardiologists.

Obviously when there is an abnormality, the ECG program output will be
carefully overread by a cardiologist.  In this process, the ability of the
human to recognize patterns, plus the quantifying data produced by the
software and hardware produce excellent results.

ECG systems can be seriously effected by signal noise (even 60 hertz AC
noise).  In the 1970's I was aware of at least one case where an ECG bureau
really should have shut down, rather than supply ECg reports that it knew
were seriously compromised by noise-sensitive ECG hardware.

ECG systems developed at a culturally suitable time.  The middle-aged
cardiologists still like to make extra money by overreading routine ECG
charts.  Younger cardiologists usually don't care to spend their time this
way and appreciate the time saved by ECG systems.

In general, a cardiologist is always required to check an ECG system's report,
to avoid gross machine error.

In the 1970's, no company really made money from ECG analysis systems.
The market was extremely sensitive to new technologies.  No manufacturer
could simply deliver working systems.  All were required to adopt larger
storage devices, faster minicomputers, improved analysis software,
and ancillary software for report editing, databases of reports, comparing
ECG's on the same patient, etc.  The required rate of development in order
to do business killed almost everyone financially.
					- Toby Robison
					allegra!eosp1!robison
					decvax!ittvax!eosp1!robison
					princeton!eosp1!robison
					(NOTE! NOT McMillan; Robison.)