PATIENT ISOLATION IN MULTICHANNEL BIOELECTRIC RECORDINGS BY DIGITAL TRANSMISSION THROUGH A SINGLE OPTICAL-FIBER

A design for patient isolation in 64-channel ECG recordings is present ed. Small dimensions of the isolated section and the use of an optical fiber as the only connection between the isolated section and the gro unded section of the measurement system ensured a minimal capacitance between the patient and the environment. The consistent low-power desi gn of the isolated section resulted in a power consumption of 210 mW, which enabled a 10 h continuous operating time of the battery powered isolated section. The system handles 64 signals with a dynamic range o f 75 dB. Analog to digital conversion is performed in the isolated sec tion with a sample rate of 1 kHz per channel. The receiver interfaces to a commercially available DMA board for a standard personal computer .