A novel ECG data compression method based on nonrecursive discrete periodized wavelet transform.

In this paper, a novel electrocardiogram (ECG) data compression method with full wavelet coefficients is proposed. Full wavelet coefficients involve a mean value in the termination level and the wavelet coefficients of all octaves. This new approach is based on the reversible round-off nonrecursive one-dimensional (1-D) discrete periodized wavelet transform (1-D NRDPWT), which performs overall stages decomposition with minimum register word length and resists truncation error propagation. A nonlinear word length reduction algorithm with high compression ratio (CR) is also developed. This algorithm supplies high and low octave coefficients with small and large decimal quantization scales, respectively. This quantization process can be performed without an extra divider. The two performance parameters, CR and percentage root mean square difference (PRD), are evaluated using the MIT-BIH arrhythmia database. Compared with the SPIHT scheme, the PRD is improved by 14.95% for 4 < or = CR < or = 12 and 17.6% for 14 < or = CR < or = 20.