OB-1 Fetal ECG Database

Published: Aug. 3, 2012   Version: 1.0.0

Fetal Distress and the OB-1 Database (Aug. 3, 2012, 1 p.m.)

The creators of the OB-1 Database of fetal ECGs seek collaborators in their PhysioNet project to complete the database and to use it to investigate improved diagnoses of fetal distress. A sample recording from the database is now available in PhysioNet, while construction of the remainder (including more than 100 additional recordings with detailed accompanying clinical information) is in progress on PhysioNet.

Standard Citation for PhysioNet

Please include the standard citation for PhysioNet: (show more options)
Goldberger, A., Amaral, L., Glass, L., Hausdorff, J., Ivanov, P. C., Mark, R., ... & Stanley, H. E. (2000). PhysioBank, PhysioToolkit, and PhysioNet: Components of a new research resource for complex physiologic signals. Circulation [Online]. 101 (23), pp. e215–e220.

Abstract

This project is developing a set of recordings of fetal scalp electrograms and uterine muscular activity, with beat-by-beat annotations of the fetal ECG, to support studies of fetal heart rate variability.

Data Description

Fetal distress may be due to intrapartum asphyxia or hypoxia. Correctly diagnosing fetal distress is essential for preventing fetal morbidity and avoiding unnecessary cesarean sections. The OB-1 Database was collected to support the development of a diagnostic system based on advanced signal processing of nonstationary signals recorded during electronic fetal monitoring. The contributors of the data (Nancy Oriol, Fred Bennet, and Prateek Aggarwal) have previously developed the signal processing technology for this purpose. This technology is based on the premise that changes in fetal oxygenation can be identified by monitoring spectral and temporal changes in fetal heart rate variability, and correlations between fetal heart rate variability and uterine contraction signals.

This directory currently contains a sample recording from the OB-1 Database, for which more than 100 data sets have been collected. Each data set documents the in-hospital course of labor and delivery (typically several hours in length) and consists of a record containing a continuous fetal ECG signal and a simultaneously recorded uterine muscular activity (UC) signal, accompanied by maternal and newborn clinical data. The data sets were obtained from human subjects, with appropriate certificates of approval for conducting research provided by the participating institutions.

The data files within this directory were originally recorded in the mid-1990s and have not been available for many years. They are accessible once again thanks to a generous contribution of data recovery and computer forensics services by Techfusion Corp. and Alfred Demirjian, Cambridge, MA. Please acknowledge their contribution in any publication based on these data, and retain these links together with any copies of these files.