A Rule - based Expert System for ECG Analysis

194 Abstract—This paper presents the development of a rule-based expert system that emulates the ECG interpretation skills of an expert cardiologist. The knowledge of an expert is confined to him and is not freely available for decision-making. An expert system is developed to overcome this problem. In this rule-based expert system, patient’s heart rate and the wave characteristics of the ECG are considered. With these ‘facts’, rules are framed and a rule base is developed in consultation with experts. An inference engine in the expert system uses these inputs and the rule base to identify any abnormality in the patient’s heart. A unique feature of the proposed system is storing the post diagnostic information in a database. That is, information about a patient diagnosed by this system is stored and can be retrieved later date-wise. The user can also input his comments or suggestions for improvement or correction, which can later be incorporated in the system after validation by experts. Only authorized access to the database is permitted. This expert system can support physicians in their diagnosis and decision-making.