What is a 3 lead ECG device?

Last Updated on December 25, 2022 by pg@petergamma.org

The term leads is a term which is used by cardiologists. Older ECG devices had the option to manually switch between different leads. Newer devices like Adinstruments or iWorx recorder have sometimes a Bioamp pre-amplifier or another mysterious box, where the ECG cable have to be connected to.

If we search for pictures of 3 lead ECG devices with google picture search, we find manly pictures of bodies which have 3 ECG electrodes sicked on it:

https://www.google.com/search?lr=&as_qdr=all&sxsrf=ALiCzsZQz5rxW0IL4ZSSFcUXoVtuYinsVQ:1671977798577&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=3+lead+ecg&safe=images&fir=9wX-D-t-7yYMUM%252C0U-8uFbBx879-M%252C_%253Be7ATiQ82RCciKM%252CzdNAbeOLJdNK5M%252C_%253BwG8f1k5xqJM4WM%252CBDAsNNO3nDtmiM%252C_%253B97cM0QsNiKF5yM%252CF1grmlqUTpUpwM%252C_%253BuUzwnCilvSrdXM%252C0U-8uFbBx879-M%252C_%253B8XXbqPxYj_9YeM%252CF1grmlqUTpUpwM%252C_%253Bi1weKwDHnL8IDM%252CGg1cCt4eGS2ANM%252C_%253BlMdwltz8S6hyBM%252CtRU–Wzqyw4tCM%252C_%253BCYKHpyMgoOkM7M%252C2LzWn0a5DHZF7M%252C_%253B6oyDskfI-k7VuM%252CCw7oDpNH0iCjZM%252C_%253B_uSr-2CW80LHyM%252C4KznqYEhGqKdhM%252C_%253BWEBt9E1dEDxp1M%252C905A6l-YGLPxjM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kR93iaIrnNRX9EoER10S7zt0BPzcw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjAq4bW-pT8AhWC_7sIHdNBDYsQjJkEegQICRAC&biw=1408&bih=593&dpr=1.36

– But the costs for 3 lead ECG devices which are used for clinical or research applications are very high, as we can see on the table, which lists these devices, which where partly used to validate the accuracy of sports sensors:

90.02 Research & medical grade ECG devices which some of those were used to study the accuracy of consumer grade HRMs in different papers

– A 3 lead ECG device is more than a ECG device with 3 electrodes which are sicked on our chest. But we do not know if this is clear to anyone.

– ECG devices which are used for clinical and research applications costs from 4000 USD up to several 10 000 USD.

– A lot of these costs are probably caused by the fact that a lot of research and development to make those usable for clinical and research applications is necessary.

– But if we only are looking for a heart rate monitor which is highly accurate, the hardware and software costs for a 3 lead ECG device are not that high, if we use for instance OpenBCI with HeartPy, or if we do not want to use an ECG device, but a device with is made of multiple DF Robot optical heart rate sensors with HeartPy. The costs for 3 lead ECG devices are very high, but the costs for hard- and software to build a 3 lead ECG device yourself have tropped dramatically. This makes it interesting to build them ourselves.