A comparative performance analysis of an analog front end of an electrocardiogram using printed resistors versus standard manufactured resistors

With health care costs on the rise, alternative approaches are needed for the development and production of health care products and devices which in turn can reduce costs. One promising approach is to use a fairly new disruptive technology called printed electronics to print components in place of standard manufactured components.;The focus of this study was on proving the feasibility of using a non-contact printer to print resistors in place of standard manufactured surface mount (SMT) resistors in the analog front end of an electrocardiogram (ECG). A performance comparison between an ECG with printed resistors vs. an ECG with SMT resistors was performed at three temperatures: 7° C, 22.7° C, and 45° C.;The performance test consisted of a comparative study of the frequency and phase responses of the two ECG's input signals versus their output signals. The test results showed almost identical performance characteristics between the ECG with printed resistors and the ECG with SMT resistors at all three temperatures; which validates the potential of using the printing process to develop circuit components for a medical device.