OB-1 Fetal ECG Database

@article{pollard_physionet_2026, title = {{PhysioNet} as a global platform for biomedical research}, volume = {1}, issn = {3005-0693}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s44360-026-00096-z}, doi = {10.1038/s44360-026-00096-z}, abstract = {Twenty-five years after its first public repository was established, the PhysioNet resource for biomedical and clinical data has enabled tens of thousands of research papers. Further efforts are ongoing to advance secure data sharing, community engagement and scalable research infrastructure.}, number = {8}, journal = {Nature Health}, author = {Pollard, Tom and Moody, Benjamin E. and Lehman, Li-wei H. and Gow, Brian J. and Fernandes, Chrystinne and Xie, Chen and Johnson, Alistair and Mark, Roger G. and Heldt, Thomas}, month = aug, year = {2026}, pages = {792--795},}

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, as well as avoiding unnecessary cesarean sections. The OB-1 Database was collected to support 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. The 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 signal.

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 UC (uterine muscular activity) signal, accompanied by maternal clinical data and newborn clinical data. The data sets were obtained from human subjects, and certificates of approval for conducting research using the data were obtained from 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.