2000 News

A database of Gait Dynamics in Neuro-Degenerative Disease has been added to PhysioNet. This database includes recordings of gait from subjects with Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and healthy controls.

Five complete (21 to 24 hour) records from the Long-Term ST Database have been contributed to PhysioBank, together with a pair of papers describing the database [1, 2]. This six-year multinational project is nearing completion. These are the first recordings to be made available from this database.

Previously unreleased signal files for the MIT-BIH Atrial Fibrillation Database have been added to PhysioNet.

The BIDMC Congestive Heart Failure Database has been added to PhysioNet. This database includes fifteen 20-hour recordings of patients with severe heart failure (NYHA class 3-4).

The Chart-o-matic is now available for viewing PhysioBank data within any web browser capable of rendering PNG images (such as those on this page). Please try it out!

Over half of the European ST-T Database is now freely accessible in PhysioBank, thanks to the support of the European Society of Cardiology and the creators of the database.

Final scores for Computers in Cardiology Challenge 2000 are now posted. Thanks to all who participated in this outstandingly successful event!

Precompiled binaries (ready-to-run versions) of the WFDB Software Package for 32-bit MS-Windows (95/98/NT/2000) and Solaris now include NETFILES support (built-in HTTP and FTP client support, making it possible to view and analyze PhysioBank recordings without downloading them to local storage, and without a web browser). This feature has been available under Linux since last September.

Precompiled binaries without NETFILES support are now available for HP-UX as well.

The deadline for entries in the Computers in Cardiology Challenge 2000 has been extended. (The deadline for submitting abstracts for the conference has not changed, however.)

The WFDB Software Package is now available in RPM form for easy installation under Linux.

Precompiled binaries (executables) of the WFDB Software Package for 32-bit MS-Windows (95/98/NT/2000) have been added to those previously available for Linux, MS-DOS and 16-bit MS-Windows, Solaris, and SunOS.

Entrants in the Computers in Cardiology Challenge 2000 can now submit their results for scoring.

Binary annotation and signal files from PhysioNet can now be converted to text format from your web browser. The conversions are performed using rdann and <tt>rdsamp </tt><tt>, two utilities from the WFDB software package that can also be downloaded and run on your own computer for greater flexibility.</tt>

A list of frequently asked questions (with answers) is now available.

Software for deriving a respiration signal from one or two ECG signals using the EDR technique, the original paper that describes this technique, and a second paper describing applications of the EDR, are now available in PhysioNet.

Periodic measurements of physiologic variables (such as heart rate, blood pressure, respiration rate, and oxygen saturation) are now available for all 121 records of the MIMIC Database. These data amount to nearly 200 patient-days of continuous recordings from over 90 ICU patients.

PhysioToolkit is the new name for our library of open-source software, formerly known as PhysioTools.

Can sleep apnea be detected using the ECG only? PhysioNet and Computers in Cardiology 2000 challenge you to develop and evaluate a method for doing so, in CinC Challenge 2000, an open contest aimed at catalyzing research, friendly competition, and wide-ranging collaboration around this clinically important problem. Prizes will be awarded to the most successful participants.

See the additions to the Tutorials and Publications sections of PhysioNet.