Treball de Fi de Grau / Treball de Fi de Màster

Active Electrodes for Neonatal EEG: Prototype Design and Clinical Feasibility

This project presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of an active electrode prototype for neonatal EEG monitoring, developed as an alternative to conventional passive electrodes. The project focused on addressing common challenges in clinical neurophysiology, particularly baseline drift, electromagnetic interference (EMI), and variability in electrode-skin impedance. A series of in vitro and in vivo experiments were performed in two different environments: a controlled university laboratory and a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Noise tests revealed that passive electrodes consistently exhibited lower broadband noise levels, while active electrodes introduced slightly higher noise due to onboard amplification. However, the active configuration provided clear advantages in reducing baseline drift through hardware filtering and showed, in several cases, superior resilience against 50 Hz power-line interference. Interestingly, hospital experiments revealed unexpected results, with the active electrode sometimes presenting stronger EMI peaks despite the shielded cable, underlining the complexity of real-world environments. Physiological tests demonstrated that both electrode types reliably detected alpha rhythms and eye-blink artifacts, confirming their ability to capture clinically relevant EEG signals. For high-SNR features such as alpha activity, both electrodes performed comparably, while the active prototype showed improved baseline stability and robustness under certain conditions. Although the prototype does not yet outperform passive electrodes in all respects, it validates the feasibility of active electrodes for neonatal EEG and establishes a solid foundation for future refinements. Challenges such as PCB miniaturization, soldering reliability, and environmental variability were identified as key aspects to improve. Future work should focus on systematic redesign, optimization of filtering parameters, and potentially integrating impedance monitoring directly into the circuit to enhance usability and ensure reliable electrode placement. This work highlights that active electrodes are a promising avenue for neonatal EEG monitoring, offering tangible benefits while emphasizing the importance of iterative development and testing under realistic clinical conditions.

Grau en Enginyeria Biomèdica

Innovació en el sectors salut i biomedicina, Instrumentació biomèdica/clínica i dispositius mèdics

Finalitzat

2025-08-31

Albert Fabregat Sanjuan

EVA TUSET CABALLER

Alta

No

Si

No

No