Deep Learning-Based ECG Classification for Arterial Fibrillation Detection

The application of deep learning techniques in the medical field, specifically for Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) detection through Electrocardiogram (ECG) signals, has witnessed significant interest. Accurate and timely diagnosis increases the patient’s chances of recovery. However, issues like overfitting and inconsistent accuracy across datasets remain challenges. In a quest to address these challenges, a study presents two prominent deep learning architectures, ResNet-50 and DenseNet-121, to evaluate their effectiveness in AFib detection. The aim was to create a robust detection mechanism that consistently performs well. Metrics such as loss, accuracy, precision, sensitivity, and Area Under the Curve (AUC) were utilized for evaluation. The findings revealed that ResNet-50 surpassed DenseNet-121 in all evaluated categories. It demonstrated lower loss rate 0.0315 and 0.0305 superior accuracy of 98.77% and 98.88%, precision of 98.78% and 98.89% and sensitivity of 98.76% and 98.86% for training and validation, hinting at its advanced capability for AFib detection. These insights offer a substantial contribution to the existing literature on deep learning applications for AFib detection from ECG signals. The comparative performance data assists future researchers in selecting suitable deep-learning architectures for AFib detection. Moreover, the outcomes of this study are anticipated to stimulate the development of more advanced and efficient ECG-based AFib detection methodologies, for more accurate and early detection of AFib, thereby fostering improved patient care and outcomes.