A Survey of Photoplethysmography and Imaging Photoplethysmography Quality Assessment Methods

Abstract

Photoplethysmography is a method to visualize the variation in blood volume within tissues with light. The signal obtained has been used for the monitoring of patients, interpretation for diagnosis or for extracting other physiological variables (e.g., pulse rate and blood oxygen saturation). However, the photoplethysmography signal can be perturbed by external and physiological factors. Implementing methods to evaluate the quality of the signal allows one to avoid misinterpretation while maintaining the performance of its applications. This paper provides an overview on signal quality index algorithms applied to photoplethysmography. We try to provide a clear view on the role of a quality index and its design. Then, we discuss the challenges arising in the quality assessment of imaging photoplethysmography.