Proposals for Ballistocardiographic Nomenclature and Conventions: Revised and Extended

Abstract

The committee's first report, published in Circulation for June 1953, recommended a terminology and certain conventions for recording ballistocardiograms of the type then in use. However, it soon became apparent that the committee's work was far from complete. Increasing knowledge of ballistic theory soon began to throw light on the relations of records secured by various instruments to one another, and a rapid advance in instrumentation began to provide records related to, but often not identical with, those which had been provided with a standard terminology by the committee in its first report. Accordingly, the committee has continued its labors to provide the rapidly advancing field with a uniform terminology. While they were thus engaged, attention was called to the fact that the designation of spatial axes previously recommended for vector ballistocardiograms differed from that which had been recommended for electrocardiograms by another committee of the American Heart Association. The advantages of a common system for designating spatial axes were obvious to all. Accordingly, as the electrocardiographic usage had priority and as little had been published in the field of ballistocardiographic vectors the committee voted to withdraw their original recommendation and substitute one conforming to that in use by electrocardiographers. In the present communication this new convention is also set forth. All members of the committee have shared in the deliberations and taken part in the decisions which form the basis of this report; but so much of the larger proportion of the actual work fell on Dr. Scarborough and Dr. Talbot that it was agreed without dissenting vote that only their names should appear as authors. This report has the endorsement of the committee as a whole, and the terminology it suggests is recommended as the official terminology of the American Heart Association.