PanTompkins

PanTompkins refers to the Pan-Tompkins algorithm, a real-time QRS detection method for electrocardiogram (ECG) signals developed by Jiap Pan and Willis J. Tompkins in 1985. It is designed to identify the R peaks in ECG data with high accuracy while operating with low computational burden, making it suitable for real-time monitoring and embedded systems.

The algorithm processes ECG input through a sequence of stages. First, a bandpass filter suppresses baseline wander and high-frequency noise to emphasize the QRS complex. Next, a differentiator provides slope information by highlighting rapid changes in the signal. The squared signal then emphasizes large deflections, and a moving-window integrator summarizes the energy of these deflections over a short interval. Finally, an adaptive thresholding scheme distinguishes true QRS complexes from noise, adjusting dynamically based on detected signal and noise peaks. A refractory period prevents double counting, and a search-back mechanism handles cases where a QRS complex may be missed.

Pan-Tompkins has influenced many later QRS detectors and remains a foundational approach in ECG analysis. It is praised for its simplicity, real-time capability, and robust performance on standard datasets, though its effectiveness can be reduced by strong noise, baseline drift, or atypical QRS morphologies. Variants and improvements have been developed to address such conditions, but the core framework of filtering, differentiation, squaring, integration, and adaptive thresholding continues to be cited as a practical baseline method for automated QRS detection in both research and clinical settings.