Rpeak

Rpeak, or R peak, refers to the apex of the R wave in an electrocardiogram (ECG). The R wave is the positive deflection within the QRS complex, which represents ventricular depolarization. The R peak is typically the tallest point in the QRS complex and is used as a temporal anchor for detecting cardiac cycles. By measuring the intervals between consecutive R peaks (the RR intervals), clinicians and researchers derive heart rate and heart-rate variability metrics, and assess rhythm regularity.

Detection and measurement: In ECG processing, R peaks are extracted from recorded signals that may contain noise, baseline wander, and motion artifacts. Common algorithms include derivative-based methods, adaptive thresholding, and the Pan-Tompkins algorithm, which applies filtering, differentiation, squaring, and moving-window integration to enhance the QRS complex. Modern approaches also use wavelet transforms or machine learning for robust detection across noisy data.

Applications: Accurate R-peak detection is essential for reliable heart-rate estimation, arrhythmia screening, and telemetry. It enables computation of RR intervals and HRV, contributing to diagnostic and monitoring workflows in cardiology, sports science, and ambulatory health monitoring.

Limitations: In low-quality ECGs, R peaks can be skipped or misidentified during noise or electrode problems. Validation typically involves comparing against reference annotations.