PhysioNet Challenge 2016

Introduction The 2016 PhysioNet/CinC Challenge aims to encourage the development of algorithms to classify heart sound recordings collected from a variety of clinical or nonclinical (such as in-home visits) environments. The aim is to identify, from a single short recording (10-60s) from a single precordial location, whether the subject of the recording should be referred on for an expert diagnosis.

During the cardiac cycle, the heart firstly generates the electrical activity and then the electrical activity causes atrial and ventricular contractions. This in turn forces blood between the chambers of the heart and around the body. The opening and closure of the heart valves is associated with accelerations-decelerations of blood, giving rise to vibrations of the entire cardiac structure (the heart sounds and murmurs) [1]. These vibrations are audible at the chest wall, and listening for specific heart sounds can give an indication of the health of the heart. The phonocardiogram (PCG) is the graphical representation of a heart sound recording. Figure 1 illustrates a short section of a PCG recording.