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False-positive event removal

What it does

This method removes event detections that follow abnormally short event-to-event intervals.

When to use it

Use it before gap filling or interval-based variability analysis when an event detector may have inserted extra beats or pulses. It is intended for strictly ordered event times.

Canonical ID: hrv.removefp

Inputs

Name Meaning Type Unit Requirements
tk Strictly increasing event occurrence times that may contain false-positive detections. real vector s minimum length: 1; no NaN; finite

Outputs

Name Meaning Type Unit
tn Event occurrence times after removing detections that follow abnormally short intervals. real vector s

How it works

Each interval is compared with a local median-based baseline. A detection after a sufficiently short interval is removed, and the surrounding interval structure is reevaluated deterministically.

Interpretation and limitations

The threshold is an empirical preprocessing rule, not a clinical classifier. Genuine short intervals may be removed when the local rhythm changes abruptly or contains arrhythmia.

Implementations and technical resources

Python source | MATLAB source

Normative JSON | Validation cases