ECG Signal Classification Using Interpretable KAN: Towards Predictive Diagnosis of Arrhythmias

To address the need for accurate classification of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals, we employ an interpretable KAN to classify arrhythmia diseases. Experimental evaluation of the MIT-BIH and PTB datasets demonstrates the significant superiority of the KAN in classifying arrhythmia diseases. Specifically, preprocessing steps such as sample balancing and variance sorting effectively optimized the feature distribution and significantly enhanced the model’s classification performance. In the MIT-BIH, the KAN achieved classification accuracy and precision rates of 99.08% and 99.07%, respectively. Similarly, on the PTB dataset, both metrics reached 99.11%. In addition, experimental results indicate that compared to the traditional multi-layer perceptron (MLP), the KAN demonstrates higher classification accuracy and better fitting stability and adaptability to complex data scenarios. Applying three clustering methods demonstrates that the features extracted by the KAN exhibit clearer cluster boundaries, thereby verifying its effectiveness in ECG signal classification. Additionally, convergence analysis reveals that the KAN’s training process exhibits a smooth and stable loss decline curve, confirming its robustness under complex data conditions. The findings of this study validate the applicability and superiority of the KAN in classifying ECG signals for arrhythmia and other diseases, offering a novel technical approach to the classification and diagnosis of arrhythmias. Finally, potential future research directions are discussed, including the KAN in early warning and rapid diagnosis of arrhythmias. This study establishes a theoretical foundation and practical basis for advancing interpretable networks in clinical applications.