This paper introduces a new methodology for design of R-wave detection algorithm implemented using NI LabVIEW. This algorithm adopts the integration of a band pass filter and threshold estimate adaptive based on histograms of ECG signals. The R wave is the largest positive value of the electrocardiographic signal (ECG), which is used as reference for the proposed algorithm. The detection process of this component of the ECG signal is performed by combining digital filtering and time-frequency transforms; a process that requires important computational resources in software and hardware. As a result, the implemented system can detect the R wave from different ECG signals, revealing the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.