Far-field vs local activation discrimination on multi-electrode EGMS using vector analysis in multi-dimensional signal space

• US 10,016,145 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2013
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Thakur, Pramodsingh Hirasingh, Maskara, Barun, Shuros, Allan C., Saha, Sunipa, Shome, Shibaji
• Primary Examiner(s): Neal, Timothy J
• Assistant Examiner(s): FAIRCHILD, AARON BENJAMIN
• Application Number:
  US13/923,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20130345537A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,846 Days
• Field of Search: 600374, 600509, 600512, 600513
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1492 having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation A61B18/1477 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0044 for the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/243 specially adapted for magnetocardiographic [MCG] signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/283 Invasive
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/287 Holders for multiple electrodes, e.g. electrode catheters for electrophysiological study [EPS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/316 Modalities, i.e. specific diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6859 with multiple distal splines

Abstract

Electrical activity propagation along an electrode array within a cardiac chamber is reconstructed. Signals are sampled from the electrode array and the signals are plotted in multi-dimensional space with each axis corresponding to a channel in the electrode array. An excursion direction of global activation in the multi-dimensional space is estimated and a change in vectors of the sampled signals over time is determined. Signals with vectors that change over time in the excursion direction are suppressed.

Claims

1. A method for reconstructing electrical activity propagation along an electrode array within a cardiac chamber, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, cardiac signals corresponding to cardiac activation information sensed by the electrode array;

generating a multi-dimensional representation of the cardiac signals by plotting, using the computing device, the cardiac signals in multi-dimensional space with each dimension corresponding to a channel in the electrode array;

estimating, using the computing device, an excursion direction of global activation in the multi-dimensional space;

defining, using the computing device, a vector representation of the cardiac signals;

determining, using the computing device, a signal change, corresponding to an identified time period, between a first channel and a second channel;

determining, using the computing device, that the signal change is attributable to global activation by comparing an excursion direction of the signal change with the excursion direction of global activation;

suppressing, using the computing device, the cardiac signals, during the identified time period, corresponding to the signal change;

generating, using the computing device, a reconstruction of cardiac electrical activity propagation based on the cardiac signals that are not suppressed; and

displaying, on a display device, the reconstruction of cardiac electrical activity propagation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein plotting the cardiac signals further includes:

shifting each cardiac signal by an expected latency of a corresponding far-field signal received from the electrode array based on a reference signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein estimating an excursion direction further comprises:

normalizing the cardiac signals to match scales.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the signal change further comprises:

determining an absolute time derivative of the vector representation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein estimating an excursion direction further comprises:

determining a maximum eigenvalue of a decomposition of the plotted signals.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

blanking cardiac signals around significant excursions along each axis (local activation).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the signals further comprises:

biasing a subset of channels towards picking up global activity in the multi-dimensional space to enhance discrimination on other channels.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the signals comprises employing an extended bipolar configuration with the electrode array.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein employing an extended bipolar configuration comprises receiving signals from most opposed electrodes located on the electrode array.