Wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) system making shock/no shock determinations by aggregating aspects of multiple patient parameters

• US 10,016,614 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2017
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: West Affum Holdings DAC
• Original Assignee: West Affum Holdings Corp
• Inventors: Sullivan, Joseph L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schaetzle, Kennedy
• Application Number:
  US15/421,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20170136251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14542 for measuring blood gases A61B5/14551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/282 Holders for multiple electrodes for introduction into the body A61B5/287
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/363 Detecting tachycardia or bradycardia
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/366 Detecting abnormal QRS complex, e.g. widening
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6805 Vests
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0484 Garment electrodes worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3904 External heart defibrillators [EHD]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3918 characterised by shock pathway, e.g. by electrode configuration
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3925 Monitoring; Protecting
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3987 characterised by the timing or triggering of the shock

Abstract

In embodiments, a WCD system includes one or more transducers that may sense patient parameters from different parts of the patient'"'"'s body, and thus render physiological inputs from those parameters. First aspects and second aspects may be detected from the physiological inputs. An aggregated first aspect may be generated from the detected first aspects, and an aggregated second aspect may be generated from the detected second aspects. An aggregate analysis score may be determined from the aggregated first aspect and the aggregated second aspect. A shock/no shock determination may be made depending on whether or not the aggregate analysis score meets an aggregate shock criterion. Accordingly, such a WCD system can make shock/no shock determinations by aggregating aspects of multiple patient parameters. Accordingly, multiple inputs are considered in making the shock/no shock determination.

Claims

1. A wearable cardioverter defibrillator (“

WCD”

) system, comprising;

a support structure configured to be worn by a patient;

a power source;

an energy storage module configured to be charged from the power source so as to store an electrical charge;

a discharge circuit;

one or more transducers configured to render a plurality of physiological inputs from one or more patient parameters that are sensed from different parts of the patient'"'"'s body; and

a processor configured to;

detect first aspects from at least some of the physiological inputs,

generate an aggregated first aspect from at least two of the detected first aspects,

determine an aggregate analysis score from the aggregated first aspect,

determine whether or not the aggregate analysis score meets an aggregate shock criterion, and

if it is determined that the aggregate shock criterion is met control the discharge circuit to discharge the stored electrical charge through the patient within 6 min from when it is determined that the aggregate shock criterion is met,

else control the discharge circuit to not discharge the stored electrical charge through the patient for at least 19 min from when it is determined that the aggregate shock criterion is not met.

2. The WCD system of claim 1, in which

the one or more transducers include at least three Electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes configured to contact the patient so as to define a plurality of vectors, and

in which the patient parameters are electrical patient physiological signals measured along the vectors,

the transducer further includes a measurement circuit, and

the physiological inputs reflect ECG measurements measured along the vectors.

3. The WCD system of claim 1, in which

the aggregated first aspect is generated from a first statistic of values of the at least two of the detected first aspects.

4. The WCD system of claim 1, in which

the aggregated first aspect is generated by averaging values of the at least two of the detected first aspects.

5. The WCD system of claim 1, in which

the aggregated first aspect is generated by choosing a median value of values of at least three of the detected first aspects.

6. The WCD system of claim 1, in which

the physiological inputs reflect ECG measurements, and

the detected first aspects include respective values for a heart rate.

7. The WCD system of claim 1, in which

the physiological inputs reflect ECG measurements,

the detected first aspects include at least two values for a heart rate, and

the aggregated first aspect is generated by choosing a minimum value of the at least two values for the heart rate.

8. The WCD system of claim 1, in which

the physiological inputs reflect ECG measurements, and

the detected first aspects include respective values for a width of one or more QRS complexes.

9. The WCD system of claim 1, in which

the physiological inputs reflect ECG measurements,

the detected first aspects include at least two values for a width of one or more QRS complexes, and

the aggregated first aspect is generated by choosing a maximum value of the at least two values for the width of the one or more QRS complexes.

10. The WCD system of claim 1, in which

the physiological inputs reflect ECG measurements, and

the detected first aspects include respective values for a measure of QRS organization.

11. The WCD system of claim 1, in which

the processor is further configured to:

detect second aspects from at least some of the physiological inputs, and

generate an aggregated second aspect from at least one of the detected second aspects, and

in which the aggregate analysis score is determined also from the aggregated second aspect.

12. The WCD system of claim 11, in which

the aggregated second aspect is generated from the at least one of the detected second aspects in a manner different than a manner in which the aggregated first aspect is generated from the at least two of the detected first aspects.

13. The WCD system of claim 11, in which

the processor is further configured to

determine an additional aggregate analysis score after determining the aggregate analysis score,

filter at least the aggregate analysis score and the additional aggregate analysis score over time, and

the aggregate analysis score is updated by the filtering before determining whether or not the aggregate shock criterion is met.

14. The WCD system of claim 11, in which

the processor is further configured to:

detect third aspects from at least some of the physiological inputs,

generate an aggregated third aspect from at least some of the detected third aspects, and

the aggregate analysis score is determined also from the aggregated third aspect.

15. The WCD system of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory, and

in which the processor is further configured to

retain at least some of the detected first aspects over time.

16. The WCD system of claim 1, in which

the processor is further configured to

filter at least some of the detected first aspects over time, and

the aggregated first aspect is determined instead from filtered values of the detected first aspects.

17. The WCD system of claim 1, in which

the discharge circuit is controlled to discharge the electrical charge through the patient within 6 min from when it is determined that the aggregate shock criterion is met, but only if:

additional physiological inputs have been rendered from the one or more patient parameters that are sensed from the different parts of the patient'"'"'s body,

additional first aspects and additional second aspects have been detected from each of at least some of the additional physiological inputs,

a plurality of characteristic first aspects have been determined from at least two of the additional detected first aspects for respective ones of the different parts of the patient'"'"'s body,

a plurality of characteristic second aspects have been determined from at least two of the additional detected second aspects for respective ones of the different parts of the patient'"'"'s body, and

in which the aggregated first aspect has been determined from at least two of the characteristic first aspects, and

the aggregated second aspect has been determined from at least two of the characteristic second aspects.

18. The WCD system of claim 17, in which

one of the characteristic first aspects is determined as a value from a statistic of values of the least two of the additional detected first aspects from which it is determined.

19. The WCD system of claim 17, in which

the processor is further configured to

filter at least some of the additional detected first aspects over time, and

the characteristic first aspect is determined instead from filtered values of the detected first aspects.