Heart diagnosis system

• US 20040138572A1
• Filed: 11/14/2003
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HD Medical, Inc.
• Original Assignee: HD Medical, Inc.
• Inventors: Thiagarajan, Arvind
• Granted Patent: US 7,611,471 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/508
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/04 Electric stethoscopes microphones, acoustic transducers therefor H04R

Abstract

The invention provides a method and apparatus for analysing a heart signal from a beating heart, the method comprising: collecting the heart signal, performing a cluster analysis of the signal to identify the first heart sound and the second heart sound, determining an energy envelope for each of a plurality of regions in the signal, determining the area of each of the energy envelopes, and classifying features in the signal by an analysis incorporating at least the areas, whereby one or more characteristics of the heart can be determined.

Claims

1. A method of analysing a heart signal from a beating heart comprising:

collecting said heart signal;

performing a cluster analysis of said signal to identify the first heart sound and the second heart sound;

determining an energy envelope for each of a plurality of regions in said signal;

determining the area of each of said energy envelopes; and

classifying features in said signal by an analysis incorporating at least said areas;

whereby one or more characteristics of said heart can be determined.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, including comparing one or more of said areas with at least one other of said areas.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, including determining one or more ratios, each comprising the ratio of one of said areas and another of said areas, and comparing said ratios with respective predetermined threshold values for said ratios, and thereby determining one or more characteristics of said heart.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2, including comparing one or more of said areas with respective predetermined threshold values for said areas, and thereby determining one or more characteristics of said heart.

5. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including smoothing each of said energy envelopes.

6. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of said energy envelopes is a Shannon'"'"'s energy envelope.

7. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including determining the energy envelope for the systolic region and for the diastolic region.

8. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including determining the energy envelope for a plurality of regions within each of the systolic and diastolic regions.

9. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including determining the energy envelope for three regions within the systolic region and for three regions within the diastolic region.

10. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said signal is a sound signal.

11. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including prompting a user for user input if unable to form a diagnosis, said user input including a user interpretation of said heart signal.

12. A method of analysing a physiological signal comprising:

collecting said signal;

performing a cluster analysis of said signal to identify one or more features;

determining an energy envelope for each of a plurality of regions defined by one or more of said features;

determining the area of each of said energy envelopes; and

classifying features in said signal by an analysis incorporating at least said areas;

determining one or more physiological characteristics from said signal.

13. An apparatus for analysing a heart signal from a beating heart comprising:

a detector for collecting said heart signal;

data processing means for;

receiving said heart signal,

performing a cluster analysis of said signal to identify the first heart sound and the second heart sound,

determining an energy envelope for each of a plurality of regions in said signal,

determining the area of each of said energy envelopes, and

forming a classification of each of one or more features in said signal by an analysis incorporating at least said areas; and

data output means for displaying said classification;

whereby one or more characteristics of said heart can be determined.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein data processing means is operable to compare one or more of said areas with at least one other of said areas.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein said data processing means is operable to determine one or more ratios, each comprising the ratio of one of said areas and another of said areas, and to compare said ratios with respective predetermined threshold values for said ratios, and thereby determine one or more characteristics of said heart.

16. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein said data processing means is operable to compare one or more of said areas with respective predetermined threshold values for said areas, and thereby determining one or more characteristics of said heart.

17. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein said data processing means is operable to smooth each of said energy envelopes.

18. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein each of said energy envelopes is a Shannon'"'"'s energy envelope.

19. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein said data processing means is operable to determine the energy envelope for the systolic region and for the diastolic region.

20. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 19, wherein said data processing means is operable to determine the energy envelope for a plurality of regions within each of the systolic and diastolic regions.

21. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 20, wherein said data processing means is operable to determine the energy envelope for three regions within the systolic region and for three regions within the diastolic region.

22. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 21, wherein said signal is a sound signal.

23. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 22, wherein said data processing means includes means for prompting a user for user input and for receiving user input, and is operable to prompt said user for user input if unable to form a diagnosis, said user input including a user interpretation of said heart signal.

24. An apparatus for analysing a physiological signal comprising:

a detector for collecting said signal;

data processing means for;

receiving said signal,

performing a cluster analysis of said signal to identify one or more features,

determining an energy envelope for each of a plurality of regions defined by one or more of said features,

determining the area of each of said energy envelopes, and

forming a classification of each of one or more features in said signal by an analysis incorporating at least said areas; and

data output means for displaying said classification;

whereby one or more physiological characteristics can be determined.