Apparatus and method for outputting heart sounds

• US 20050137490A1
• Filed: 01/18/2005
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Olive, Arthur L., Villalta, Don, Scheiner, Avram, Zhu, Qingsheng
• Granted Patent: US 7,883,470 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/528
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/283 Invasive
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/33 specially adapted for cooperation with other devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/339 Displays specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/346 Analysis of electrocardiograms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/349 Detecting specific parameters of the electrocardiograph cycle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/00 Instruments for auscultation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/023 for introduction into the body, e.g. into the oesophagus oesophageal ECG probes A61B5/285
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/04 Electric stethoscopes microphones, acoustic transducers therefor H04R

Abstract

An apparatus for outputting heart sounds includes an implantable system and an external system. The implantable system includes a sensor for generating sensed signals representing detected heart sounds, an interface circuit and a control circuit for receiving the sensed signals, generating data representing the heart sounds therefrom, and transmitting the data to the external system via the interface circuit. The external system includes an interface circuit for communicating with the implantable system, and a control circuit for receiving the data representing the heart sounds and for generating control signals that cause an output device to generate outputs representing the sounds. The implantable system may also include a sensor(s) for detecting cardiac electrical signals. In this case, outputs representing the cardiac electrical signals are also output.

Claims

1. An external system for communicating to an implantable system sensing an accelerometer signal indicative of heart sounds and cardiac electrical signals indicative electrical cardiac events, the external system comprising:

an interface circuit to communicate with the implantable system;

a control circuit, coupled to the interface circuit, to receive data representing the heart sounds and the cardiac electrical signals from the implantable system; and

an output device coupled to the control circuit, the output device including a screen display including;

a plurality of horizontal traces including simultaneously displayed one or more accelerometer traces related to the heart sounds and one or more cardiac electrical signal traces each showing one of the cardiac electrical signals; and

visual indicia indicative of the heart sounds, the visual indicia displayed in association with locations of the heart sounds on at least one of the displayed one or more accelerometer traces.

2. The external system of claim 1, wherein the screen display further includes a pair of horizontally movable vertical lines for comparing timing between any traces of the plurality of horizontal traces.

3. The external system of claim 1, further comprising one or more input devices coupled to the interface circuit, the one or more input devices adapted to allow for vertically moving a trace of the plurality of horizontal traces to superimpose that trace over another trace of the plurality of horizontal traces.

4. The external system of claim 1, further comprising a further output device and a transmission media coupled between the interface circuit and the further output device, the further output device adapted to display the data representing the heart sounds and the cardiac electrical signals.

5. The external system of claim 1, wherein the one or more accelerometer traces comprise a processed accelerometer trace showing the accelerometer signal after being processed by the external system.

6. The external system of claim 5, wherein the one or more cardiac electrical signal traces comprise one or more electrogram (EGM) traces.

7. The external system of claim 6, wherein the visual indicia are indicative of the heart sounds displayed in association with locations of the heart sounds on the processed accelerometer trace.

8. The external system of claim 7, wherein the screen display further includes visual indicia indicative of electrical cardiac events displayed in association with locations of electrical cardiac events on the displayed one or more EGM traces.

9. The external system of claim 7, further comprising an surface electrocardiogram (ECG) system coupled to the interface circuit, and wherein the control circuit further receives a surface ECG signal, and the plurality of horizontal traces further includes a surface ECG trace showing the surface ECG signal simultaneously displayed with the one or more accelerometer traces and the one or more EGM traces.

10. The external system of claim 9, wherein the screen display further includes visual indicia indicative of electrical cardiac events displayed in association with locations of electrical cardiac events on one or more of the displayed one or more EGM traces and the displayed surface ECG trace.

11. The external system of claim 10, wherein the output device further comprises an audio device adapted to generate audio outputs representative of the heart sounds.

12. An external system for communicating to an implantable system sensing an accelerometer signal indicative of heart sounds and cardiac electrical signals indicative of electrical cardiac events, the external system comprising:

means for receiving data representing the heart sounds and the cardiac electrical signals from the implantable system;

means for simultaneously displaying signals including at least the accelerometer signal and the cardiac electrical signals;

means for providing timing comparison information indicating timing between the displayed signals; and

means for visually indicating the heart sounds on the displayed accelerometer signal.

13. The external system of claim 12, further comprising means for superimposing one signal of the displayed signals over another signal of the displayed signals.

14. The external system of claim 13, further comprising means for sensing a surface electrocardiogram (ECG) signal, and wherein the means for simultaneously displaying signals comprises means for simultaneously displaying signals including the accelerometer signal, electrogram (EGM) signals, and the surface ECG signal.

15. The external system of claim 12, further comprising means for indicating cardiac events on one or more of the EGM signals and the surface ECG signal.

16. The external system of claim 15, further comprising means for presenting the heart sounds in audio domain.

17. An external system for communicating with an implanted system, comprising:

a first interface circuit for communicating with the implanted system;

a second interface circuit for communicating with a remote system; and

a control circuit, coupled to the first and second interface circuits, configured to receive first data representative of detected heart sounds from the implanted system, and to transmit second data representative of the detected heart sounds to the remote system.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first and second data are the same.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the control circuit is also configured to receive third data representative of first cardiac electrical signals from the implanted system, and to transmit fourth data representative of the first cardiac electrical signals to the remote system.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the control circuit is also configured to receive fifth data representative of second cardiac electrical signals from the implanted system, and to transmit sixth data representative of the second cardiac electrical signals to the remote system.

21. A method of outputting heart sounds using an implanted system, comprising:

receiving first data representing detected heart sounds from the implanted system; and

transmitting second data representing the detected heart sounds to a remote system.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving third data representing first cardiac electrical signals from the implanted system, and transmitting fourth data representing the first cardiac electrical signals to the remote system.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising receiving fifth data representing second cardiac electrical signals from the implanted system, and transmitting sixth data representing the second cardiac electrical signals to the remote system.