Wireless electrode arrangement and method for patient monitoring via electrocardiography

• US 20070293774A1
• Filed: 06/15/2006
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PeerBridge Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Angelo Joseph Acquista
• Inventors: Acquista, Angelo Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 7,979,111 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/509
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/276 Protection against electrode failure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/282 Holders for multiple electrodes for introduction into the body A61B5/287

Abstract

A wireless electrocardiogram (ECG) system is disclosed. The wireless ECG provides for recording potentials on the surface of a body. The wireless ECG includes a plurality of electrodes suitable for attachment to the surface of the body, a voltage measuring circuit for detecting a voltage between a reference voltage level and electrodes, an error detecting circuit, and a transmitting circuit for transmitting the detected voltage signal to a receiver. The disclosed system is robust in that it provides the capability of continuous monitoring of a subject while correcting for defects in an electrode, contact, presence of excessive noise or other developments in addition to providing the customary alarms in the event of disruptions.

Claims

1. An apparatus for recording potentials on a body surface comprising:

a plurality of electrodes attached to a conducting carrying surface, each electrode having at least a body contact for attachment to the body surface and at least a reference contact with a conducting component attached to the carrying surface, wherein the conducting component provides a common reference to one or more of the plurality of electrodes;

a voltage measuring circuit for detecting a voltage between a reference voltage level and the body contact;

an error detecting circuit; and

a transmitting circuit for transmitting a detected voltage level to a receiver over a wireless link.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the voltage measuring circuit includes an amplifier to amplify one or more detected voltages.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the voltage measuring circuit includes a filter to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of a detected voltage signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the voltage measuring circuit detects and flags one or more of an open circuit and a short circuit.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the transmitting circuit transmits one or more of a detected voltage signal, a plurality of parameters corresponding to a voltage signal, wherein the plurality of parameters are generated by predicting an expected signal and an error signal corresponding to a difference between the expected signal and a detected voltage signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the common reference is provided by one or more of a conducting layer incorporated into the conducting carrying surface or a conducting element attached to a carrying surface to form the conducting carrying surface.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the transmitting circuit transmits an error indicator in response to one or more of an open circuit, a short circuit, and an error detected by the error detecting circuit.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the transmitting circuit transmits an indicator of a signal-to-noise ratio with the detected voltage signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the signal-to-noise ratio is indicated by parameters corresponding to an error between a predicted voltage signal and a measured voltage signal such that the predicted voltage signal is determined from filter parameters based on a set of previously detected voltage levels.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a power supply having one or more of a battery, a transducer for providing electrical potential, and a receiver powered by external power.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a circuit printed on a flexible surface.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmitting circuit comprises an RFID tag.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a receiver, wherein the receiver selects a signal detected by an electrode, from the plurality of electrodes, for use in synthesis of an ECG signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the receiver polls a plurality of RFID tag based voltage sensors.

15. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the receiver selects a set of RFID tag based voltage sensors for synthesizing the ECG signal based on a signal-to-noise ratio.

16. A method of collecting Electro-Cardiography Data comprising:

monitoring a plurality of wireless electrodes, wherein each of the wireless electrodes may transmit over a wireless connection a signal corresponding to a voltage signal relative to a reference voltage;

detecting a first electrode with one or more of a low signal-to-noise ratio and error condition;

selecting a second electrode to supplement or replace the first electrode.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising polling a subset of the plurality of electrodes, wherein each electrode is connected to a mote.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising selecting the second electrode from a neighborhood of the first electrode, wherein the neighborhood is determined from the networking between motes connected to the first and second electrodes.

19. An apparatus for collecting Electro-Cardiography Data comprising:

means for monitoring a plurality of wireless electrodes, wherein each of the wireless electrodes may transmit over a wireless connection a signal corresponding to a voltage signal relative to a reference voltage;

means for detecting a first electrode with one or more of a low signal-to-noise ratio and error condition;

means for selecting a second electrode to supplement or replace the first electrode.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising means for combining a signal from the second electrode to obtain a higher signal-to-noise ratio.