Method for Checking ECG Signals and ECG Measuring Device

• US 20090318821A1
• Filed: 06/11/2009
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: RoBler, Jurgen, Demharter, Nikolaus, Frank, Michael, Heggen, Sven
• Granted Patent: US 8,380,292 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/509
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/276 Protection against electrode failure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/316 Modalities, i.e. specific diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/352 Detecting R peaks, e.g. for synchronising diagnostic apparatus; Estimating R-R interval
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7285 for synchronising or triggering a physiological measurement or image acquisition with a physiological event or waveform, e.g. an ECG signal A61B6/5205, A61B6/541, A61B8/5207, A61B8/543 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/5673 Gating or triggering based on a physiological signal other than an MR signal, e.g. ECG gating or motion monitoring using optical systems for monitoring the motion of a fiducial marker

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for checking ECG signals measured by an ECG measuring device having at least three electrodes for the presence of interference errors. At least three voltages are measured on a closed circulation path across the electrodes of the ECG measuring device. A monitoring value is calculated from the three measured voltages. A presence of an error is checked by determining a deviation of the monitoring value from a reference value. An error signal is outputted if an error is presented. The ECG measuring device has a further processing unit for processing voltage signals between a different pair of electrodes and a monitoring unit for calculating the monitoring value.

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A method for checking an interference error of an ECG signal measured by an ECG measuring device, comprising:

measuring voltages on a closed circulation path across electrodes of the ECG measuring device;

calculating a monitoring value from the voltages;

checking whether the interference error is presented by determining a deviation of the monitoring value from a reference value; and

outputting an error signal if the interference error is presented.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the measured voltages are digitized before calculating the monitoring value.

20. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the monitoring value is a summation of the measured voltages.

21. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the ECG signal is measured in a magnetic resonance scanner.

22. The method as claimed in claim 21, wherein the error signal comprises a magnetic-field-induced error and a gradient-induced interference-signal injection.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the error signal indicates the magnetic-field-induced error if the ECG signal is measured simultaneously with a magnetic resonance measurement.

24. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the error signal indicates the magnetic-field-induced error if the ECG measuring device moves in a static magnetic field of the magnetic resonance scanner.

25. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the error signal indicates the gradient-induced interference-signal injection if the ECG measuring device does not move in a static magnetic field of the magnetic resonance scanner.

26. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein a triggering of a recording of a magnetic resonance image is suppressed if the magnetic-field-induced error is present.

27. The method as claimed in claim 21, wherein the error signal indicates a malfunction in a hardware of the ECG measuring device if the ECG signal measurement is not interfered by a magnetic alternating field.

28. The method as claimed in claim 27, wherein the malfunction in the hardware of the ECG measuring device is displayed on a display device.

29. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the ECG measuring device comprises at least three electrodes.

30. An ECG measuring device for measuring an ECG signal, comprising:

a plurality of electrodes;

a further processing unit that measures voltages occurring between pairs of electrodes; and

a monitoring unit that;

calculates a monitoring value from the voltages,

checks whether an interference error of the ECG signal is presented by determining a deviation of the monitoring value from a reference value, and

outputs an error signal if the interference error is presented.

31. The ECG measuring device as claimed in claim 30, wherein the monitoring unit comprises a monitoring value calculation unit that calculates the voltages measured on a closed circulation path across the electrodes.

32. The ECG measuring device as claimed in claim 31, wherein the monitoring value calculation unit is a summation unit that sums the voltages as the monitoring value.

33. The ECG measuring device as claimed in claim 31, wherein a digitizer unit is connected upstream of the monitoring value calculation unit and digitizes the measured voltages before calculating the monitoring value.

34. The ECG measuring device as claimed in claim 30, wherein the monitoring unit comprises a checking unit for checking the interference error and outputting the error signal if the interference error is presented.

35. The ECG measuring device as claimed in claim 30, wherein the monitoring unit is signal-conducting connected to an MR control for determining a change of a magnetic field.

36. The ECG measuring device as claimed in claim 30, wherein the monitoring unit is signal-conducting connected to an MR trigger unit for controlling a trigger signal.

37. The ECG measuring device as claimed in claim 30, wherein the monitoring unit is connected to a display unit for displaying the error signal.