SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING CARDIAC ARRHYTHMIAS FROM HEART NERVE ACTIVITY

• US 20110218415A1
• Filed: 10/28/2009
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Indiana University Research & Technology Corporation (Indiana University)
• Original Assignee: Indiana University Research & Technology Corporation (Indiana University)
• Inventors: Lin, Shien-Fong, Chen, Peng-Sheng
• Granted Patent: US 9,375,161 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/374
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6846 specially adapted to be brought in contact with an internal body part, i.e. invasive
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3624 occurring in the atrium, i.e. atrial tachycardia
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/395 for treating atrial fibrillation

Abstract

A method has been developed that detects cardiac arrhythmia from intrinsic cardiac nerve signals obtained from a heart in a patient. The method includes sampling intrinsic cardiac nerve activity at a high sample rate, filtering the sampled signal with a high pass filter, comparing the filtered signal to a predetermined threshold, and initiating a therapeutic action in response to the filtered signal exceeding the predetermined threshold. The intrinsic cardiac nerve activity may be received through an electrode implanted on the heart or from an electrode inserted into the venous structure of the heart.

Claims

1. A method for detecting and treating cardiac events comprising:

sampling intrinsic cardiac nerve activity at a high sample rate;

filtering the sampled signal with a high pass filter;

comparing the filtered signal to a predetermined threshold; and

initiating a therapeutic action in response to the filtered signal exceeding the predetermined threshold.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

inserting an electrode via venous structure into a heart, the electrode being positioned within the heart to receive cardiac nerve activity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the cardiac nerve activity being sampled has a bandwidth of 1000 Hz.

4. The method of claim 1, the sampling of the cardiac nerve activity further comprising:

sampling the cardiac nerve activity at a rate of at least 5000 samples per second.

5. The method of claim 1, the high pass filtering of the sampled signal further comprising:

filtering the sampled signal with a high pass filter having a cutoff frequency of 300 Hz.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined threshold is a predetermined signal amplitude.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined threshold is a predetermined frequency.

8. The method of claim 1, the therapeutic action comprising:

delivering at least one pharmacological agent to a heart.

9. The method of claim 1, the therapeutic action comprising:

applying one of cardiac pacing, cardioversion, or defibrillation shocks to a heart.

10. The method of claim 1, the therapeutic action comprising:

delivering carvedilol in an effective amount to a heart.

11. A system for detecting and treating cardiac events comprising:

electrodes coupled to intrinsic cardiac nerves in a heart;

a high frequency signal sampling circuit coupled to the electrodes, the sampling circuit sampling an electrical signal received from the electrodes;

a high pass filter coupled to the high frequency signal sampling circuit to filter the sample signal; and

a comparator coupled to the high pass filter, the comparator comparing the sampled signal to a predetermined threshold and generating an alarm signal in response to the filtered signal exceeding the predetermined threshold.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the electrodes are stainless steel wires.

13. The system of claim 11, the high frequency sampling circuit sampling the signal received from the electrodes at a rate of at least 5000 samples per second.

14. The system of claim 11, the high pass filter having a cutoff frequency of 300 Hz.

15. The system of claim 11, the predetermined threshold corresponding to a predetermined amplitude.

16. The system of claim 11, the predetermined threshold corresponding to a predetermined frequency.

17. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

a therapeutic signal generator coupled to the comparator, the therapeutic signal generator generating a therapeutic signal in response to the alarm signal.

18. The system of claim 17, the therapeutic signal delivering at least one pharmacological agent to the heart.

19. The system of claim 18, the therapeutic signal applying one of cardiac pacing, cardioversion, or defibrillation shocks to the heart.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the at least one pharmacological agent includes carvedilol.