System And Method For Providing Dynamic Gain Over Non-noise Electrocardiographic Data With The Aid Of A Digital Computer

• US 20170340206A1
• Filed: 08/21/2017
• Published: 11/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bardy Diagnostics, Inc. (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bardy Diagnostics, Inc. (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Bardy, Gust H., Felix, Jason, Bishay, Jon Mikalson, Dreisbach, Ezra M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,052,022 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0456 Apparatus provided with a docking unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0468 Built-in electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/259 using conductive adhesive means, e.g. gels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/316 Modalities, i.e. specific diagnostic methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/333 Recording apparatus specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/339 Displays specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/35 by template matching
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7232 involving compression of the physiological signal, e.g. to extend the signal recording period

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system and method for providing dynamic gain over non-noise electrocardiographic data with the aid of a digital computer are provided. A time series of a plurality of voltage values that comprises a digital representation of a raw electrocardiography (“ECG”) signal recorded by an ambulatory monitor recorder is obtained. One or more segments of the ECG signal is marked as noise, each of the segments including a plurality of the values, based on a difference between a maximum one and a minimum one of the values within that segment. Further segments not marked as noise are analyzed, each of the segments comprising a plurality of the values. A gain factor for all of the values in the analyzed further segments is determined based on the analysis.

Claims

1. A system for providing dynamic gain over non-noise electrocardiographic data with the aid of a digital computer, comprising:

a download station configured to execute code comprising;

a value module configured to obtain a time series of a plurality of voltage values that comprises a digital representation of a raw electrocardiography (“

ECG”

) signal recorded by an ambulatory monitor recorder;

a mark module configured to mark one or more segments of the ECG signal as noise, each of the segments comprising a plurality of the values, based on a difference between a maximum one and a minimum one of the values within that segment; and

an analysis module configured to analyze further segments not marked as noise each of the segments comprising a plurality of the values, and to determine a gain factor for all of the values in the analyzed further segments based on the analysis.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis comprises determining a maximum and a minimum values in each of the non-noise segments and determining a statistical correlation based on the maximum and the minimum values of each of the further segments.

3. A system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the step of:

a filter module configured to apply a filter during the marking of the noise selected from the group comprising a high pass filter, a low pass filter, an amplitude change filter, and a zero-crossings filter.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein each of the further segments falls within temporal windows of a same duration.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein the duration is long enough to capture at least one heart beat.

6. A system according to claim 1, the download station further comprising:

a bridging module configured to bridge the further segments to create a continuous ECG signal for display.

7. A system according to claim 6, the download station further comprising:

a storage module configured to store the time series; and

a display module configured to display a representation of the raw ECG signal upon receiving a user command.

8. A method for providing dynamic gain over non-noise electrocardiographic data with the aid of a digital computer, comprising the steps of:

obtaining a time series of a plurality of voltage values that comprises a digital representation of a raw electrocardiography (“

ECG”

) signal recorded by an ambulatory monitor recorder;

marking one or more segments of the ECG signal as noise, each of the segments comprising a plurality of the values, based on a difference between a maximum one and a minimum one of the values within that segment; and

analyzing further segments not marked as noise each of the segments comprising a plurality of the values; and

determining a gain factor for all of the values in the analyzed further segments based on the analysis,

wherein the steps are performed by a suitably-programmed computer.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the analysis comprises determining a maximum and a minimum values in each of the non-noise segments and determining a statistical correlation based on the maximum and the minimum values of each of the further segments.

10. A method in accordance with claim 8, further comprising the step of:

applying a filter during the marking of the noise selected from the group comprising a high pass filter, a low pass filter, an amplitude change filter, and a zero-crossings filter.

11. A method according to claim 8, wherein each of the further segments falls within temporal windows of a same duration.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the duration is long enough to capture at least one heart beat.

13. A method according to claim 8, further comprising:

bridging the further segments to create a continuous ECG signal for display.

14. A method according to claim 13, the further comprising:

storing the time series; and

displaying a representation of the raw ECG signal upon receiving a user command.

16. A monitor recorder according to claim 13, wherein the adjusted plurality of the electrocardiographic windows are used for the processing of at least one of the windows following that window.

17. A monitor recorder according to claim 13, the micro-processor further configured to:

define a desired value for the mathematical correlation; and

calculate a difference between the desired value and the at least one threshold; and

adjust the plurality of the electrocardiographic values based on the difference.

18. A monitor recorder according to claim 13, the micro-processor further configured to:

define a length of each of the temporal windows and an acceptable peak-to-peak threshold associated with that window, wherein the at least one threshold comprises the peak-to-peak threshold.

19. A monitor recorder according to claim 13, wherein the peak-to-peak threshold comprises 1.0 mv.

20. A monitor recorder according to claim 13, the micro-processor further configured to:

associate a message regarding at least one of the adjustments with the codes stored in the memory.

15. An ambulatory adjustable encoding monitor recorder, comprising:

a memory configured to store a plurality of codes and a plurality of electrocardiographic values associated with each of the codes;

a micro-processor configured to sense electrocardiographic values during a sequence of temporal windows and to process the electrocardiographic values within each of the windows, the processing comprising;

calculate a mathematical relationship between a maximum one and a minimum one of the electrocardiographic values in each of the temporal windows;

compare each of the relationship to an at least one threshold;

based on the comparison of the relationship for at least one of the windows, adjust the plurality of the electrocardiographic values associated with each of the codes;

encode each of the electrocardiography values within that window with one of the codes based on the adjusted plurality of the electrocardiographic values associated with that code; and

write each of the codes into a sequence in the memory of the monitor recorder.