CARDIAC PACER AND HEART PULSE MONITOR

• US 3,742,938 A
• Filed: 01/04/1971
• Issued: 07/03/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Theodore J. Stern
• Original Assignee: Theodore J. Stern
• Inventors: Stern, Theodore J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamm, William E.
• Application Number:
  US05/103,611
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: 128/2.5P,2.5RS,2.5T,2.6A,2.6F,2.6T,2.6R,2.1A,419P
• US Class Current: 600/500
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0245 by using sensing means generating electric signals, i.e. ECG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37 Monitoring; Protecting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/904 Telephone telemetry

Abstract

A method of and system for remote cardiac diagnosis of cardiac patients, whether or not fitted with implanted cardiac pacer by use of the ordinary telephone. A small transducer transmitter picks up the patient'"'"''"'"'s blood pulses, and cardiac pacer pulses if present, electrically codes them and sends them in proper time sequence through the ordinary telephone transmitter over the telephone lines to a processing center where the coded signals are checked for presence or absence and for the time intervals between adjacent signals of the same coded type and adjacent signals of different coded types. From this data it is possible to determine the operating condition of the cardiac pacer, noncapture and intermittent capture of the heart by the cardiac pacer, cardio-vascular system hemodynamic changes, and cardiac arrhythmias such as missing heartbeat and possible premature ventricular contraction.

Claims

1. A method of cardiac diagnosis for detection of abnormal cardiac conditions in patients remote in distance from the diagnostic center, consisting of the steps of, a. detecting the occurrence of each of a continuous sequence of the patient'"'"''"'"'s physiological blood pulses, b. converting such blood pulses as they occur to a sequence of non-analog timing signals for transmission through a commercial telephone system and thereby generating a sequence of electrical signals occurring in the same timed relationship to one another as the timed relationship between the blood pulses to which they correspond, c. inserting the sequence of electrical signals into a commercial telephone system and transmitting The signals to a data processing center where the following steps are carried out, d. detecting the timed sequence of electrical signals, e. measuring, displaying and recording in units of time the time interval between each successive pair of signals of the sequence, f. comparing the aforesaid measured time intervals against one another, and g. indicating the displayed time intervals and whether or not the compared time intervals differ from one another by more than a predetermined length of time, whereby, conditions of cardiac arrhythmias, such as missing heartbeat and possible premature ventricular contraction are detectable.

2. converter means operatively coupled to said first detection means effective to convert such blood pulses as they occur to a sequence of non-analog timing signals for transmission through a commercial telephone system, and thereby being capable of generating a sequence of electrical signals occurring in the same timed relationship to one another as the timed relationship between the blood pulses to which they correspond.

3. A method of cardiac diagnosis as described in claim 1 wherein the step of converting each blood pulse consists of the steps of, first converting the blood pulse to an electrical analog signal and then converting the analog signal to a non-analog electrical signal designating only the time of occurrence of the blood pulse.

4. A method of cardiac diagnosis as described in claim 1 wherein the steps of converting each blood pulses consists of the steps of, first converting the blood pulse to an electrical analog signal, then converting the analog signal to a non-analog tone burst electrical signal, then converting the non-analog electrical tone burst signal to an acoustical signal within the bandpass of the transmitter of a commercial telephone.

5. A method of cardiac diagnosis for detection of abnormal conditions in cardiac pacer patients remote in distance from the diagnostic center, consisting of the steps of, a. detecting the occurrence of each of a continuous sequence of cardiac pacer pulses, and detecting the occurrence of each of a continuous sequence of the patient'"'"''"'"'s physiological blood pulses, b. converting each such pacer pulse and blood pulse as it occurs to a signal for transmission through a commercial telephone system and thereby generating a sequence of electrical signals occurring in the same timed relationship to one another as the timed relationship between the pacer pulses and blood pulses to which they correspond, c. inserting the sequence of electrical signals into a commercial telephone system and transmitting the signals to a data processing center where the following steps are carried out, d. detecting the timed sequence of electrical signals, e. measuring the time intervals between selected pairs of signals of the sequence, f. comparing the aforesaid measured time intervals against one another, and g. indicating whether or not the compared time intervals differ from one another by more than a predetermined length of time, whereby, conditions of cardiac pacer failure, non-capture and intermittent capture of the heart by the pacer, cardio-vascular system hemodynamic changes, cardiac arrhythmias, such as missing heartbeat, and possible premature ventricular contraction are detectable.

6. A method of cardiac diagnosis as described in claim 5 wherein the step of comparing the measured time intervals against one another further includes comparing the aforesaid time intervals against standard time intervals previously established by the physician as normal for the particular person being monitored.

7. A method of cardiac diagnosis as described in claim 5 wherein detecting the occurrence of the pacer pulses and detecting the occurrence of the blood pulses are carried out independently of one another, and wherein converting the pacer pulses and blood pulses to a sequence of timed electrical signals includes the step of combining the pulses into a single sequence of pulses.

8. A method of cardiac diagnosis as described in claim 5 wherein the step Of measuring the time intervals between selected pairs of signals of the sequence includes the step of first separating the sequence of timed electrical signals into a first sequence of signals corresponding only to pacer pulse signals and a second sequence of signals corresponding only to blood pulse signals.

9. A method of cardiac diagnosis as described in claim 8 wherein the step of separating the sequence of timed electrical signals into the aforesaid first and second sequences and selectively following the signals separating step by one or more of the following steps, a. the step of measuring the time interval between each successive pair of signals of said first sequence, b. the step of measuring the time interval between each successive pair of signals of said second sequence, c. the step of measuring the time interval between each successive pair of signals in which the first signal of the pair is selected from said first sequence and the second signal of the pair is selected as the next occurring signal from said second sequence.

10. A method of cardiac diagnosis as described in claim 5 wherein the step of measuring the time intervals between selected pairs of signals of the sequence includes the step of first separating the sequence of electrical signals, and selecting either or both of a first sequence of signals corresponding only to pacer pulse signals and a second sequence of signals corresponding only to blood pulse signals.

11. A cardiac diagnostic system for detection of abnormal cardiac conditions in patients located remotely from a diagnostic center, comprising in combination, a. a transducer transmitter comprising,

12. A cardiac diagnostic system as described in claim 11 wherein said first detection means comprises a transducer which generates a discrete analog electrical signal upon detection of each blood pulse, and wherein said converter means converts each of said discrete analog electrical signal to a standardized non-analog waveform.

13. A cardiac diagnostic system as described in claim 11 wherein said receiver processer signal presentation means comprises measuring means effective to automatically measure the time intervals between successive pairs of the sequence and provide a read-out of the measurement in units of time.

14. A cardiac diagnostic systems as described in claim 13 wherein said measuring means read-out includes an electrical signal read-out representing the time interval just measured, said receiver processer further including a comparator device coupled to said measuring means and effective responsive to said electrical signal read-out from the latter to actuate an alarm when the time interval represented thereby differs by more than a predetermined amount from a standard time interval selectively programmed into said comparator device.

15. A cardiac diagnostic system for detection of abnormal cardiac conditions in patients located remotely from a diagnostic center, comprising in combination, a. a transducer transmitter comprising,

16. A cardiac diagnostic system as described in claim 15 wherein said receiver processer signal presentation means comprises measuring means effective to automatically measure the time intervals between selected pairs of signals of the sequence and provide a read-out of the measurement in units of time.

17. A cardiac diagnostic system as described in claim 15 wherein said first detection means comprises transducer means which generates a first discrete electrical signal upon detection of each pacer pulse and which generates a second discrete electrical signal upon detection of each blood pulse, and wherein said converter means converts said first and second discrete electrical signals respectively into first and second signals of different frequency and combines said signals of different frequency into a single sequence.

18. A cardiac diagnostic system as described in claim 16 wherein said measuring means comprises sorting means effective to separate the timed sequence of signals into a first sequence of signals corresponding only to pacer pulse signals and a second sequence of signals corresponding only to blood pulse signals.

19. A cardiac diagnostic system as described in claim 16 wherein said measuring means read-out includes an electrical signal read-out representing the time interval just measured, and said receiver processer further includes a comparator device coupled to said measuring means and effective responsive to said electrical signal read-out from the latter to actuate an alarm when the time interval represented thereby differs by more than a predetermined amount from a standard time interval selectively programmed into said comparator device.

20. A cardiac diagnostic system as described in claim 17 wherein said receiver processer signal presentation means comprises measuring means effective to automatically measure the time intervals between selected pairs of signals of the said single sequence of signals and provide a read-out of the measurement.

21. A cardiac diagnostic system as described in claim 20 wherein said measuring means comprises sorting means effective to separate said signals of different frequency in said single sequence of signals into a first sequence of signals corresponding only to pacer pulse signals and a second sequence of signals corresponding only to blood pulse signals.

22. A cardiac diagnostic system as described in claim 21 wherein said measuring means includes selection means for measuring the time intervals between one or more of the following:

a. each successive pair of signals of said first sequence, b. each successive pair of signals of said second sequence, c. each successive pair of signals in which the first signal of the pair is selected from said first sequence and the second signal of the pair is selected as the next occurring signal from said second sequence.