Apparatus and method for detecting and treating cardiac tachyarrhythmias
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An apparatus for determining whether a cardiac tachyarrhythmia exists, comprising:
- absolute change of interval detection means for monitoring a heart;
absolute interval detection means for evaluating a tachycardia if indicated by said absolute change of interval detection means;
setting means for setting a confirmation threshold if a tachycardia is indicated by said absolute interval detection means;
said confirmation threshold being determined by at least one of an absolute detection interval, tachycardia cycle length, and the average sinus interval of the heart;
means for comparing cardiac cycle length to the confirmation threshold and for confirming the presence of a tachyarrhythmia if the cardiac cycle length is below the confirmation threshold; and
,very short interval detection means for detecting a tachyarrhythmia if a tachyarrhythmia is not indicated by said absolute change of interval detection means.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An arrhythmia control system and method having automatic determination of the tachycardia confirmation interval. The interval is dynamically set at the minimum of an absolute detection interval and a value calculated as a function of either average sinus interval or tachycardia cycle length or both. The continued presence or the reversion of a pathologic tachycardia can be reliably confirmed, particularly when the patient experiences an elevated heart rate due to, for example, exercise, prior to onset of the tachycardia.
-
Citations
76 Claims
-
1. An apparatus for determining whether a cardiac tachyarrhythmia exists, comprising:
-
absolute change of interval detection means for monitoring a heart; absolute interval detection means for evaluating a tachycardia if indicated by said absolute change of interval detection means; setting means for setting a confirmation threshold if a tachycardia is indicated by said absolute interval detection means;
said confirmation threshold being determined by at least one of an absolute detection interval, tachycardia cycle length, and the average sinus interval of the heart;means for comparing cardiac cycle length to the confirmation threshold and for confirming the presence of a tachyarrhythmia if the cardiac cycle length is below the confirmation threshold; and
,very short interval detection means for detecting a tachyarrhythmia if a tachyarrhythmia is not indicated by said absolute change of interval detection means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. An apparatus for determining whether a cardiac tachyarrhythmia exists, comprising:
-
absolute change of interval detection means for monitoring a heart; absolute interval detection means for evaluating a tachycardia if indicated by said absolute change of interval detection means; setting means for setting a confirmation threshold if a tachycardia is indicated by said absolute interval detection means;
said confirmation threshold being determined by at least one of an absolute detection interval, tachycardia cycle length, and the average sinus interval of the heart;means for comparing cardiac cycle length to the confirmation threshold and for confirming the presence of a tachyarrhythmia if the cardiac cycle length is below the confirmation threshold; and
,said setting means setting said confirmation threshold as a minimum of the absolute detection interval and a function of the tachycardia cycle length and the average sinus interval. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
-
-
10. An apparatus for determining whether a cardiac tachyarrhythmia exists, comprising:
-
absolute change of interval detection means for monitoring a heart; absolute interval detection means for evaluating a tachycardia if indicated by said absolute change of interval detection means; setting means for setting a confirmation threshold if a tachycardia is indicated by said absolute interval detection means;
said confirmation threshold being determined by at least one of an absolute detection interval, tachycardia cycle length, and the average sinus interval of the heart;means for comparing cardiac cycle length to the confirmation threshold and for confirming the presence of a tachyarrhythmia if the cardiac cycle length is below the confirmation threshold; and
,said setting means setting said confirmation threshold as a minimum of the absolute detection interval and a function of the tachycardia cycle length. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
-
-
13. An apparatus for determining whether a cardiac tachyarrhythmia exists, comprising:
-
absolute change of interval detection means for monitoring a heart; absolute interval detection means for evaluating a tachycardia if indicated by said absolute change of interval detection means; setting means for setting a confirmation threshold if a tachycardia is indicated by said absolute interval detection means;
said confirmation threshold being determined by at least one of an absolute detection interval, tachycardia cycle length, and the average sinus interval of the heart;means for comparing cardiac cycle length to the confirmation threshold and for confirming the presence of a tachyarrhythmia if the cardiac cycle length is below the confirmation threshold; and
,said setting means setting said confirmation threshold as a minimum of the absolute detection interval and a function of the average sinus interval. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
-
-
16. An apparatus for treating cardiac arrhythmia comprising:
-
averaging means for continuously averaging time intervals of a predetermined number of cardiac intervals; detection means for detecting the presence of a tachycardia; tachycardia confirmation means for confirming the presence of a tachycardia, said confirmation means including; calculating means for calculating a value as a function of at least one of average sinus interval determined by said averaging means or tachycardia cycle length; and threshold setting means for setting a threshold for confirmation to the lesser of said value calculated by said calculating means and an absolute detection interval. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
-
-
34. A method for determining whether a cardiac tachyarrhythmia exists, comprising the steps of:
-
a) using absolute change of interval detection to monitor a heart; b) if a tachycardia is indicated by said absolute change of interval detection, then using absolute interval detection to evaluate said tachycardia; c) if a tachyarrhythmia is indicated by said absolute interval detection, determining a confirmation threshold in accordance with at least one of an absolute detection interval, tachycardia cycle length and average sinus interval; d) comparing cardiac cycle length to the confirmation threshold and confirming the presence of tachyarrhythmia if the cardiac cycle length is below the confirmation threshold. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54)
-
-
55. A method for detecting tachyarrhythmia comprising the steps of:
-
averaging the length of a predetermined number of cardiac intervals; detecting the presence of a tachycardia based on a change in length of cardiac interval; determining a value as a function of at least one of average sinus interval found by said step of averaging and tachycardia cycle length; setting a threshold for confirmation to the lesser of said value determine by said function and an absolute detection interval; and
,confirming the presence of a tachycardia if the cardiac interval is below said threshold. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70)
-
-
71. A method of treating cardiac arrhythmias comprising the steps of:
-
detecting the presence of a tachycardia by means of sudden onset detection and an absolute detection interval; measuring the tachycardia cycle length of said detected tachycardia; delivering antachycardia therapy responsive to said detecting to revert said tachycardia; confirming the presence of said tachycardia according to the level of a threshold interval; determining a function of said tachycardia cycle length; setting said threshold interval to the lesser value of said function and said absolute detection interval; and delivering further antitachycardia therapy responsive to said confirming. - View Dependent Claims (72, 73, 74, 75, 76)
-
Specification