Apparatus for detection and treatment of tachycardia and fibrillation
First Claim
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1. Apparatus for treating tachyarrhythmias, comprising:
- treatment means for delivering a first therapy to a patient'"'"'s heart to treat tachycardia and a second therapy to said patient'"'"'s heart to treat fibrillation;
first means for sensing electrical signals from said patient'"'"'s heart indicative of the depolarization of a chamber or chambers of said patient'"'"'s heart;
means for measuring and storing the intervals separating said electrical signals;
means for detecting the occurrence of a tachyarrhythmia; and
tachycardia/fibrillation discriminator means responsive to said detecting means for selecting between said first and second therapies, said discriminator means in turn comprising;
means for sorting said measured intervals into interval ranges;
means for determining the numbers of intervals within each said interval range;
means for identifying ones of said interval ranges which have the highest numbers of said stored intervals;
means for determining the total number of said stored intervals falling within said identified interval ranges; and
means for triggering said first therapy if said total number meets a predetermined criterion.
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Abstract
An implantable cardioverter/defibrillator provided with method and apparatus for discrimination between tachycardia and fibrillation. The device is measures the interval separating depolarization of the heart, sorts the measured interval into interval ranges, counts the number of intervals in each range, and, based on the distribution of intervals within the rate ranges, identifies tachycardia or fibrillation. In its preferred embodiment, the device triggers delivery of therapies appropriate for treatment of tachycardia and fibrillation.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. Apparatus for treating tachyarrhythmias, comprising:
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treatment means for delivering a first therapy to a patient'"'"'s heart to treat tachycardia and a second therapy to said patient'"'"'s heart to treat fibrillation; first means for sensing electrical signals from said patient'"'"'s heart indicative of the depolarization of a chamber or chambers of said patient'"'"'s heart; means for measuring and storing the intervals separating said electrical signals; means for detecting the occurrence of a tachyarrhythmia; and tachycardia/fibrillation discriminator means responsive to said detecting means for selecting between said first and second therapies, said discriminator means in turn comprising; means for sorting said measured intervals into interval ranges; means for determining the numbers of intervals within each said interval range; means for identifying ones of said interval ranges which have the highest numbers of said stored intervals; means for determining the total number of said stored intervals falling within said identified interval ranges; and means for triggering said first therapy if said total number meets a predetermined criterion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A defibrillator, comprising:
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treatment means for delivering a therapy to a patient'"'"'s heart to treat fibrillation; first means for sensing electrical signals from said patient'"'"'s heart indicative of the depolarization of a chamber or chambers of said patient'"'"'s heart; means for measuring and storing the intervals separating said electrical signals; means for detecting the occurrence of an arrhythmia; and discriminator means responsive to said detecting means for triggering said therapy, said discriminator means in turn comprising; means for sorting said measured intervals into interval ranges; means for determining the numbers of intervals within each said interval range; means for identifying ones of said interval ranges which have the highest numbers of said stored intervals; means for determining the total number of said stored intervals falling within said identified interval ranges; and means for identifying the occurrence of fibrillation and for triggering said therapy if said total number is less than a predetermined value.
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8. Apparatus for treatment of tachycardia, comprising:
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treatment means for delivering a first therapy to a patient'"'"'s heart to treat tachycardia; first means for sensing electrical signals from said patient'"'"'s heart indicative of the depolarization of a chamber or chambers of said patient'"'"'s heart; means for measuring and storing the intervals separating said electrical signals; means for detecting the occurrence of an arrhythmia; and discriminator means responsive to said detecting means for triggering said therapy, said discriminator means in turn comprising; means for sorting said measured intervals into interval ranges; means for determining the numbers of intervals within each said interval range; means for identifying ones of said interval ranges which have the highest numbers of said stored intervals; means for determining the total number of said stored intervals falling within said identified interval ranges; and means for identifying the occurrence of a tachycardia and for triggering said first therapy if said total number meets a predetermined criterion. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A tachycardia/fibrillation discriminator, comprising:
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means for sensing electrical signals from said patient'"'"'s heart indicative of the depolarization of a chamber or chambers of said patient'"'"'s heart; means for measuring and storing the intervals separating said electrical signals; means for detecting the occurrence of an arrhythmia; and means responsive to said detecting means for determining whether said detected arrhythmia is fibrillation or tachycardia, said responsive means in turn comprising; means for sorting said measured intervals into interval ranges; means for determining the numbers of intervals within each said interval range; means for identifying ones of said interval ranges which have the highest numbers of said stored intervals; means for determining the total number of said stored intervals falling within said identified interval ranges; and means for identifying tachycardia in response to said total number meeting a predetermined criterion and for identifying fibrillation in response to said total number failing to meet said predetermined criterion.
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16. Apparatus for identifying an arrhythmia, comprising:
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means for sensing electrical signals from a patient'"'"'s heart indicative of the depolarization of a chamber or chambers of said patient'"'"'s heart; means for measuring and storing the intervals separating said electrical signals; means for detecting the occurrence of an arrhythmia; and means responsive to said detecting means for determining whether said detected arrhythmia is tachycardia or a rapid rhythm due to a different cause, said responsive means in turn comprising; means for sorting said measured intervals into interval ranges; means for determining the numbers of intervals within each said interval range; means for identifying ones of said interval ranges which have the highest numbers of said stored intervals; means for determining the total number of said stored intervals falling within said identified interval ranges; and means for identifying the occurrence of tachycardia in response to said total number meeting a predetermined criterion.
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Specification