Cardiac monitoring method and apparatus
First Claim
1. A patient monitoring system for monitoring a patient at a first location and including a monitor and a central station receiver located at a second location remote from the first location, said monitor including signal generating means, means for coupling said signal generating means to patient leads so that said signal generating means may be connected to a patient at the first location for sensing individual ECG voltage signals, said signal generating means comprising means for generating ECG signals functionally related to the individual ECG voltage signals, digitizing means coupled to said signal generating means for digitizing means for receiving said digitized signals and for serializing the same, transmitting means for transmitting an RF signal and including oscillator means for generating an RF carrier signal and phase modulating means for phase modulating means being coupled to said oscillator means for receiving said RF carrier signal and to said control means for receiving said digital serialized ECG signals and comprising means for phase modulating said RF carrier signal with the serialized ECG signals, said transmitting means further comprising means for transmitting the phase modulated RF carrier signals by far field electromagnetic transmission from the first patient location to said central station receiver located at the second location.
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Abstract
A patient monitoring system includes a plurality of leads adapted to be coupled to a patient for generating individual ECG data voltage signals. A switching matrix couples the leads to a plurality of differential circuits for coupling selected pairs of the ECG voltage signals to each of the differential circuits for generating differential ECG vector signals functionally related to the difference between selected pairs of the ECG voltage signals. A microprocessor is coupled to the leads and to the switching matrix and is operative to reset the switching matrix to uncouple one or more first leads from the differential circuits and for coupling one or more different ones of the ECG voltage signals to differential circuit formerly coupled to receive the voltage signal from the one or more first leads. An analog to digital converter is connected to the differential means for digitizing the ECG differential signals which are stored in the microprocessor and serially supplied to a modulator for phase modulating a carrier signal to be broadcast to a receiving and displaying unit. An LCD display indicates lead failure and a low battery condition.
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Citations
20 Claims
- 1. A patient monitoring system for monitoring a patient at a first location and including a monitor and a central station receiver located at a second location remote from the first location, said monitor including signal generating means, means for coupling said signal generating means to patient leads so that said signal generating means may be connected to a patient at the first location for sensing individual ECG voltage signals, said signal generating means comprising means for generating ECG signals functionally related to the individual ECG voltage signals, digitizing means coupled to said signal generating means for digitizing means for receiving said digitized signals and for serializing the same, transmitting means for transmitting an RF signal and including oscillator means for generating an RF carrier signal and phase modulating means for phase modulating means being coupled to said oscillator means for receiving said RF carrier signal and to said control means for receiving said digital serialized ECG signals and comprising means for phase modulating said RF carrier signal with the serialized ECG signals, said transmitting means further comprising means for transmitting the phase modulated RF carrier signals by far field electromagnetic transmission from the first patient location to said central station receiver located at the second location.
- 14. A method of cardiac monitoring comprising the steps of applying a plurality of patient leads to selected body sites of a patient at a first location, generating a plurality of analog voltage signals from said patient leads, selecting pairs of said analog voltage signals, generating a plurality of ECG vector signals from selected pairs of said analog voltage signals, digitizing said ECG vector signals, storing and serializing said digitized ECG vector signals, generating an RF carrier signal, phase modulating said RF carrier signal with the serialized ECG vector signals, transmitting by far field electromagnetic radiation and at radio frequencies the phase modulated RF carrier signals from the first location to a central station receiver located at a second location remote from the first location, and displaying the ECG vector signals at the second location.
Specification