Apparatus and method for analyzing and enhancing intercardiac signals
First Claim
1. A method for analyzing intracardiac electrical signals produced by an implanted pacemaker coupled to a mammalian heart to determine the presence or absence of a particular physiologic phenomena of the mammalian heart, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) receiving intracardiac electrical signals from an implanted pacemaker;
(b) converting said received intracardiac electrical signals to digital signals;
(c) storing said digital signals in a memory device;
(d) retrieving said digital signals from said memory device at a time subsequent to when the intracardiac electrical signals are first received, converted and stored;
(e) electronically enhancing said retrieved digital signals so as to reveal characteristics therein not readily discerned within the intracardiac signal when first received; and
(f) electronically displaying the revealed characteristics of the enhanced digital signals, which revealed characteristics provide an indication of the presence of particular physiologic phenomena associated with the mammalian heart to which the implanted pacemaker is coupled.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An external diagnostic/programming device is disclosed which includes means for both displaying intracardiac electrical signals sensed and telemetered from an implantable pacemaker in real-time, and for storing the intracardiac electrical signals for subsequent retrieval and analysis. The subsequent analysis selectively includes processing means for processing the signals off-line (i.e., not in real-time), using various signal processing strategies, such as digital filtering and frequency domain spectral analysis. The off-line signals may also be recursively processed in order to enhance the detection of a particular physiologic phenomena manifested by, but not readily discerned within, the unprocessed real-time signals.
110 Citations
35 Claims
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1. A method for analyzing intracardiac electrical signals produced by an implanted pacemaker coupled to a mammalian heart to determine the presence or absence of a particular physiologic phenomena of the mammalian heart, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) receiving intracardiac electrical signals from an implanted pacemaker; (b) converting said received intracardiac electrical signals to digital signals; (c) storing said digital signals in a memory device; (d) retrieving said digital signals from said memory device at a time subsequent to when the intracardiac electrical signals are first received, converted and stored; (e) electronically enhancing said retrieved digital signals so as to reveal characteristics therein not readily discerned within the intracardiac signal when first received; and (f) electronically displaying the revealed characteristics of the enhanced digital signals, which revealed characteristics provide an indication of the presence of particular physiologic phenomena associated with the mammalian heart to which the implanted pacemaker is coupled. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. Apparatus for determining the presence or absence of a particular physiologic phenomena associated with a mammalian heart of a patient to which an implanted pacemaker is coupled, comprising:
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means for receiving intracardiac electrical signal from the implanted pacemaker; conversion means for converting said received intracardiac electrical signal to digital signals; a memory device; means for storing said digital signals in said memory device; means for retrieving said digital signals from said memory device at a time subsequent to when the intracardiac electrical signals are first stored in said memory device; enhancing means for electronically enhancing said retrieved digital signals; and display means for displaying the electronically enhanced signals so as to reveal characteristics therein not readily discerned within the intracardiac signal when first received, which characteristics provide an indication of a particular physiologic phenomena associated with said mammalian heart. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. Apparatus for analyzing intracardiac electrical signals produced by an implantable pacemaker comprising:
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transceiver means for transmitting control commands to and receiving transmitted intracardiac electrical signal from said implantable pacemaker, said control commands causing said implantable pacemaker to transmit intracardiac electrical signals, said transceiver means further comprising amplifier means for amplifying said intracardiac electrical signal received from said implanted pacemaker; conversion means for converting said received and amplified intracardiac electrical signal to digital signals; a data memory; and control means for storing said digital signals in said data memory and retrieving said digital signals from said data memory at a time subsequent to when the intracardiac electrical signals are first stored in said memory device, said control means comprising processing means for electronically enhancing said retrieved digital signals so as to reveal characteristics therein not readily discerned within the intracardiac electrical signal when first received by said transceiver means. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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15. Apparatus for determining the presence or absence of a particular physiologic phenomena associated with a patient having an implanted pacemaker, said pacemaker having means for sensing and transmitting intracardiac electrical data signals, said apparatus comprising:
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a telemetry transceiver that receives the intracardiac electrical data signals from the implanted pacemaker; an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter connected to said telemetry transceiver that converts the received intracardiac electrical data signals to digital data signals; a data memory that stores digital data signals; a microprocessor coupled to said A/D converter and data memory; a program memory coupled to said microprocessor, said program memory having a control program stored therein that controls said microprocessor so as to store said digital data signals in said data memory when first received from said A/D converter, and to retrieve said digital data signals from said data memory at a time subsequent to when the digital data signals are first stored in said data memory, said control program further controlling said microprocessor so as to electronically enhance the digital data signals retrieved from said data memory; and a display device coupled to said microprocessor, said display device including means for displaying a graphical representation of the enhanced digital data signals to reveal characteristics therein not readily discerned within the intracardiac electrical data signals received by said telemetry receiver, which characteristics provide an indication of a particular physiologic phenomena associated with said patient. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A system for enhancing the detection of a particular physiologic phenomena manifest within an intracardiac electrical signal comprising:
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an implantable pacemaker that includes means for sensing intracardiac electrical signal and means for telemetering such intracardiac electrical signal to a non-implanted location remote from the implantable pacemaker; and an external programmer in signal contact with said implantable pacemaker, said external programmer including; a telemetry receiver circuit that receives the intracardiac electrical signal telemetered from the implantable pacemaker a data memory, a storage system that stores the intracardiac electrical signal received by the telemetry receiver in said data memory, a retrieval system that selectively retrieves the intracardiac electrical signal previously stored in the data memory, and a processing system that processes the retrieved intracardiac electrical signal in accordance with at least one of a plurality of signal processing strategies, said signal processing strategies being selected to enhance the detection of a particular physiologic phenomena manifested within the intracardiac electrical signal; display means for displaying the intracardiac signals after being processed by said processing system; whereby said intracardiac electrical signal is processed at a time subsequent to their receipt within the external programmer, thereby enabling said signal processing strategies to be carried out offline (not in real-time), thereby facilitating the repetitive application of said signal processing strategies so as to better enhance the detection of the particular physiologic phenomena manifested within the intracardiac electrical signal. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method for analyzing intracardiac electrical signals comprising the steps of:
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(a) sensing intracardiac electrical signals with an implanted pacemaker, said implanted pacemaker having pacing/sensing leads in contact with a patient'"'"'s heart; (b) telemetering said intracardiac electrical signals to a non-implanted receiver; (c) receiving and amplifying the intracardiac electrical signals at the non-implanted receiver; (d) electronically holding a selected sample of the received and amplified intracardiac electrical signals for subsequent off-line processing; (e) electronically processing the held sample of the intracardiac electrical signals pursuant to a selected processing strategy, the processed intracardiac electrical signal sample providing an indication of characteristics in the intracardiac electrical signal not readily discernable using real-time processing. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification