Implantable medical device and method for detecting cardiac events without using of refractory or blanking periods
First Claim
1. In an implantable cardiac stimulation device for implant within a patient wherein the device has multiple electrodes, a method for detecting cardiac electrical events comprising:
- inputting a data packet representative of a set of vector classification zones pertinent to a particular implantable cardiac stimulation device;
sensing electrical signals from selected combinations of the electrodes;
calculating a vector representative of the electrical signals; and
comparing the vector with the set of vector classification zones, each representative of a different electrical event within the heart of the patient, to classify the electrical event.
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Abstract
Cardiac electrical events are detected by comparing signal vectors with pre-determined classification zones representative of different cardiac events. The signal vector is generated by sensing the voltages between various combinations of electrodes, such as A-tip to V-tip, A-tip to A-ring, and A-ring to V-ring. The signal vector is compared with a set of classification zones corresponding to different events, such as P-waves, R-waves, T-waves, A-pulses, and V-pulses, to determine whether the vector lies within any of the classification zones. In this manner, cardiac events are detected using only the voltages received from the electrodes and no refractory periods or blanking periods are required to distinguish one event from another. The classification zones vary from patient to patient and a technique is provided herein for generating a set of vector classification zones for a particular patient. Signal vectors corresponding to various unknown cardiac events are generated by the implanted device and are transmitted to an external device programmer. ECG signals, generated by a surface ECG detector, are simultaneously received by the external programmer. The external programmer identifies the cardiac electrical event corresponding to each signal vector based on the ECG signals and then generates classification zones for each event type using only the signal vectors corresponding to the event.
82 Citations
28 Claims
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1. In an implantable cardiac stimulation device for implant within a patient wherein the device has multiple electrodes, a method for detecting cardiac electrical events comprising:
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inputting a data packet representative of a set of vector classification zones pertinent to a particular implantable cardiac stimulation device;
sensing electrical signals from selected combinations of the electrodes;
calculating a vector representative of the electrical signals; and
comparing the vector with the set of vector classification zones, each representative of a different electrical event within the heart of the patient, to classify the electrical event. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. In an implantable cardiac stimulation device for implant within a patient wherein the device has multiple electrodes, a method for detecting cardiac electrical events comprising:
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determining vector classification zones, each representative of a different electrical event within the heart of a particular patient in which the device is implanted;
storing the vector classification zones within the implantable device for subsequent use with the particular patient;
sensing electrical signals from selected combinations of the electrodes;
calculating a vector representative of the electrical signals; and
comparing the vector with the stored set of vector classification zones to classify the electrical event, wherein determining the vector classification zones comprises sensing electrical signals from the selected combination of electrodes corresponding to electrical events and calculating signal vectors for the electrical events;
identifying the electrical events based on ECG signals; and
correlating the signal vectors with the corresponding electrical events and, for each type of electrical event, calculating the characteristics of the classification zone for the event based on all signal vectors correlated with the event. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. In an implantable cardiac stimulation device having multiple electrodes for implant within a patient, a system for detecting cardiac electrical events comprising:
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a set of sense amplifiers operative to sense voltages between selected combinations of the electrodes;
memory operative to store a data packet representative of a set of vector classification zones pertinent to a particular implantable cardiac stimulation device; and
a vector-based cardiac event detection unit operative to identify cardiac electrical events based on the voltages sensed between the selected combinations of electrodes by calculating a vector representative of the electrical signals and comparing the vector with the stored vector classification zones, wherein each vector classification zone is representative of a different electrical event.
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28. In an implantable cardiac stimulation device for implant within a patient wherein the device has multiple electrodes, a system for detecting cardiac electrical events comprising:
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means for inputting a data packet representative of a set of vector classification zones pertinent to a particular implantable cardiac stimulation device;
means for sensing electrical signals from selected combinations of the electrodes; and
means for identifying cardiac electrical events based on the voltages sensed between the selected combinations of electrodes by calculating a vector representative of the electrical signals and comparing the vector with the set of vector classification zones, each representative of a different electrical event within the heart of the patient.
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Specification