Method and apparatus for interactive annotation and measurement of time series data with automatic marker sequencing

• US 6,934,578 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2002
• Issued: 08/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eResearchTechnology, Inc. (Explorer Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Covance (Canada), Inc. (Laboratory Corporation Of America Holdings)
• Inventors: Ramseth, Douglas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): MANUEL, GEORGE C
• Application Number:
  US10/246,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20040054296A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: 600/509, 600/523, 600/524, 607/27, 345/689
• US Class Current: 600/523
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/339 Displays specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A system displays time-series data, such as electrocardiographic data. The data may be displayed as a trace with markers identifying data features. The markers may be automatically sequenced by the system.

Claims

1. A method of marking time-series medical data that are graphically displayed in the form of a set of waveform traces on a display monitor, each trace embodying a plurality of features, the method comprising the steps of:

A. manually identifying a location of at least one feature of a first trace;

B. displaying on the monitor in relation to the identified first trace feature location at least one marker;

C. displaying on the monitor at least one label corresponding to the marker and the trace feature; and

D. automatically displaying on the monitor markers and labels associated with the one feature on subsequent waveform traces.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the time series medical data is electrocardiogram (ECG) data and and step A comprises indicating a type of ECG sequence for which a trace feature is to be located.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said type of sequence is a PQJT sequence.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein step C comprises displaying a label “

P”

in proximity to a corresponding first marker in the PQJT sequence.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein step A comprises inputting data to a graphical user interface.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said type of seuence is a QPJT sequence.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein step C comprises displaying a label “

Q”

in proximity to a corresponding first marker in the QPJT sequence.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein step A comprises indicating that a QRS onset sequence is to be labeled.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein step C comprises displaying a Q onset label in proximity to a corresponding first marker in the QRS onset sequence.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

displaying on the monitor a second marker in relation to a P onset; and

displaying a P onset label corresponding to the second marker.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying a reference line between the at least one marker and the label.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of displaying the time series medical data as a waveform trace superimposed on a gridded background.

13. A method of marking time-series electrocardiogram (ECG) data comprising the steps of:

A. displaying on a display monitor the time series ECG data as a waveform trace superimposed on a gridded background;

B. accepting user input that indicates a type of (ECG) sequence for which a feature is to be located;

C. locating a displayed trace feature of the indicated ECG sequence on the monitor;

D. in response to said user input, placing a first marker on the displayed waveform trace in relation to the located displayed trace feature;

E. displaying a label on the displayed waveform trace that identifies the first marker; and

F. automatically displaying on the monitor markers and labels associated with the one feature on subsequent waveform traces.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of displaying the gridded background as rectangular cells that delimit 40 millisecond by 0.1 millivolt sections of grid-space and displaying a set of super-cells that each delimit 200 milliseconds by 0.5 millivolts of grid-space.

15. An apparatus for marking time-series medical comprising:

A. a display;

B. a graphical user interface; and

C. a controller coupled to the display and graphical user interface, said controller configured to;

1) render on the display the medical time-series data as at least one trace embodying a set of trace features;

2) locate a displayed medical trace feature;

3) place a first marker related to the displayed medical trace feature on the display;

4) place a label on the display that identifies the placed first marker; and

5) automatically display markers and labels that correspond to the displayed medical trace feature on subsequent medical traces.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to accept a user input that indicates a type of electrocardiogram (ECG) sequence for which a feature is to be located.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the controller is further configured to accept an input from a user, the input indicating that a PQJT sequence is to be labeled.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the controller is further configured to accept an input from a user, the input indicating that a QPJT sequence is to be labeled.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the controller is further configured to accept a user input that indicates that a QRS onset is to be labeled.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to accept a user input from the graphical user interface.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the controller is configured to display time series medical data as a trace superimposed on a gridded background.

22. An apparatus for marking time-series medical data comprising:

A. a display;

B. a graphieal user interface; and

C. a controller counled to the display and graphical user interface, said controller configured to;

1) display time series medical data as at least one trace embodying a set of trace features superimposed on a gridded background;

2) accept user input that indicates a type of electrocardiogram (ECG) sequence for which a feature is to be located;

3) locate a displayed medical trace feature;

4) place a first marker on the display related to the displayed medical trace feature;

5) place a label on the display that identifies the placed first marker; and

6) automatically display markers and labels that correspond to the displayed medical trace feature on subsequent medical traces.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the controller is further configured to display the gridded background as rectangular cells that delimit 40 millisecond by 0.1 millivolt sections of grid-space and to display a set of super-cells that each delimit 200 milliseconds by 0.5 millivolts of grid-space.

24. A method for generating a plurality of markers identifying features of time-series medical data that are graphically displayed in the form of a set of waveform traces on a display monitor, to facilitate analysis of the waveform data, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting a feature marker sequence that either requires;

A. manual placement of all feature points to be marked;

B. manual placement of an initial marker point and automatic

placement of the remaining marker points;

interactively placing the markers on the displayed waveform traces, in the sequence selected in the selecting step, on one or more of the waveform traces; and

in response to placement of each marker in the selected sequence, automatically generating a label associated with the sequence and displaying the generated label in the vicinity of the associated mark on the displayed waveform.

25. A method as recited in claim 24, wherein the time series medical data are electrocardiogram (ECG) data, and further comprising the step of:

interactively adjusting the location of the marker on the display in accordance with operator identification of certain patterns in the ECG.

26. A method as recited in claim 25, wherein the selecting step comprises selecting a sequence that requires manual placement of an initial marker point and automatic placement of the remaining marker points, and further comprises:

adjusting the location on the display of the initial marker point following initial placement thereof.

27. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein the automatic placement of remaining marker points is based on precalculated interval measurement data.

28. A method as recited in claim 26, wherein the initial marker point corresponds to a QRS onset point of a portion of the ECG data and the remaining marker points corresponding to a P wave onset point, the QRS end point and a T wave end point of the ECG portion.

29. A method as recited in claim 28, further comprising automatically placing markers and associated labels in subsequent displayed portions of the ECG data, corresponding to previous marker features.

30. A method as recited in claim 28, wherein the ECG waveform data is displayed on an interactive display superimposed on a millimeter grid background.

31. A method as recited in claim 30, further comprising the step of automatically responding to operator input to magnify the waveform and grid background maintaining the aspect ratio and size relationships of the waveform and the grid.

32. A method as recited in claim 30, wherein movement of the markers in response to operator input are moved in pixel increments corresponding to a time increment represented by the pixel size on the waveform display.

33. An apparatus for interactively marking time-series medical data comprising:

a graphical display;

a storage device;

an interactive operator input pointing device; and

a controller coupled to the graphical display, the storage device, and the interactive operator input device, the controller configured to;

render the time-series data to display at least one waveform tracing that embodies a set of trace features,

respond to operator input to select a specific marker sequence,

respond to the pointing device to indicate the location of features on the display and to place a marker on the waveform based on a location indicated by the pointing device,

automatically place a label with the marker, the label corresponding to the next marker in the selected sequence to be placed,

respond to operator input to adjust the marker location, and

respond to additional operator input to manually or automatically place additional markers based on a selected marker sequence.

34. Apparatus as recited in claim 33, wherein the time-series medical data is electrocardiogram (ECG) data, and the selected marker sequence comprises:

an initial marker in the sequence placed in accordance with manual input and the remaining markers in the sequence placed automatically based on data read in by the controller or stored in the controller as a result of previously placed marker sets.

35. Apparatus as recited in claim 34, wherein the locations and labels of the markers correspond to calculated ECG waveform intervals, calculated interval values being automatically updated when any of the associated markers are moved.