Method and system for electrocardiogram evaluation

• US 7,840,259 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2007
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aalborg Universitet, General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Andersen, Mads Peter, Struijk, Johannes Jan, Graff, Claus, Hardahl, Thomas Bork, Xue, Joel Qiuzhen
• Primary Examiner(s): Manuel; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wieland; Robert N
• Application Number:
  US11/622,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20080154143A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,412 Days
• Field of Search: 600508-525, 342/377, 342/381, 342/285, 342/296, 342/348, 375/285, 375/296, 375/348, 382/228, 368/10
• US Class Current: 600/509
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/341 Vectorcardiography [VCG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/349 Detecting specific parameters of the electrocardiograph cycle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/355 Detecting T-waves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/36 Detecting PQ interval, PR interval or QT interval

Abstract

A method for evaluating an electrocardiogram is disclosed herein. The method includes measuring an electrical activity of a patient, processing the measured electrical activity to form a multi-lead signal, and extracting a segment of the multi-lead signal. The method for evaluating an electrocardiogram also includes transforming the segment of the multi-lead signal into a synthesized signal that is most representative of the patient'"'"'s electrical activity, and evaluating the synthesized signal. A corresponding system for evaluating an electrocardiogram is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating an electrocardiogram (ECG) comprising:

measuring an electrical activity of a complete heartbeat of a patient using a cardiac monitoring system;

processing the measured electrical activity in the cardiac monitoring system to form a twelve lead ECG signal for the complete heartbeat;

obtaining a multi-dimensional ECG representation for the complete heartbeat having orthogonal X, Y and Z lead data from the twelve lead signal;

extracting a segment of the complete heartbeat from the orthogonal X, Y and Z lead data;

transforming the segment of the orthogonal X, Y and Z lead data into a synthesized signal that is most representative of the patient'"'"'s electrical activity during the extracted segment; and

evaluating the orientation of a projection vector for the extracted segment defined by the synthesized signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said transforming the orthogonal X, Y and Z lead data includes performing a principal component analysis on the orthogonal X, Y and Z lead data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said extracting a segment includes extracting a T-wave segment, and wherein said evaluating the synthesized signal includes evaluating the shape of the T-wave segment defined by the synthesized signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said extracting a segment includes extracting a T-wave segment.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said evaluating the orientation of a projection vector includes evaluating the orientation of a projection vector with respect to a physical orientation of the patient.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said extracting a segment includes extracting a T-wave segment and a QRS complex segment, and wherein said evaluating the synthesized signal includes evaluating the length of the QT interval as defined by the synthesized signal.

7. A method for evaluating an electrocardiogram (ECG) comprising:

measuring an electrical activity of a complete heartbeat of a patient using a cardiac monitoring system;

processing the measured electrical activity in the cardiac monitoring system to form a twelve lead ECG signal for the complete heartbeat;

converting the twelve lead ECG signal of the complete heartbeat into a multi-dimensional representation of the complete heartbeat having orthogonal X, Y and Z lead data;

extracting a segment of the complete heartbeat from the orthogonal X, Y and Z lead data;

performing a principal component analysis on the extracted segment of the orthogonal X, Y and Z lead data to provide a synthesized signal that is most representative of the patient'"'"'s electrical activity; and

evaluating the orientation of a projection vector for the extracted segment defined by the synthesized signal.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said extracting a segment includes extracting a T-wave segment, and wherein said evaluating the synthesized signal includes evaluating the shape of the T-wave segment defined by the synthesized signal.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said extracting a segment includes extracting a T-wave segment.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said evaluating the orientation of a projection vector includes evaluating the orientation of a projection vector with respect to a physical orientation of the patient.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein said extracting a segment includes extracting a T-wave segment and a QRS complex segment, and wherein said evaluating the synthesized signal includes evaluating the length of the QT interval as defined by the synthesized signal.

12. A system for evaluating an electrocardiogram (ECG) comprising:

a plurality of leads attachable to a patient, said plurality of leads configured to measure an electrical activity of a complete heartbeat of the patient; and

a diagnostic system operatively connected to the plurality of leads, said diagnostic system configured to form a multi-lead signal for the complete heartbeat based on the measured electrical activity, convert the multi-lead signal into a multi-dimensional representation of the complete heartbeat having orthogonal X, Y and Z lead data, extract a segment of the orthogonal X, Y and Z lead data, transform the segment of the complete heartbeat from the orthogonal X, Y and Z lead data into a synthesized signal that most accurately reflects the patient'"'"'s electrical activity, and evaluate the orientation of a projection vector for the extracted segment as defined by the synthesized signal.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said plurality of leads include 10 leads.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said multi-lead signal is a twelve lead signal.