Method and a system for cardiac monitoring

• US 9,044,148 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2013
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LifeWatch Technologies Ltd. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: LifeWatch Technologies Ltd. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Michelson, George, Petrucci, Melissa
• Primary Examiner(s): Gedeon, Brian T
• Application Number:
  US13/924,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20140005559A1
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02405 Determining heart rate variability
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A method for monitoring a heart of a patient, the includes receiving signals indicative of cardiac activity of the patient during a monitoring period; and

• • processing the signals and providing monitoring results in response to a result of the processing; wherein the monitoring results comprise information indicative of: (a) the heart rate of the patient during the monitoring period; (b) at least one first time period in which the heart rate of the patient exceeds a first threshold; and (c) at least one second time period in which the heart rate of the patient exceeds both the first threshold and a second threshold.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a heart of a patient, the method comprising:

receiving, by a physiological data input interface and from one or more sensors, signals indicative of cardiac activity of the patient during a monitoring period;

processing, by a processor, the signals and;

providing by the processor, monitoring results in response to a result of the processing;

wherein the monitoring results comprise information indicative of;

(a) a heart rate of the patient during the monitoring period;

(b) at least one first time period in which the heart rate of the patient exceeds a first threshold; and

(c) at least one second time period in which the heart rate of the patient exceeds both the first threshold and a second threshold;

wherein the providing, by the processor, of the monitoring results comprises;

providing a first bradycardia indication if the heart rate of the patient was lower than the first threshold for a first bradycardia indicative duration, and providing a second bradycardia indication if the heart rate of the patient was lower than the second threshold that is lower than the first threshold;

wherein the processing, by the processor, further comprises processing the signals to detect heart pauses,

wherein the providing of the monitoring results further comprises providing a pause indication, wherein the pause indication that is indicative of at least one heart pause and which is distinct from the first and second bradycardia indications.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the processing, by the processor, further comprises processing the signals to detect atrial fibrillation, wherein the providing of the monitoring results further comprises providing information indicative of atrial fibrillation of the heart of the patient during the monitoring period.

3. A method for monitoring a heart of a patient, the method comprising:

receiving, by a physiological data input interface and from one or more sensors, signals indicative of cardiac activity of the patient during a monitoring period;

processing, by a processor, the signals and;

providing by the processor, monitoring results in response to a result of the processing;

wherein the monitoring results comprise information indicative of;

(a) a heart rate of the patient during the monitoring period;

(b) at least one first time period in which the heart rate of the patient exceeds a first threshold; and

(c) at least one second time period in which the heart rate of the patient exceeds both the first threshold and a second threshold;

wherein the processing, by the processor, comprises determining when the heart rate of the patient exceeded the first threshold for at least a first minimum duration, wherein the providing comprises providing the monitoring results that comprise information pertaining to first time periods that are longer than the first minimum duration.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the processing, by the processor, further comprises determining when the heart rate of the patient exceeded the second threshold for at least a second minimum duration, wherein the providing comprises providing the monitoring results that comprise information pertaining to second time periods that are longer than the second minimum duration.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising issuing, by an output interface, an alert when the first threshold was exceeded for at least the first minimum duration.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the issuing by the output interface, of the alert comprises wirelessly transmitting the alert to a remote control center over a cellular telephony network.

7. A method for monitoring a heart of a patient, the method comprising:

receiving, by a physiological data input interface and from one or more sensors, signals indicative of cardiac activity of the patient during a monitoring period;

processing, by a processor, the signals and;

providing by the processor, monitoring results in response to a result of the processing;

wherein the monitoring results comprise information indicative of;

(a) a heart rate of the patient during the monitoring period;

(b) at least one first time period in which the heart rate of the patient exceeds a first threshold; and

(c) at least one second time period in which the heart rate of the patient exceeds both the first threshold and a second threshold;

wherein the providing, by the processor, of the monitoring results comprises providing monitoring summary of the monitoring period, wherein the monitoring summary comprises;

a first time summation responsive to times in which the heart rate of the patient exceeded the first threshold for periods longer than a first minimum duration, and a second time summation responsive to times in which the heart rate of the patient exceeded the second threshold for periods longer than a second minimum duration.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising storing a heart rate history of heart rates detected during the monitoring period, wherein the storing comprises replacing stored information with newer detected information, wherein the replacing is responsive to priority levels that are associated with the first and the second thresholds.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising receiving wireless instructions over a wireless network connection, and modifying at least one of the first and the second thresholds in response to the wireless instructions.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the providing, by the processor, of the monitoring results further comprises providing results that are responsive to information gathered by at least one additional sensor that is selected from an oxygen saturation sensor, a mechanical sensor, and an environmental sensor.

11. A method for monitoring a heart of a patient, the method comprising:

receiving, by a physiological data input interface and from one or more sensors, signals indicative of cardiac activity of the patient during a monitoring period;

processing, by a processor, the signals and providing by the processor, monitoring results in response to a result of the processing;

wherein the monitoring results comprise information indicative of;

(a) a heart rate of the patient during the monitoring period;

(b) at least one first time period in which the heart rate of the patient exceeds a first threshold; and

(c) at least one second time period in which the heart rate of the patient exceeds both the first threshold and a second threshold;

wherein the processing, by the processor, comprises;

triggering a first monitoring state if the heart rate of the patient exceeds the first threshold for a first minimum duration, and triggering a second monitoring state if the heart rate of the patient exceeds the second threshold for a second minimum duration, wherein the triggering of the second monitoring state involves ceasing the first monitoring state, wherein timing information pertaining to the at least one first time period is gathered in the first monitoring state, and timing information pertaining to the at least one second time period is gathered in the second monitoring state.

12. A method for monitoring a heart of a patient, the method comprising:

receiving, by a physiological data input interface and from one or more sensors, signals indicative of cardiac activity of the patient during a monitoring period;

processing, by a processor, the signals and providing by the processor, monitoring results in response to a result of the processing;

wherein the monitoring results comprise information indicative of;

(a) a heart rate of the patient during the monitoring period;

(b) at least one first time period in which the heart rate of the patient exceeds a first threshold; and

(c) at least one second time period in which the heart rate of the patient exceeds both the first threshold and a second threshold;

wherein the providing, by the processor, of the monitoring results further comprises providing the monitoring results that further comprise information indicative of at least one exceeding time period in which the heart rate of the patient exceeded the first threshold, the second threshold, and at least one additional threshold.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the providing by the processor, of the monitoring results comprises:

providing a first tachycardia indication if the heart rate of the patient was higher than the first threshold for a first tachycardia indicative duration, and providing a second tachycardia indication if the heart rate of the patient was higher than the second threshold, wherein the second threshold is higher than the first threshold.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the providing, by the processor, of the monitoring results comprises:

providing a first bradycardia indication if the heart rate of the patient was lower than the first threshold for a first bradycardia indicative duration, and providing a second bradycardia indication if the heart rate of the patient was lower than the second threshold that is lower than the first threshold.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the providing, by the processor, of the monitoring results comprises:

providing a first tachycardia indication if the heart rate of the patient was higher than a first tachycardia threshold for a first tachycardia indicative duration;

providing a second tachycardia indication if the heart rate of the patient was higher than a second tachycardia threshold that is higher than the first tachycardia threshold;

providing a first bradycardia indication if the heart rate of the patient was lower than a first bradycardia threshold for a first bradycardia indicative duration, and providing a second bradycardia indication if the heart rate of the patient was lower than a second bradycardia threshold that is lower than the first threshold.

16. The method according to claim 12 comprising providing the monitoring results in a medical report form, wherein the medical report form comprises:

(a) information indicative of the heart rate of the patient during the monitoring period;

(b) information indicative of the at least one first time period within the monitoring period in which the heart rate of the patient exceeded the first threshold; and

(c) information indicative of the at least one second time period in which the heart rate of the patient exceeded both the first threshold and the second threshold.

17. The method according to claim 16 wherein the medical report form comprising information indicative of cardiac events, which is responsive to the exceeding of at least one of the first and the second thresholds.