Enhanced auscultatory sensor and analysis for patient diagnosis

• US 9,521,956 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2013
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solventum Intellectual Properties Company (Solventum Corp.)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Bedingham, William, Schmidt, Thomas P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Nicole F
• Application Number:
  US14/405,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20150164340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,315 Days
• Field of Search: 600/528
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/282 Holders for multiple electrodes for introduction into the body A61B5/287
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/346 Analysis of electrocardiograms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/352 Detecting R peaks, e.g. for synchronising diagnostic apparatus; Estimating R-R interval
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7405 using sound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/00 Instruments for auscultation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/04 Electric stethoscopes microphones, acoustic transducers therefor H04R
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/045 Detection of Korotkoff sounds A61B5/0225 takes precedence; measuring blood pressure A61B5/021

Abstract

In general, techniques and systems for detecting acoustic signals and generating phonocardiograms are described. In one example, a system may include an acoustic sensor configured to detect an acoustic signal from a heart of a patient. The system may also include a sensing module configured to detect an electrical signal from the heart of the patient via two or more electrodes and at least one processor configured to generate a composite phonocardiogram based the acoustic signal and the electrical signal detected over a plurality of cardiac cycles of the heart, wherein the composite phonocardiogram is generated for a representative cardiac cycle. The system may be provided in a single device or multiple devices configured to transmit information between the devices.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an acoustic sensor configured to detect an acoustic signal from a heart of a patient;

a sensing module configured to detect an electrical signal from the heart of the patient via two or more electrodes; and

at least one processor configured to;

for each cardiac cycle of a plurality of cardiac cycles, identify a trigger point associated with the detected electrical signal, wherein the trigger point is associated with an R-wave of each cardiac cycle of the detected electrical signal;

generate acoustic information from the detected acoustic signal;

synchronize the acoustic information to the trigger point for each cardiac cycle;

generate a phonocardiogram as a composite phonocardiogram based on the synchronized acoustic information, wherein the composite phonocardiogram is generated for a representative cardiac cycle;

determine R-wave amplitudes from each of the plurality of cardiac cycles;

determine a plurality of different breathing phases within a single breathing cycle;

for each cardiac cycle, sort the synchronized acoustic information into one of the different breathing phases; and

generate a breathing phase composite phonocardiogram for each of the different breathing phases by averaging the synchronized acoustic information in each of the respective breathing phases.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to

compare the composite phonocardiogram to a plurality of stored pathologies;

determine when at least a portion of the composite phonocardiogram matches one of the plurality of stored pathologies; and

discriminate an abnormal portion of the composite phonocardiogram associated with the one stored pathology from a normal portion of the composite phonocardiogram.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is configured to discriminate the abnormal portion from the normal portion by identifying a first frequency band associated with the abnormal portion and a second frequency band associated with the normal portion.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to present the identified portion of the composite phonocardiogram to a user.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a housing and the two or more electrodes each coupled to a respective wire, wherein a housing comprises the acoustic sensor, the sensing module, the at least one processor, and wherein the sensing module is configured to couple with the respective wires of the two or more electrodes.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a housing and the two or more electrodes, wherein the housing comprises the acoustic sensor, the sensing module, the at least one processor, and the two or more electrodes disposed on the housing.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an electrode housing comprising the two or more electrodes and a detector housing, wherein the detector housing comprises the acoustic sensor, the sensing module, the at least one processor, and communication module configured to communicate with the electrodes of the electrode housing.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a telemetry module configured to communicate with a computing device.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a computing device, wherein the computing device comprises a user interface configured to present the phonocardiogram.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the user interface comprises an audio output configured to present the phonocardiogram audibly to the user.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the user interface comprises a display configured to present the phonocardiogram visually to the user.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to generate a waveform based on an acoustic signal and an electrical signal detected over at least one cardiac cycle of the heart, generate a phonocardiogram by mirroring the waveform about an axis of the waveform, and identify at least one heart sound within the phonocardiogram;

and

a user interface configured to visually present the phonocardiogram and the identification.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the processor is configured to identify the phonocardiogram as at least one pathology; and

the user interface is configured to present the at least one pathology with the at least one identified heart sound.