Methods and systems for electrode placement

• US 9,579,062 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2015
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AliveCor Inc.
• Original Assignee: AliveCor Inc.
• Inventors: Albert, David E.
• Primary Examiner(s): EVANISKO, GEORGE ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US14/948,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20160242697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 466 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/25 Bioelectric electrodes therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/339 Displays specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/684 Indicating the position of the sensor on the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/70 Means for positioning the patient in relation to the detecting, measuring or recording means

Abstract

Described herein are systems, devices and methods for guiding placement of electrodes, and particularly ECG electrodes on a patient. A picture of the patient'"'"'s body the patient can be analyzed to determine where on the patient'"'"'s body to place electrodes according to a predetermined, conventional or standard placement pattern. The methods, devices and systems may then guide a user in positioning or correcting the position of electrodes on the patient. For example, an image of the patient may be provided showing the correct position of the electrodes, which may act as a patient-specific map or guide. The electrode placement positions can correspond to conventional or standard 12-lead ECG electrode positions.

Claims

1. A system for guiding proper placement of electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes on a patient, the system comprising:

a camera configured to take a picture of the patient;

a normalization marker configured to be placed on the patient;

an electrode placement database wherein the electrode placement database comprises representations of a plurality of body types and predetermined electrode placement positions corresponding to each body type;

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with a computer program including instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to;

take a picture of the patient and the normalization marker when the normalization marker is positioned on the patient using the camera;

normalize the picture of the patient using the normalization marker positioned on the patient in the picture;

carry out a comparison of the normalized picture of the patient to the electrode placement database;

determine positions of the electrodes on the patient from the comparison;

generate an image of the patient showing the determined positions of the electrodes on the image of the patient; and

present the image to the patient.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein to carry out the comparison of the normalized picture to the electrode placement database comprises determining the standard placement of the electrodes for a 12-lead ECG on the patient.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein to normalize the picture comprises scaling the picture.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein to carry out the comparison of the normalized picture of the patient to the electrode placement database includes determining the closest match between the picture and a representative body type in the patient database.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein to carry out the comparison of the normalized picture of the patient to the electrode placement database comprises interpolating between the closest matches to the picture and two or more representative body types in the patient database.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein to carry out the comparison of the normalized picture of the patient to the electrode placement database includes determining anatomical landmarks from the picture and comparing the anatomical landmarks to the electrode placement database.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein to carry out the comparison of the normalized picture of the patient to the database comprises using pattern recognition to determine the closest match between the picture and a representative body type in the database.

8. The system of claim 1, comprising a handheld computer device, and wherein to present the image of the patient showing positions for the electrodes on the image of the patient comprises presenting the image on the handheld computer device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the handheld computer device is a mobile phone, smartphone, or tablet computer with network connectivity.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer program includes instructions executable by the processor that cause the processor to take the picture of the patient using the camera.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein to carry out the comparison of the normalized picture of the patient to an electrode placement database comprises comparing the picture of the patient having one or more electrodes already placed on the patient'"'"'s chest to the electrode placement database.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer program includes instructions executable by the processor that cause the processor to verify the position of the one or more electrodes already placed on the patient'"'"'s chest.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein to present the image comprises presenting a corrected positioning of electrodes on the image of the patient.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer program includes instructions executable by the processor that cause the processor to take the picture of the patient and the normalization marker.