Arrythmia display

• US 6,721,594 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2001
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Conley, Vickie L., Koshiol, Allan T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jastrzab, Jeffrey R.
• Application Number:
  US09/907,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20020052558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 607/513, 607/515-518, 607/523, 607/5, 607/14, 607/27, 607/32, 607/60
• US Class Current: 600/523
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means

Abstract

Systems, devices, structures, and methods are provided to present a visual display based on data from an implantable medical device. The display includes a chart showing the frequency of a detected type of arrhythmia over a predetermined period of time.

Claims

1. A method of performing a medical diagnostic, the method comprising:

receiving data stored in an implantable medical device;

viewing a display that includes at least one graph showing individual frequencies of at least first and second types of arrhythmias over a predetermined period of time, wherein the at least one graph is formed from the data received from the implantable medical device; and

deriving a diagnostic based at least on the at least one graph.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein viewing the display includes viewing the at least one graph showing the frequency of ventricular arrhythmia.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the ventricular arrhythmia includes at least one of a ventricular fibrillation, a sustained ventricular tachycardia, and a non-sustained ventricular tachycardia.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein viewing the display includes viewing another graph showing the frequency of atrial arrhythmia, wherein atrial arrhythmia includes atria tachycardia.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein viewing the display includes viewing the at least one graph that is capable of showing a sustained ventricular tachycardia based on a detection zone programmatically determined by a user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein viewing the display includes viewing the at least one graph showing the frequency of the at least one type of arrhythmia over a predetermined period of time.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined period of time is at least five months.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein viewing the display includes viewing the at least one graph showing the frequency of atrial arrhythmia.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the atrial arrhythmia includes an atrial tachycardia.

10. A data structure to record individual frequencies of at least first and second types of arrhythmias so as to allow a presentation of the individual frequencies of the at least first and second types of arrhythmias, the data structure comprising:

at least first and second count variables to contain a count of the individual frequencies of the at least one first and second types of arrhythmias; and

a recorded episode data structure to ascertain that the at least one of the first and second types of arrhythmias is present, wherein once the recorded episode data structure ascertains that the at least one of the types of arrhythmias is present, the count variable for the at least one of the types of arrhythmias is incremented.

11. The data structure of claim 10, wherein the data structure further comprises a detected episode data structure to determine that the at least one type of arrhythmia has been detected.

12. The data structure of claim 11, wherein the detected episode data structure further comprises a state to indicate whether the at least one type of arrhythmia has been detected.

13. The data structure of claim 12, wherein the detected episode data structure is object-oriented, wherein the detected episode data structure further comprises an act of monitoring a heart rate to determine if the heart rate reached a predetermined threshold, wherein when the heart rate has reached a predetermined threshold, the state of the detected episode data structure indicates that the at least one type of arrhythmia has been detected.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one type of arrhythmia includes at least one of an atrial tachycardia, a ventricular fibrillation, a sustained ventricular tachycardia, and a non-sustained ventricular tachycardia.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the information used to confirm that that the arrhythmia is present includes a duration of the at least one type of arrhythmia.

16. A method of presenting at least one type of arrhythmia, the method comprising:

monitoring a heart rate over a first predetermined duration;

triggering when the heart rate reaches a predetermined threshold over the first predetermined duration to define a detected arrhythmia episode;

recording when the detected arrhythmia episode is sustained over a second predetermined duration and a therapy is applied; and

displaying at least one graph to show the frequency of the detected arrhythmia episode over a predetermined period of time.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the acts of monitoring, triggering, or recording are iterated over the predetermined period of time before displaying the at least one graph.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one type of arrhythmia includes at least one of an atrial tachycardia, a ventricular fibrillation, a sustained ventricular tachycardia, and a non-sustained ventricular tachycardia.

19. A method of presenting at least one type of arrhythmia, the method comprising:

monitoring a heart rate over a first predetermined duration;

triggering if the heart rate reaches a predetermined threshold during the first predetermined duration to define a detected arrhythmia episode;

recording a detected arrhythmia episode when the detected arrhythmia episode is sustained over a second predetermined duration; and

displaying at least one graph to show the frequency of the detected arrhythmia episode over a predetermined period of time.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the acts of monitoring, triggering, or recording are iterated over the predetermined period of time before displaying the at least one graph.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one type of arrhythmia includes at least one of an atrial tachycardia, a ventricular fibrillation, a sustained ventricular tachycardia, and a non-sustained ventricular tachycardia.