Method and apparatus with reduced electrode system specific ECG interpretation

• US 8,494,621 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2011
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Xue, Joel Q., Brodnick, Donald E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Carl H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stice, Paula J
• Application Number:
  US13/187,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20110275950A1
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• Field of Search: 600/508, 600/509, 600/512, 600/515, 600522-523
• US Class Current: 600/509
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/349 Detecting specific parameters of the electrocardiograph cycle

Abstract

A method and apparatus for processing electrocardiographic signals of a patient. The apparatus comprises ten or fewer electrodes connected to a patient at least one of the standard twelve lead ECG electrode positions. The apparatus further comprises a plurality of ECG interpretation algorithms, each of the algorithms specifically tailored for analyzing a twelve lead ECG comprising both measured and derived ECG leads. The method of the present invention comprises determining whether an ECG lead is measured or derived and selecting an ECG interpretation algorithm based upon this determination.

Claims

1. A medical device for receiving electrocardiographic signals from a patient and analyzing the signals to produce a diagnosis of patient condition, the medical device comprising:

a plurality of ten or fewer electrodes for attachment to the patient in at least one of ten standard ten-electrode positions;

an interpretation algorithm database comprising a plurality of interpretation algorithms, each algorithm in the plurality designed to produce the diagnosis of patient condition when applied to an electrocardiogram and each algorithm in the plurality corresponding to a combination of respective positions of the plurality of ten or fewer electrodes each in one of the standard ten-electrode positions; and

a signal processor connected to the plurality of electrodes, the signal processor disposed for receiving electrocardiographic signals from each of the plurality of electrodes and generating a twelve lead electrocardiogram from the electrocardiographic signals;

wherein the signal processor identifies the combination of respective positions of the plurality of electrodes, selects the corresponding algorithm from the interpretation algorithm database based upon the positions of the plurality of electrodes and uses the selected algorithm to analyze the twelve lead electrocardiogram.

2. The medical device of claim 1, further comprising a standard interpretation algorithm designed to produce the diagnosis of patient condition when applied to an electrocardiogram where each of the leads in the twelve lead electrocardiogram is a measured electrocardiographic signal obtained from the electrodes connected to the patient, wherein the signal processor further selects the standard interpretation algorithm if the processor is unable to identify the combination of respective positions of the plurality of electrodes.

3. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the interpretation algorithms comprise the analysis of a plurality of electrocardiographic signals.

4. The medical device of claim 3, wherein the plurality of electrocardiographic signals comprises electrocardiographic signals selected to be representative of an electrocardiographic morphology.

5. The medical device of claim 4, wherein the analysis of the plurality of electrocardiographic signals is performed using an artificial neural network.

6. The medical device of claim 4, wherein the analysis of the plurality of electrocardiographic signals is performed using a binary decision tree.

7. The medical device of claim 6, wherein the binary decision tree uses entropy gain.

8. A method of producing a diagnosis of patient condition, the method comprising:

obtaining electrocardiographic signals from a plurality of ten or fewer electrodes connected to the patient at locations on the patient corresponding to the ten standard electrode placements for obtaining a twelve lead electrocardiogram;

identifying, with a signal processor, a location on the patient to which each of the electrodes is connected based upon analysis by the signal processor of the obtained electrocardiographic signals;

deriving, with the signal processor, a twelve lead electrocardiogram from the obtained electrocardiographic signals;

selecting an algorithm from an interpretation algorithm database with the signal processor based on the identified locations on the patient to which each of the electrodes is connected wherein the interpretation algorithm database comprises a plurality of interpretation algorithms, each algorithm in the plurality designed to produce the diagnosis of patient condition when applied to an electrocardiogram and each algorithm in the plurality corresponding to a combination of placements of the plurality of ten or fewer electrodes in one of the standard ten-electrode positions;

analyzing the derived twelve lead electrocardiogram by applying the selected algorithm to the derived twelve lead electrocardiogram with the signal processor; and

determining, with the signal processor, the diagnosis of patient condition from the analysis of the derived twelve lead electrocardiogram&

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of receiving an embedded signal indicative of electrode placement, wherein the determination of the locations on the patient to which the electrodes are attached is based upon the embedded signal.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising measuring the electrocardiogram leads from each of the electrodes, wherein the twelve lead electrocardiogram is derived using the measured electrocardiogram leads.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the twelve lead electrocardiogram is derived by mathematically deriving any leads associated with any of the standard ten electrode locations to which an electrode is not attached.