Abstract: A method and system for discriminating atrial and ventricular signal components from a single heart lead, and for using this information for identifying an arrhythmia condition as being atrial or ventricular in origin. The invention is effective in identifying P waves occurring in complex signal which includes relatively stronger R waves or other ventricular artifacts which mask the P waves. The contribution of the R wave signal to the complex signal is obtained by filtering, time windowing and transfer function estimation, then the R wave estimate is subtracted from the combined signal to leave the P wave. The ratio of P waves to R waves, P-P and R-R intervals, and their ratios to one another and to fixed values can be estimated, and used in a comparison to discriminate between atrial and ventricular arrhythmia, to thereby enable appropriate treatment.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 22, 1997
Date of Patent:
March 23, 1999
Assignee:
Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc.
Inventors:
William Hsu, Jay A. Warren, Gerrard M. Carlson