Abstract: An automatic method of determining local activation time (LAT) in multi-channel cardiac electrogram signals including a plurality of cardiac channels, the method comprising: (a) storing the cardiac channel signals; (b) using a ventricular, a reference and a mapping channel to compute first LAT values at a plurality of mapping-channel locations; (c) monitoring the quality of at least one of the ventricular, reference and mapping channels; (d) if the quality of a monitored cardiac channel falls below a standard, replacing the sub-standard channel with another channel of the plurality of channels having an above-standard quality; and (e) computing second LAT values based on the replacement cardiac channel.

Abstract: An automatic method of determining local activation time (LAT) in multi-channel cardiac electrogram signals including a ventricular channel, a reference channel and a mapping channel wherein selection of at least one of a reference-channel activation and a mapping-channel activation is based on one or more activation times in the ventricular channel.

Abstract: An automatic method of determining local activation time (LAT) in multi-channel cardiac electrogram signals including a plurality of cardiac channels, the method comprising: (a) storing the cardiac channel signals; (b) using a ventricular, a reference and a mapping channel to compute first LAT values at a plurality of mapping-channel locations; (c) monitoring the quality of at least one of the ventricular, reference and mapping channels; (d) if the quality of a monitored cardiac channel falls below a standard, replacing the sub-standard channel with another channel of the plurality of channels having an above-standard quality; and (e) computing second LAT values based on the replacement cardiac channel.

Abstract: A method for detecting an R-wave from an ECG signal (x(t)) derived from a living body, the method comprising the steps of (a) acquiring the ECG signal from the living body, (b) digitizing the ECG signal into a digital ECG signal (x(ti)), (c) filtering the digital ECG signal with a bandpass filter (53) and applying an absolute value filter (55) thereto to create a filtered ECG signal (g(ti)), (d) for each sequential value of the filtered ECG signal, comparing (57) the filtered ECG signal to an ECG tracking threshold (TT), (e) if the filtered ECG signal is no greater than TT, incrementing a counter (59), but if greater than TT, setting the counter to zero; and (f) comparing (63) the counter to a predetermined refractory count RC and, if the count is equal to RC, outputting an R-wave trigger indicating that an R-wave has been detected.

Abstract: An automatic method of determining local activation time (LAT) in multi-channel cardiac electrogram signals including a ventricular channel, a reference channel and a mapping channel wherein selection of at least one of a reference-channel activation and a mapping-channel activation is based on one or more activation times in the ventricular channel.

Abstract: A method for detecting an R-wave from an ECG signal derived from a living body, the ECG signal including a plurality of ECG channel signals, the method comprising the steps of providing a plurality of channel R-wave detectors each processing a distinct signal of the plurality of channel ECG signals to generate a distinct channel trigger signal of a plurality of channel trigger signals, and inputting each channel trigger signal into a composite R-wave detector to generate a composite R-wave trigger, whereby the composite R-wave detector more accurately detects R-waves than each of the plurality of channel R-wave detectors.

Abstract: An automatic method of determining local activation time (LAT) in multi-channel cardiac electrogram signals including a plurality of cardiac channels, the method comprising: (a) storing the cardiac channel signals; (b) selecting a mapping channel, a ventricular channel, and a reference channel from among the plurality of cardiac channels; (c) using the selected channels to compute first LAT values at a plurality of mapping-channel locations; (d) monitoring the quality of at least one selected channel; (e) if the quality of a monitored cardiac channel falls below a standard, replacing the sub-standard channel with another channel of the plurality of channels having an above-standard quality; and (f) computing second LAT values based on the replacement cardiac channel.

Abstract: An automatic method of measuring parameters of multi-channel cardiac electrogram signals including at least one ventricular channel and at least two other cardiac channels, the method comprising: (a) digitizing and filtering a ventricular-channel signal and a first other cardiac signal over a first preset time window to generate corresponding absolute-value velocity signals; (b) estimating a pulse interval in the ventricular absolute-value velocity signal; (c) autocorrelating the first other cardiac absolute-value velocity signal; (d) selecting a peak value of the autocorrelation based on ventricular pulse-interval estimates; and (e) setting the cycle length of the first other cardiac signal to the lag value of the selected peak in the autocorrelation. Local activation times are measured, and several multiple-channel configurations decrease measurement time, decrease the impact of signal degradation, and increase the amount of data generated during a procedure.

Abstract: An automatic method of determining local activation time (LAT) in multi-channel cardiac electrogram signals including at least two cardiac channels, one of the cardiac channels being a mapping channel and another cardiac channel being a reference channel, the method comprising: (a) estimating a cycle length CL in the reference channel; (b) determining a mapping-channel fiducial time tM in the mapping channel signal; (c) determining a plurality of reference-channel fiducial times tR; (d) computing adjusted reference-channel fiducial times tRA by adding or subtracting multiples of cycle length CL to each time tR such that each time tRA is within a time window of length CL surrounding mapping-channel fiducial time tM; (e) computing a single final reference-channel fiducial time tRF from the plurality of adjusted reference-channel fiducial times tRA; and (f) computing the LAT as tM minus tRF.

Abstract: A method for detecting an R-wave from an ECG signal (x(t)) derived from a living body, the method comprising the steps of (a) acquiring the ECG signal from the living body, (b) digitizing the ECG signal into a digital ECG signal (x(ti)), (c) filtering the digital ECG signal with a bandpass filter (53) and applying an absolute value filter (55) thereto to create a filtered ECG signal (g(ti)), (d) for each sequential value of the filtered ECG signal, comparing (57) the filtered ECG signal to an ECG tracking threshold (TT), (e) if the filtered ECG signal is no greater than TT, incrementing a counter (59), but if greater than TT, setting the counter to zero; and (f) comparing (63) the counter to a predetermined refractory count RC and, if the count is equal to RC, outputting an R-wave trigger indicating that an R-wave has been detected.

Abstract: A method for automatically determining the 3D position and orientation of a radio-opaque medical object in a living body using single-plane fluoroscopy comprising capturing a stream of digitized 2D images from a single-plane fluoroscope (10), detecting the image of the medical object in a subset of the digital 2D images, applying pixel-level geometric calculations to measure the medical-object image, applying conical projection and radial elongation corrections (31) to the image measurements, and calculating the 3D position and orientation of the medical object from the corrected 2D image measurements.

Abstract: The method and system includes detecting atrial fibrillation in a patient by monitoring the blood oxygen saturation level over a period of time. The method and system produces a plethysmographic waveform from the monitored blood oxygen saturation level and analyzes the plethysmographic waveform and detected intervals and determines whether the patient is in atrial fibrillation. The method and system is preferably implemented in a software application and may be configured to report to the user on the current state of atrial fibrillation (AFIB) and a current trend.

Abstract: A monitoring system and method for monitoring signals from an implantable medical device are disclosed. The monitoring system and method include a monitor configured to detect a radio frequency artifact from the signals of the implantable medical device and circuitry for processing the radio frequency artifact from the signals of the implantable medical device.

Abstract: A monitoring system and method for monitoring signals from an implantable medical device are disclosed. The monitoring system and method include a monitor configured to detect a radio frequency artifact from the signals of the implantable medical device and circuitry for processing the radio frequency artifact from the signals of the implantable medical device.

Abstract: An electronic device and method includes a means for setting a time interval for collecting a set of physiological data and entering the number of physiological events that occur within that time interval. The device and method are further configured to calculate the number events that occurred per minute, and displays the results for the user. The device may be implemented as a hand-held device and the method implemented in a graphical user interface of an electronic device.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing a trigger signal, for use with a medical device, that is synchronized to a heartbeat in a subject of interest. The apparatus includes a sensor for obtaining ECG data from the subject of interest. The apparatus further includes a processor coupled to the sensor, with the processor configured to generate the trigger signal based on a real time analysis of the ECG data and to only synchronize and transmit the trigger signal to the medical device if a pre-selected characteristic of the heartbeat is identified. The apparatus further includes and a display device coupled to the processor and configured to display the ECG data and the trigger signal.

Abstract: The method and system includes detecting atrial fibrillation in a patient by monitoring the blood oxygen saturation level over a period of time. The method and system produces a plethysmographic waveform from the monitored blood oxygen saturation level and analyzes the plethysmographic waveform and detected intervals and determines whether the patient is in atrial fibrillation. The method and system is preferably implemented in a software application and may be configured to report to the user on the current state of atrial fibrillation (AFIB) and a current trend.

Abstract: A method for providing real-time support in interpreting medical record data and monitoring parameters received from a patient in order to assess the possible outcomes and treatment history for the patient based upon prior patients having similar monitoring parameters and medical record data. The system includes a monitoring device that obtains monitoring parameters from the patient and communicates with a historic reference database that includes numerous historic, stored patient records. Upon receiving the monitoring parameters and medical record data for the patient, the historic reference database identifies one or more historic patient records that closely correspond to the patient being treated. Based upon the identified historic patient records, the physician is presented with a likely outcome and proposed course of treatment.

Abstract: An apparatus, such as a medical equipment product, has an integral user input device with a plurality of manually actuatable keys representing a predetermined item of data or function specific to the associated product. The data is entered or function carried out by actuating the keys of the device. Visually perceptible indicia are associated with a selected plurality of the keys that are indicative of the item of data or function represented by the keys. E-ink may be used for to form the indicia. The visually perceptible indicia for the keys are established in a given language and can be altered from those of the given language to those in another language. This permits operation of the product with keys labeled in differing languages. The user input device may also have status indicators for the apparatus and/or input device with changeable indicia.

Abstract: The two ECG channels are graphed as an X-Y pair where the X coordinate is the voltage in a first ECG channel and the Y coordinate is the voltage in a second ECG channel. Because neither of the coordinates is a measure of time, the system and method can collect ECG data over an extended period and collapse the data into a single display region.