Surgery – Truss – Pad
Patent
1990-02-28
1992-06-23
Kamm, William E.
Surgery
Truss
Pad
128419PT, A61B 5044
Patent
active
051234190
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a hand-held instrument which combines a pacemaker monitor and an ECG monitor into a single hand-held unit.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Prior art equipment has measured pacemaker electrical pulse rate, the pulse width and in the case of dual-chamber pacemakers (which have two sources of electrical pulses) the interval between the two pulses (termed the A.V. interval). These are typically displayed as numeric information with no accompanying information concerning the patient's physiological state being measured or displayed at the same time.
The most relevant of the prior art patents/patent applications known to the applicant is Australian Patent Application AU-A 44712/85 to Purdue Research Foundation. This citation clearly discloses a portable monitor which provides ECG wave form information to a user by means of a hand held monitor which can be applied directly to the skin of the human thorax. The device of the citation, however, does not contemplate in any way the combining of ECG wave form display together with sensing and display of pacemaker wave form information.
At least a preferred embodiment of the present invention seeks to combine pacemaker parameter measurement and physiological vital signs measurement into a single portable unit. It is a further object of the preferred embodiment to display the shape of the pacing pulses which provide the doctor with further valuable information about the performance of the pacemaker and may warn of problems with the pacemaker lead which connects the pacemaker to the heart since the pacemaker pulse shape normally varies with the lead impedance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a portable combined pacemaker parameter and vital sign monitor: said monitor comprising data acquisition means adapted to receive electrical signals available at a skin contact region; data processing means adapted to process said data; and display means integral with said monitor; said display means adapted to display vital sign information and pacemaker parameter information.
Preferably said vital sign information includes ECG waveforms, and heart-rate.
Preferably said pacemaker parameter information includes the pacing rate, the AV delay, the width of the pacing pulses and the pacemaker pulse waveform.
Preferably the pacemaker signals are picked up from the skin of the patient in which the pacemaker is implanted using conductive electrodes. The signals are then amplified and filtered and converted into digital information for analysis and display.
In a further broad form there is provided a method of displaying vital sign and pacemaker pulse information on a single display means, said method comprising:
deriving ECG wave form data from an ECG wave form occurring in a living body in real time;
deriving pacemaker pulse data from pacemaker pulses occurring in a pacemaker operating within said living body in real time;
displaying a reconstruction of said ECG wave form on said display means, superimposing upon said reconstruction of said ECG wave form timing markers showing the moment of occurrence of pacemaker pulses relative to said ECG wave forms.
Preferably said method includes processing said pacemaker pulse data to verify that said pacemaker pulses are stimulating the heart in a manner appropriate to the mode in which said pacemaker is operating.
Preferably said method further includes optionally displaying on said single display means a reconstruction of said pacemaker pulses.
DRAWINGS
Two embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the monitor of a first preferred embodiment;
FIGS. 2A and 2B show two display formats available from the monitor of the first and second embodiment;
FIG. 3 shows a block diagram arrangement of a second embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of the casing for the second embodiment; FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the function
REFERENCES:
patent: 3782367 (1974-01-01), Hochberg et al.
patent: 4041954 (1977-08-01), Ohara
patent: 4142533 (1979-03-01), Brownlee et al.
patent: 4156430 (1979-05-01), King et al.
patent: 4248241 (1981-02-01), Tacchi
patent: 4432360 (1984-02-01), Mumford et al.
Bedini et al, "I.E.E.E. Transactions on Biomedical Engineering", vol. BME 29, No. 3, Mar. 1982, pp. 209-213.
Platt Harry L.
Satchwell Bruce R.
Kamm William E.
Micromedical Industries PTY Limited
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