Method of processing signals characteristic of cardiac activity and an associated device

US5891169A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Biotronik Mess-und Therapiegeraete GmbH & Co. · DE

Inventors

• Gustav Boheim · Bad Bergzabern, DE
• Paul Wyborny · Lake Oswego, US
• Dennis Digby · Brooklyn Park, US
• Tran Thong · Beaverton, US
• Max Schaldach · Erlangen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 29, 1997
• Grant date: Apr 6, 1999
• Expiry date: Jan 29, 2017

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61N1/368
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method for processing a signal characteristic of cardiac activity in the atrium (A) and/or ventricle (V) of a heart (H) and for evaluating this signal with a view to obtaining a control signal for a cardiac pacemaker and/or defibrillator (3) can be carried out by: receiving a time dependent signal from at least one intracardial signal sensor (1, 2) in the atrium and/or ventricle; feeding the signal picked up by each signal sensor (1, 2) to a read and evaluation circuit (6) with a threshold characteristic; comparing the signals with a detection threshold; evaluating the result of the comparison to obtain an indication as to the presence of normal sinus-type cardiac activity or fibrillations; and producing the control signal, which characterizes the comparison result. The signal from the at least one sensor (1, 2) is fed to a first input stage (8, 11) which has a first adjustable detection threshold (TS(A), TS(V) that is constant in time and to a second input stage (9, 10) which has a second adjustable detection threshold TL(A), TL(V) that can be adjusted independently of the first detection threshold but is constant in time once set. The signal from the at least one intracardial s…