Patent Application
20120296227
61/464,438
The present invention generally relates to measurement of heart conducting systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to measurement of cardiac activity based on non-linear waveforms.
Myocardial Ischemia is a disease that is characterized by a reduced blood supply to the heart muscle, usually due to coronary artery disease. The risk for myocardial ischemia increases with age, drinking, smoking, diabetes and other factors. The symptoms include characteristic like chest pain on exertion and decreased tolerance to exercise.
The diagnosis for myocardial ischemia can be done with an electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiography, or scintigraphy. The ECG uses an ECG waveform, echocardiography uses an ultrasound of the heart, and scintigraphy uses the uptake of a radionuclide by the heart muscle, to detect changes in the heart. The ECG waveform only provides a linear wave of the non-linear functioning of the heart. It does not provide any specific digital data and quantification outcome to represent heart excitation and pumping. Further, the T segment of the ECG waveform represents ventricular pump range. As the T-segment that read is only as a half Sine wave, the ECG does not provide enough ventricular pump power working information. Moreover, echocardiography or invasive methods do not represent a direct detection of the cardiac energy.
Hence, these methods do not provide detailed information on regional myocardial deformation and the quantitative evaluation of the left ventricular systolic and diastolic function. Further, such methods are also affected by the change in the cardiac myocardium strength (i.e. amount of Ca++ ions released during the excitation sequence of the heart).
So, there is a need of a method of evaluating changes in the heart deformation that addresses the aforementioned problems.
It is an object of the invention to provide a new Electro-MyocardialCardiogram (EmCG) parameter that uses a non-linear waveform to indicate the non-linear activity of the heart.
It is an object of the present invention to provide detailed information on regional myocardial deformation.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a quantitative evaluation of the ventricular diastolic and systolic function.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method to evaluate data that is free from the impact of cardiac myocardium strength.
It is yet another object of the invention to automate the heart diagnostic system through ECG signal processing and application of computer platforms (by applying principle of conservation of energy and a series of non-linear theory).
In the detailed description of the invention, numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding of the various embodiments of the invention. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that an embodiment of the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other apparatus, systems, assemblies, methods, components, materials, parts, and/or the like. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not specifically shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of embodiments of the invention.
The myocardium 112 is the muscular middle layer of the wall of the heart 100. It is composed of spontaneously contracting cardiac muscle fibers that allow the heart 100 to contract. The coordinated contractions of cardiac muscle cells in the heart 100 propel blood out of the two atria (102, 104) and the two ventricles (106, 108) to the blood vessels of the body and the pulmonary circulatory systems. This action makes up the systole or contraction of the heart 100.
Diastole or relaxation is the period of time when the heart 100 fills with blood after the systole (contraction). It is an action opposite systole. Ventricular diastole is the period during which the ventricles (106, 108) are relaxing.
CSS and RSS parameters are calculated beat-by-beat by applying myocardial Bio-Energy-Electrodynamics on the basis of work-energy-load. CSS shows the strain observed in myocardium during contraction of the heart whereas RSS shows the strain observed in the myocardium during relaxation of the heart. These parameters are used to represent the myocardial physiological functions of the heart and to forecast the pathological changes.
The CSS and RSS parameters can be calculated by the following empirical formula:
Frequency domain function ƒ changes with time domain factor x and the change rate varies with point. If ƒ changes at a constant change rate (the change rate at x0), the value of ƒ under that circumstance will be called the pseudo value of ƒ. The ratio between the pseudo value and the real value of ƒ at point x0 is calculated. The minimum value of the elements in the set formed by the lower limits of these ratios, i.e. the limit values of all convergent sequences is the desired parameter CSS and RSS.
The parameters CSS and RSS defined by the above stated formula reflect the energy (frequency domain) distribution of the cardiac signal in different dimensional intervals and also reflect the variation and variation rate between different dimensional intervals. Further, it also reflects the velocity change (energy misbalance and load) in time and space interval and represents the energy distribution of cardiac work information in different frequency and time domain intervals.
CSS and RSS parameters help in providing an analysis of heart disease, cardiovascular disease, cardiomyopathy, myocardial metabolic disorder and other diseases.
The value of CSS/RSS for a healthy heart lies between 5 and 10. Any value of the parameter outside this range represents abnormalities of functioning of the heart.
Calculation of the EmCG parameters applies the latest integrated theories, gradually created fractal, chaos, evolution, furcation, nonlinear time and frequency domain, fractal, fractal dimension, reconstructed space and energy sequences and the nonlinear dynamic theories based on the modeling of EmCG series technologies to the advanced medical applications. Multi-dimensional dynamic cardiac information may be extracted from 1D-ECG. This new technology may be added to the conventional ECG which may generate new, effective and more accurate diagnostic methods.
The parameters thus obtained are compared to the indices database at step 316. The indices database contains various indices information of patients who have had at least some form of cardiac disease and patients who have had no cardiac disease. Hence, when the patients EmCG parameters obtained through signal processing and calculation is compared to other indices in the database, a heart abnormality can be identified and diagnosed. This information is then displayed on the display window. The method then terminates at step 318.
Firstly, a signal source of electric physiology is obtained. The signal source is obtained through the signal detector 402. In an embodiment, the system 400 is an Electrocardiogram (ECG) and the signal detector 402 is an electrode or a wand. Various electrodes maybe placed on the skin. The electrical activity of the heart over time is captured and externally recorded by skin electrodes. The recording then maybe produced by the ECG.
The signal detected by the signal detector 402 is then processed by the processor 404. The processing is done by the software module 406, installed in the processor 404. The processor 404 formulates and displays a multi-domain heart signal on the display screen 408. This signal represents information of various parts of the heart, fractal dimensions and reconstructed phase space. The processor 404 then applies an algorithm and formula (described in
In an embodiment of the present invention, the hardware (for example, an ECG) must meet technical as well as indices interface design requirements. The technical requirements include, for example, CMR, sampling rate, anti DC interference, anti EMG interference, 50/60 Hz filter, etc. The algorithm/formula of indices may be included in an indices software package.
Numerous alterations of the processes and the methods herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to the preferred embodiment of the invention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61464438 | Mar 2011 | US |
