Method and device for detecting heart rhythm irregularities

Abstract

A method for detecting heart rhythm irregularities, including the steps of: measuring pulse peaks continuously over a period of time to obtain pulse peak sequence and pulse peak time interval sequence corresponding to the pulse peak sequence; and calculating the absolute value of a difference between a single pulse peak time interval in the pulse peak time interval sequence and an average value of the pulse peak time interval sequence, and determining that an irregular pulse peak (IPP) has occurred if the absolute value is larger than or equal to 15% to 25% of the average value of the pulse peak time interval sequence. A detection device using the method is also provided. This uses a non-invasive approach to detect heart rhythm irregularities such as sick sinus syndrome, irregular pulse peaks, irregular heartbeat, and atrial fibrillation, and can be applied to a sphygmomanometer or a wearable device.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Technical Field[0001]The present invention relates to a method and device for detecting heart rhythm irregularities. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and device that measure pulse peaks in order to detect an irregular pulse peak (IPP), irregular heartbeat (IHB), atrial fibrillation (AF), and sick sinus syndrome (SSS).2. Description of Related Art[0002]The human circulatory system is composed of the heart, blood vessels, and blood, and is driven by contraction of the heart. Each time the heart contracts, the blood in the left ventricle is squeezed into the aorta and then into the other arteries in the body. As the diameter of an artery increases with the pressure therein when a large amount of blood enters the artery, the contraction and relaxation of the ventricles in a cardiac cycle causes arteries to expand and recoil (i.e., to pulsate) in a cyclic manner. The pulsation of arteries that are relatively close to the skin can be felt ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0017]The present invention provides a method and device that use a non-invasive approach to detecting heart rhythm irregularities. In addition to monitoring a person's heart rate continuously, the method and device disclosed herein can determine the occurrence of such heart rhythm irregularities as sick sinus syndrome, irregular pulse peaks, irregular heartbeat, and atrial fibrillation by means of a special algorithm. The method and device of the invention can be applied to a sphygmomanometer or a wearable device (e.g., a smartwatch) in order to detect, for example, the radial artery in a user's arm and measure the user's pulse and its rhythm, thereby adding to the convenience of self-measurement. The invention is advantageous in that it reduces errors associated with the use of a photoplethysmographic detection device (e.g., errors resulting from the way the detection device is worn or from the sweat on a user's skin) and is suitable for personal or household daily health care. A sphygmomanometer capable of detecting heart rhythm irregularities as disclosed herein can be used in emergency rooms, intensive care units, hospital wards, clinics, and other medical institutions and therefore has high utility value in the medical industry.

Problems solved by technology

Of all the heart rhythm irregularities, atrial fibrillation is the one that requires medical attention the most often because it may increase the risk of heart failure, dementia, and stroke.

While the ECG method provides the more accurate measurement result, the operation and determination skills required are also more sophisticated, not to mention the costly ECG equipment.

As to photoplethysmography, it is subject to interference from the environment (e.g., the sweat on a user's skin and the degree of contact between the sensor and the user's skin) and therefore has relatively large measurement errors.

Today, monitoring devices that can take relatively accurate measurement of the pulse or heart rate are generally bulky and hence do not allow monitoring wherever and whenever desired.

Smart bracelets that claim to be capable of measuring or monitoring heart rate in real time (based on measurement of the pulse) are indeed available, but despite their portability, huge measurement errors tend to result from the environment, which poses a tremendous risk of health to those who have cardiovascular disease and require their heart rates to be accurately monitored.

Besides, while heart rhythm irregularities may be accompanied by a pulse deficit, directly identifying an irregular pulse as a heart rhythm irregularity could be erroneous.

Moreover, there has never been a method or device that not only can measure heart rate, but also can determine the occurrence of sick sinus syndrome and detect such heart rhythm irregularities as irregular pulse peaks, irregular heartbeat, and atrial fibrillation.

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