Interactive Event Timeline for Cardiac Procedure Data Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cardiac ablation systems lack an efficient method for navigating and analyzing vast amounts of data captured during procedures to identify critical events and their temporal relationships, hindering accurate decision-making and patient outcomes.
Innovation Solution
An interactive event timeline system that displays multiple event types and signal indicators, allowing physicians to easily navigate, analyze, and retroactively define key points of interest by correlating a horizontal timeline with a vertical event list and a selected event viewer, enabling zooming and scrolling for different time scopes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If traditional data display methods are used in cardiac ablation systems, then the system structure remains simple, but the ability to navigate and analyze vast amounts of procedure data is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The display system is segmented into multiple synchronized views: an interactive event timeline showing temporal sequences, a vertical event list categorizing different event types, and a selected event viewer displaying detailed signal indicators. This segmentation allows comprehensive data analysis while maintaining manageable complexity through modular presentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms data presentation from traditional two-dimensional displays to a multi-dimensional interactive interface combining horizontal timeline progression, vertical event categorization, and depth-based signal detail views. This dimensional expansion enables simultaneous visualization of temporal relationships, event types, and signal characteristics without overwhelming the user.
2Measurement precision
If detailed event data is displayed to improve analysis accuracy, then measurement precision improves, but the time required to review and navigate events increases
Solution Approach 1:
Events are pre-processed and organized into categorized lists with temporal sorting before display. The system automatically tags and groups events by type (ablation, pacing, physiological) and arranges them chronologically in the vertical list, allowing physicians to quickly scan and select events of interest without manually searching through raw data.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates simplified visual copies of complex event data through standardized icons and symbols in the event list, which represent detailed signal information. When an event is selected, a copy of the relevant signal indicators is displayed in the selected event viewer, allowing quick reference without displaying all raw data simultaneously.
3Loss of information
If multiple event types are displayed simultaneously to provide comprehensive procedure context, then information completeness improves, but visual clarity and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the display are assigned specialized functions with optimized visual characteristics: the event timeline uses horizontal positioning to show temporal sequences, the vertical event list uses categorical grouping with distinct icons for different event types, and the selected event viewer displays detailed signal waveforms. This local optimization allows comprehensive information display while maintaining clarity in each specific region.
Solution Approach 2:
The vertical event list serves as an intermediary between the horizontal timeline and the detailed signal views. It provides a structured index that mediates navigation between temporal overview and detailed analysis, allowing users to efficiently locate and select events without directly navigating the complex relationship between timeline position and signal data.
4Measurement precision
If the system provides detailed signal indicators for each event to improve analysis, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the most relevant signal indicators and event characteristics for display, separating essential information from redundant data. When an event is selected, the system extracts and displays specific signal parameters (voltage, timing, morphology) in the selected event viewer rather than presenting all available raw data, reducing processing complexity while maintaining analytical precision.
Data Source
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AI summary
An interactive event timeline system and method are disclosed. Multiple events and/or signal indicators are captured during a medical procedure, such as a cardiac procedure. Event data relevant to the cardiac procedure may include, tags, user generated points, ablation events, pacing events and other like events. An interactive event timeline is generated from the captured events and displayed on a visual display device. The interactive event timeline is correlated with a vertical listing of the events and a selected event viewer. All three views may be displayed simultaneously. The interactive event timeline allows a physician or user (collectively "user") to see temporal relationships between the captured events. The user can see, for example, simultaneous events, long duration events versus short duration events, continuous events and specific event types.