Cardiac Map Filtering for Arrhythmia Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems face inefficiencies in selecting and displaying relevant locations for electrical activity analysis during cardiac operations, particularly in identifying arrhythmogenic tissue related to atrial fibrillation, due to the vast amount of data from multiple electrodes, leading to prolonged selection times and potential inaccuracies.
Innovation Solution
A user interface is provided that allows physicians to select a subset of locations based on predefined attributes and presets, reducing the number of displayed locations to focus on specific areas like scar zones, using attributes such as tissue proximity, voltage, and late activation time, thereby streamlining the display process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a plurality of electrodes are positioned on a distal tip of an intracardiac catheter to obtain electrical activity signals from multiple locations, then the quantity of obtained signals increases, but the time required to assess and select relevant locations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the heart wall into multiple discrete locations, each associated with specific attributes (tissue proximity, voltage, late activation time). This allows the physician to assess and select relevant locations based on predefined criteria rather than reviewing all signals manually, thus reducing assessment time while maintaining comprehensive coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-calculates and stores attributes for each location (tissue proximity index, voltage, late activation time) before the physician needs to assess the data. This preliminary processing eliminates the need for manual calculation and review of all locations, significantly reducing the time required to identify arrhythmogenic tissue.
2Loss of information
If all locations are displayed to ensure comprehensive analysis, then the completeness of information is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to overwhelming data
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different quality levels of display to different locations based on their attributes. Locations with characteristics indicative of arrhythmogenic tissue (such as specific voltage thresholds or late activation times) are highlighted or prioritized for display, while other locations are suppressed. This maintains information completeness for critical areas while improving ease of operation by filtering out irrelevant data.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the display parameters based on location attributes. By modifying which locations are displayed, how they are displayed, and what attributes are shown for each location, the system adapts the information presentation to the physician's needs. This allows comprehensive analysis of critical areas while simplifying the interface by hiding non-critical locations.
3Measurement precision
If manual selection of locations is performed to identify arrhythmogenic tissue, then the accuracy of assessment is improved, but the productivity decreases due to prolonged selection times
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically calculating and storing attributes for each location (tissue proximity index, voltage, late activation time) based on the electrical activity signals. This automated preprocessing eliminates the need for manual measurement and calculation, maintaining high accuracy in arrhythmogenic tissue identification while significantly improving productivity by reducing selection time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback to the physician by highlighting locations that meet predefined criteria for arrhythmogenic tissue. This feedback mechanism guides the physician's assessment by presenting only the most relevant locations first, maintaining high accuracy while improving productivity by reducing the time needed to identify critical areas.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, apparatus and computer program product, the method comprising: obtaining a plurality of electrical signals from a plurality of electrodes disposed on a catheter inserted into a chamber of a heart of a patient, wherein each electrical signal provides information about electrical activity in locations within the heart, and wherein each location is associated with a value for each attribute from a plurality of attributes; receiving from a user via a user interface a selection of a filtering criteria for the at least one location, the filtering criteria associated with at least one attribute from the plurality of attributes; applying the filtering criteria for identifying a subset of locations complying with the filtering criteria from the at least one location; updating a map of electrical activity within the heart, based only upon the subset of locations; and displaying the map of the electrical activity.