Cardiac Signal Overdetection Correction via Morphology Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Implantable cardiac devices face challenges in accurately analyzing cardiac signals, leading to overdetection of cardiac events, which results in incorrect heart rate calculation and inappropriate therapy decisions due to overcounting of cardiac cycles.
Innovation Solution
The development of methods and devices that identify and correct overdetection of cardiac events by using morphology analysis, interval analysis, and wide QRS complex analysis, allowing for accurate classification of cardiac rhythms and therapy decisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If implantable cardiac devices use traditional detection methods to monitor cardiac signals, then they can detect cardiac events, but they produce overdetection errors leading to incorrect heart rate calculation and inappropriate therapy decisions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides cardiac cycle detection into multiple independent analysis components: morphology analysis examines waveform shape characteristics, interval analysis measures time between events, and width analysis evaluates signal duration. Each component independently assesses detected events and provides confidence scores, allowing the system to segment the detection problem into manageable parts that reduce overdetection errors
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces confidence scoring as an intermediary mechanism between signal detection and therapy decision-making. Each detected cardiac event receives a confidence score based on morphology, interval, and width analysis. This intermediary confidence metric allows the system to filter out low-quality detections before they influence heart rate calculation and therapy decisions, preventing inappropriate treatments
2Productivity
If the device increases detection sensitivity to capture all cardiac events, then it improves event detection coverage, but it increases overdetection of non-cardiac signals and noise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different analysis criteria to different aspects of the detected signal: morphology analysis evaluates the shape characteristics of the waveform, interval analysis assesses the timing between events, and width analysis examines the duration of the signal. Each analysis type uses locally optimized thresholds and parameters suited to its specific measurement, allowing the system to maintain high detection sensitivity while filtering out noise through multiple localized quality checks
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary morphology, interval, and width analysis on all detected events before they are used for heart rate calculation or therapy decisions. This preliminary screening process pre-evaluates each detection's validity using multiple criteria, eliminating noisy or spurious detections early in the processing chain before they can affect final clinical decisions
3Reliability
If the device uses multiple analysis methods (morphology, interval, width) to verify cardiac events, then it reduces overdetection errors, but it increases device complexity and computational load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex verification process into three independent, modular analysis components: morphology analysis, interval analysis, and width analysis. Each component operates independently with its own algorithms and confidence scoring, allowing the system to reduce overdetection through multiple analysis methods while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design. The segmented architecture enables parallel processing and independent optimization of each analysis type
4Measurement precision
If the device corrects detected cardiac events using multiple analysis criteria, then it improves heart rate calculation accuracy, but it increases processing time and computational resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs morphology, interval, and width analysis as preliminary screening steps immediately upon detecting a cardiac event, before the event is used for heart rate calculation. This preliminary action pre-validates or rejects detections based on multiple criteria, ensuring that only high-confidence events contribute to heart rate computation. By doing the verification work upfront rather than during calculation, the system maintains accurate heart rate measurement without excessive processing delays during critical decision moments
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and devices for signal analysis in an implanted cardiac monitoring and treatment device such as an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. In illustrative examples, captured data including detected events is analyzed to identify likely overdetection of cardiac events. In some illustrative examples, when overdetection is identified, data may be modified to correct for overdetection, to reduce the impact of overdetection, or to ignore overdetected data. New methods for organizing the use of morphology and rate analysis in an overall architecture for rhythm classification and cardiac signal analysis are also discussed.