Cardiac Pacing Signal Check for VT/VF Interference Avoidance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing medical devices struggle to accurately distinguish between ventricular tachyarrhythmia (VT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF) during cardiac pacing, leading to potential interference with tachyarrhythmia therapy delivery and prolonged detection of underlying rhythms.

Innovation Solution

A medical device analyzes cardiac electrical signals before pacing pulses to verify the absence of VT/VF, delaying or canceling pacing pulses when evidence of VT/VF is detected, thereby minimizing interference and ensuring appropriate therapy delivery.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If cardiac pacing pulses are delivered without verifying absence of VT/VF, then bradycardia pacing therapy is provided timely, but pacing pulses may be delivered during undetected VT/VF causing therapy interference

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccuracy of tachyarrhythmia therapy deliveryVSAvoiddetection time of underlying rhythms

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The medical device performs preliminary analysis of cardiac electrical signals before delivering scheduled pacing pulses to detect evidence of ventricular tachyarrhythmia. This preliminary detection action prevents subsequent harmful pacing delivery during VT/VF episodes while maintaining timely therapy delivery when appropriate.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The device applies preliminary anti-action by detecting VT/VF evidence and subsequently delaying or canceling scheduled pacing pulses. This counter-action prevents the harmful effect of delivering pacing pulses during undetected tachyarrhythmias, thereby improving therapy accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

2Measurement precision

If cardiac electrical signals are analyzed before every pacing pulse, then VT/VF detection accuracy improves, but device complexity and processing requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveVT/VF detection accuracyVSAvoidsignal analysis complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The medical device applies local quality by performing signal analysis selectively only during specific time intervals before scheduled pacing pulses, rather than continuously analyzing all signals. This localized approach maintains high detection accuracy while reducing overall processing complexity and resource requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The device performs partial action by analyzing only the necessary portion of cardiac electrical signals during defined time intervals preceding pacing pulses. This partial analysis approach provides sufficient VT/VF detection capability without requiring exhaustive continuous monitoring, thereby balancing accuracy with device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP4444409B1Medical device for detecting arrhythmia

Publication Date: 2026.01.21 MEDTRONIC INC

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AI summary

A medical device is configured to determine tachyarrhythmia evidence in a cardiac signal segment received from a cardiac electrical signal sensed during a pacing escape interval started to schedule a pending cardiac pacing pulse. The medical device may delay the pending cardiac pacing pulse in response to determining the tachyarrhythmia evidence during the pacing escape interval.