Non-invasive Cardiac Scanning via Electrical Signal Multiplexing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cardiovascular testing methods, such as ECG and angiograms, are invasive, expensive, and often fail to reliably detect myocardial ischemia and vascular plaque, especially in asymptomatic patients, leading to delayed diagnosis and increased cardiac deaths.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that uses two-dimensional mapping of the heart by continuously multiplexing signals from surface electrodes to process and triangulate electrical impulses, creating a waveform pattern for pattern recognition, allowing for the detection of myocardial ischemia and vascular plaque through comparison with a database of confirmed coronary disease patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If angiogram is performed to detect coronary artery disease, then diagnostic accuracy is improved, but invasiveness and danger increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/invasive angiogram procedure with a non-invasive electrical field-based detection system. Surface electrodes detect electrical impulses from the heart, and a computer system processes these signals to create two-dimensional waveforms that reveal coronary artery disease, myocardial ischemia, and other cardiac conditions without requiring catheter insertion or contrast dye injection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a computer system as an intermediary between the heart's electrical activity and the diagnostic interpretation. The computer continuously multiplexes signals from multiple electrodes, processes over one million impulses per heartbeat, and generates two-dimensional waveform patterns that serve as intermediaries to reveal underlying cardiac pathologies without direct physical intervention in the blood vessels.
2Ease of operation
If ECG test is performed to detect myocardial ischemia, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the traditional one-dimensional ECG waveform into a two-dimensional waveform representation. By continuously multiplexing signals from multiple surface electrodes and processing electrical impulses over time, the system creates additional dimensional information that reveals myocardial ischemia and coronary artery disease with much higher precision while maintaining the non-invasive nature of surface electrode placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary continuous monitoring and processing of electrical impulses before a diagnostic conclusion is reached. The system continuously multiplexes signals and processes over one million impulses per heartbeat, building up a comprehensive waveform pattern that enables reliable detection of myocardial ischemia before symptoms become severe or before emergency intervention is needed.
3Measurement precision
If continuous monitoring of electrical impulses is performed, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex task of cardiac diagnosis into distinct functional components: surface electrodes capture electrical impulses, a signal processor continuously multiplexes and filters these signals, a computer system processes over one million impulses per heartbeat to generate two-dimensional waveforms, and a display system presents the diagnostic information. This segmentation manages complexity by distributing processing functions across multiple specialized components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a two-dimensional waveform copy or representation of the heart's electrical activity. Instead of directly interpreting raw electrical impulses, the system generates a simplified two-dimensional waveform pattern that copies the essential diagnostic information in a more manageable and interpretable form, reducing the complexity of diagnostic analysis while maintaining high detection sensitivity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables early identification of coronary diseases, including myocardial ischemia, by processing over a million electrical impulses per heartbeat, providing a two-dimensional representation of heart activity that can detect compromised areas and display diagnostic results, thereby improving pre-symptomatic risk assessment and treatment monitoring.
Implementation Method 1
detects at least one million impulses sent by a patient's heart during each heartbeat
Data Source
AI summary
A non-invasive system and method of diagnosing and predicting cardiac disease in a patient's heart is disclosed that comprises a microprocessor which contains a signal processor and a pattern recognition processor; detect the electrophysiological signals of the heart whereby the signals are processed to create a pattern that represents the patient's heart. The pattern may be further processed by repeatedly comparing it to patterns stored within the pattern recognition processor whereby certain coronary diseases such as myocardial ischemia in the patient's heart may be diagnosed. During each heartbeat, at least a million different electrical signals are collected and the results of test are displayed on a screen. The results may include the diagnosis, computer generated image of the patient's heart identifying areas of any cardiac disease that has been detected and/or a two dimensional non-linear waveform representing the electrophysiological signals of the patient's heart. In a further embodiment, the system will also generate ECG waveforms.