Cardiac Signal Display Synchronization for Ablation Noise Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current electrophysiology (EP) systems struggle to accurately detect, acquire, and isolate small cardiac signals in real-time during ablation procedures, due to interference from large ablation signals and noise from equipment and patient movements.
Innovation Solution
The EP system employs a combination of hardware and software to minimize noise and artifacts, allowing for the recording of raw cardiac signals with low noise and high dynamic range. This is achieved through minimal use of hardware filters, with software-based digital signal processing algorithms enabling real-time display of signals in various processing states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional hardware filters are used to reduce noise during ablation, then noise from large ablation signals is reduced, but low-amplitude, high-frequency cardiac signals are altered or removed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the signal processing into multiple independent channels, each handling different frequency ranges or signal types. By dividing the processing task across multiple parallel paths, the system can apply aggressive filtering to ablation noise in certain channels while preserving cardiac signal content in other channels, then recombine them without mutual interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the problem from a single-dimensional filtering challenge to a multi-dimensional solution by processing signals in the frequency domain through Fourier transformation. This allows selective manipulation of different frequency components, enabling noise reduction at ablation frequencies while preserving cardiac signal frequencies through independent gain control in the frequency domain.
2Reliability
If aggressive filtering is applied to remove noise and artifacts, then signal-to-noise ratio is improved, but low-amplitude, high-frequency cardiac signals are altered or removed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic, adaptive filtering where filter characteristics change based on the detected signal state. The system continuously monitors the input signal and adjusts filter parameters in real-time, applying stronger filtering when ablation noise dominates and reducing or disabling filtering when cardiac signals are present, thus maintaining waveform integrity while improving signal-to-noise ratio when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operating parameters of the filtering system based on signal conditions. By dynamically adjusting filter cutoff frequencies, Q-factors, and gain settings according to the detected signal characteristics, the system optimizes noise reduction effectiveness while preserving clinically relevant cardiac signal features across varying procedural conditions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple signals are processed and displayed simultaneously in real-time, then comprehensive monitoring is achieved, but system complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal signal processing architecture where a single processing engine handles multiple signal types (ECG, intracardiac electrograms, ablation monitoring signals) through common computational resources. The system uses a unified approach to filtering, transformation, and display that can be configured for different signal types without requiring separate dedicated processing paths, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive monitoring capability.
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AI summary
Systems, methods, and computer program product embodiments are disclosed for displaying signals based on a signal characteristic, such as a late potential or an early activation. An embodiment operates by matching, by a first digital signal processor (DSP) of a first signal module, a beat in a first packet associated with a first cardiac signal to a known signal characteristic. The embodiment also searches, by a second DSP of a second signal module, for the signal characteristic in a second packet associated with a second cardiac signal in response to the matching. The embodiment displays, by a display module coupled to the first signal module and the second signal module, a portion of the first cardiac signal. The embodiment then displays, by the display module, a portion of the second cardiac signal comprising the signal characteristic time-synchronized to the displayed portion of the first cardiac signal based on the searching.