ECG High Frequency Analyzer for Myocardial Ischemia Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods cannot quantify Reduced Amplitude Zones (RAZ) in electrocardiograms (ECGs) effectively to detect acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or assess the seriousness of cardiac conditions, limiting early detection and monitoring capabilities.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that quantify RAZ by analyzing high frequency components of ECG signals, specifically calculating an index proportional to the area of RAZ within the QRS complex, using a high frequency analyzer and RAZ quantifier to obtain a quantification of RAZ regions, which can indicate myocardial ischemia and monitor changes over time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If high frequency components of ECG signals are analyzed to detect myocardial ischemia, then diagnostic accuracy for acute coronary syndrome is improved, but device complexity and measurement difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the ECG signal analysis by focusing specifically on high frequency components (above 100 Hz) separate from the standard ECG frequency range. This segmentation allows targeted analysis of RAZ within the QRS complex, isolating the diagnostically valuable high frequency information from the broader ECG signal to improve measurement precision while managing complexity through focused analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing stage that involves aligning and averaging multiple ECG beats to extract high frequency components. This intermediary step (beat alignment and averaging) serves as a mediator between the raw ECG signal and the final RAZ detection, enabling reliable isolation of high frequency components that would otherwise be obscured by noise in single beats.
2Reliability
If RAZ quantification is implemented to monitor cardiac conditions, then early detection capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the specific diagnostic feature (RAZ quantification) from the broader ECG analysis. By taking out and focusing on the reduced amplitude zones within the high frequency QRS components, the system achieves reliable early detection of ACS without requiring complete redesign of the entire ECG monitoring system, thus improving reliability while limiting the increase in device complexity to the specific extraction and quantification module.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary alignment and averaging of multiple ECG beats before analyzing high frequency components. This preliminary action prepares the signal by reducing noise and enhancing the visibility of RAZ, making the subsequent quantification more reliable for early detection while keeping the overall system complexity manageable by pre-processing the signal in a standardized manner.
Data Source
AI summary
ECG apparatus comprises an ECG input for obtaining ECG signals; a high frequency analyzer configured for obtaining high frequency QRS components from a QRS complex within said ECG signals and identifying therein at least one reduced amplitude zone—RAZ—present within a given QRS complex; and a RAZ quantifier configured for obtaining a quantification of said at least one RAZ region within said QRS complex.