Implantable Electrode Dislocation Detection Using Signal Morphology
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for identifying electrode dislocation in implantable medical devices rely solely on time information, which can lead to false positives due to noise and irregular cardiac signals, resulting in incorrect electrode positioning.
Innovation Solution
An implantable medical device that evaluates both time and morphologic parameters of intracardiac electrograms, such as amplitude, width, and zero crossings, to accurately determine electrode dislocation, ensuring reliable identification of ventricular signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If only time information is used to identify ventricular signals, then the detection method is simple, but false positives occur due to noise and irregular cardiac signals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by transitioning from using only time information to using multiple morphological parameters (amplitude, width, area under curve, zero crossings) of intracardiac electrograms. This allows the system to distinguish true ventricular signals from noise and irregular cardiac signals, thereby improving detection accuracy while maintaining practical implementation feasibility.
2Measurement precision
If multiple morphologic parameters are evaluated, then the accuracy of dislocation detection is improved, but the processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the signal analysis into distinct morphological parameter evaluations (amplitude, width, area under curve, zero crossings). Each parameter can be independently calculated and thresholded, allowing the complex task of signal verification to be broken down into manageable computational steps that can be implemented in implantable device processors.
Data Source
AI summary
An implantable medical device for stimulating a heart, includes a stimulation electrode configured to stimulate a first cardiac region of the heart, and a detection unit configured to detect an intracardiac electrogram at a second cardiac region (ventricle) of the heart. In operation, the device: delivers a stimulation pulse to the heart; evaluates a time and at least one morphologic parameter of a responsive signal of an intracardiac electrogram, wherein the at least one morphologic parameter is chosen from: an absolute value of the signal amplitude, a width of the signal, a positive, negative and/or total area under at least a part of the signal, and a number of occurrences and/or time of occurrence of zero crossings of the signal; and identifies a dislocation of the stimulation electrode if the time of the signal is below a first threshold value and the morphologic parameter exceeds a further threshold value.