Impedance Cardiography Heart Valve Activity Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing impedance cardiography (ICG) systems lack sufficient information for accurate determination of pre-ejection period (PEP) and left ventricular ejection time (LVET) due to confounding data related to heart valve opening and closing, leading to inaccurate identification of heart valve activity, which affects diagnosis and cardiac output calculations.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that combine impedance cardiography signals with independent signals from phonocardiography, echocardiography, and blood pressure to accurately identify heart valve activity by using an algorithm that weights and integrates these signals, accounting for sensor and system errors, to provide improved graphic representations and numeric values for PEP, LVET, and other cardiac parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If ICG systems use only impedance signals for determining heart valve activity, then the system complexity is low, but the measurement precision of PEP and LVET is insufficient due to confounding data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple independent signals (phonocardiography, echocardiography, blood pressure) with impedance cardiography signals to accurately identify heart valve activity. This merging of multiple signal sources resolves the technical contradiction by improving measurement precision through multi-parameter correlation while managing system complexity through integrated processing algorithms that weight and combine the signals systematically.
2Measurement precision
If ICG systems integrate multiple independent signals to accurately identify heart valve activity, then the measurement precision improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an algorithmic intermediary that weights and integrates multiple independent signals to identify heart valve activity. This intermediary processing layer manages the complexity by systematically combining phonocardiography, echocardiography, blood pressure, and impedance signals through weighted integration, rather than requiring direct complex hardware integration of all signal sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs a multi-functional integration approach where a single processing framework handles multiple signal types (impedance, acoustic, ultrasound, pressure). This universal processing architecture improves measurement precision by correlating all signal sources while avoiding the need for separate dedicated systems for each signal type, thereby managing overall device complexity.
3Reliability
If ICG systems use conventional single-signal methods, then the ease of operation is high, but the reliability of cardiac output calculations is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where multiple independent signals continuously validate and refine the identification of heart valve activity. The system uses correlated feedback from phonocardiography, echocardiography, and blood pressure signals alongside impedance data to reliably determine PEP and LVET, thereby improving cardiac output calculation reliability while maintaining operational simplicity through automated multi-signal processing.
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
This integration enhances the accuracy of PEP, LVET, and subsequent cardiac output calculations, providing healthcare professionals with more reliable data for diagnosis and patient care by correlating impedance signals with independent heart valve activity signals, improving the identification and display of heart valve activity.
Implementation Method 1
ICG systems measure and report several time-based parameters related to cardiac performance... Voltage changes across the bands are read, filtered and converted into thoracic impedance
Implementation Method 2
PCG systems use a microphone that records sounds of heart valve activity, similar to electronic stethoscopes known in the art, in order to provide signals of acoustic events emanating from the heart
Implementation Method 3
ECG uses a transducer to direct ultrasound waves into a patient's chest to produce an image of the heart muscle and heart valves. The transducer... directs ultrasound waves into the chest such that some of the waves get echoed (or reflected) back to the transducer
Implementation Method 4
A patient's blood pressure is monitored according to known techniques and converted into a blood pressure signal. The blood pressure signal is then displayed on a blood pressure waveform
Data Source
AI summary
An improved method and system for measuring and reporting heart valve activity combines information obtained from independent signals with information obtained from ICG signals, such that signals derived from heart valve activity may be used as confirmation that the ICG system is accurately identifying heart valve activity. The method and system of the present invention also provide improved accuracy in reported values such as PEP, LVET, STR, SV, and CO. In addition, the method and system of the present invention provide improved accuracy of graphical representations of heart activity where the graphical representations include identifying heart valve activity.