Pacemaker Artifact Removal in Evoked Potentials
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for removing pacemaker artifacts from somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) signals are inefficient, as they often alter the signal characteristics and introduce significant processing overhead, failing to accurately distinguish and eliminate non-physiological noise from physiological signals during surgeries.
Innovation Solution
A computer algorithm and system that identifies and removes pacemaker artifacts by analyzing specific characteristics such as minimum slope, amplitude, rise time, fall time, and peak duration, allowing for real-time processing without altering the signal integrity, using a processor coupled with recording and stimulating electrodes to classify and reject artifact signals from averaged EP signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional high-pass and low-pass filters are used to condition SEP signals, then some noise is reduced, but pacemaker artifacts cannot be reliably removed and signal characteristics may be altered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the approach from frequency-based filtering to parameter-based classification by analyzing multiple signal characteristics simultaneously (amplitude, slope, duration, area) to identify and remove pacemaker artifacts while preserving genuine SEP signals
2Object-affected harmful factors
If voltage threshold rejection classifiers are used to remove artifacts, then some large artifacts are rejected, but pacemaker artifacts smaller than the threshold cannot be removed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the artifact detection process into multiple independent parameter analyses (amplitude, slope, duration, area) rather than relying on a single voltage threshold, allowing detection of artifacts across different magnitude ranges through combined parameter evaluation
3Object-affected harmful factors
If current artifact removal methods are applied, then some noise is eliminated, but significant processing overhead is introduced and real-time processing is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by selectively analyzing only the necessary signal parameters (amplitude, slope, duration, area) rather than performing comprehensive signal processing, enabling real-time artifact removal with minimal processing overhead while maintaining effectiveness
4Object-affected harmful factors
If artifact removal methods alter signal characteristics to eliminate noise, then artifacts are removed, but the integrity of the physiological signal is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes only the identified artifact portions from the signal based on parameter classification, preserving the integrity of the remaining physiological signal components by not applying broad transformations or filtering that could alter genuine SEP characteristics
Data Source
AI summary
An automated electrophysiological response analysis apparatus for identifying and eliminating signals having non-physiological artifact noise from an averaged evoked potential signal, wherein the apparatus is adapted to identify in an electrophysiological response at least one characteristic representative of non-physiological artifact noise to classify the signal as an artifact signal and remove the artifact signal from a collection of signals used to generate the averaged evoked potential signal.