Programmer Temporal Alignment of Implantable Device Heart Data

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems for displaying information from multiple implantable medical devices, such as pacemakers and defibrillators, often struggle to align temporal data accurately, leading to difficulties in analyzing heart conditions effectively during physician visits.

Innovation Solution

A cardiac rhythm management system that includes an implantable defibrillator and a leadless cardiac pacemaker, where a programmer receives and displays temporal heart data from both devices in real or near real-time, using time stamps and user-defined delay parameters to ensure alignment, allowing for synchronized display of data.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If heart data from multiple implantable devices is displayed separately, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision of temporal alignment deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisplay system complexityVSAvoidtemporal alignment precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges heart data from multiple implantable devices (defibrillator and pacemaker) into a single synchronized display. The system combines data streams from different devices and presents them in temporal alignment, allowing physicians to view all cardiac data in one unified interface rather than switching between separate device displays.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary processing system that receives data from multiple implantable devices, applies time-stamp-based alignment algorithms, and presents synchronized data. This intermediary layer handles the temporal alignment complexity, allowing the display to show precisely aligned data without requiring the implantable devices themselves to be complex.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If real-time display of heart data is implemented, then productivity of diagnostic process is improved, but use of energy by the system increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvediagnostic process efficiencyVSAvoidsystem energy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements periodic data transmission and display updates rather than continuous real-time streaming. Heart data is transmitted at scheduled intervals and displayed in synchronized updates, reducing the energy required for constant data communication while still providing timely diagnostic information during physician visits.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary data processing and temporal alignment before display. Data from implantable devices is pre-processed with time-stamps and alignment calculations are performed in advance, reducing the computational energy required during actual display operations and enabling efficient real-time presentation without excessive energy consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10517498B2Display of temporally aligned heart information from separate implantable medical devices on an extracorporeal display

Publication Date: 2019.12.31 CARDIAC PACEMAKERS INC

AI summary

A cardiac rhythm management system includes a first implantable device such as a defibrillator and a second implantable device such as a leadless cardiac pacemaker. A programmer is configured to receive and display heart data emanating from the implantable defibrillator and from the leadless cardiac pacemaker. The heart data emanating from the leadless cardiac pacemaker is displayed in temporal alignment with the heart data emanating from the implantable defibrillator.