Pulmonary Artery Pressure Sensor for Cardiac Cycle Measurement

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current implantable medical devices face challenges in accurately measuring cardiac cycle length and pressure metrics without relying on electrical signals from the heart, which can limit the amount of hardware implanted and increase computing requirements.

Innovation Solution

The use of pressure sensors implanted in the pulmonary artery to detect cardiovascular pressure signals, derive cardiac cycle length and pressure metrics such as systolic and diastolic pressures using derivatives and mathematical transforms, allowing for the determination of these metrics without electrical activity of the heart.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If electrical signals from the heart are used to measure cardiac cycle length and pressure metrics, then measurement accuracy is improved, but device complexity and hardware implantation increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecardiac cycle length and pressure metrics measurementVSAvoidhardware implantation

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the measurement function from electrical signal detection to pressure signal detection. By using pressure sensors implanted in the pulmonary artery to detect cardiovascular pressure signals, the system eliminates the need for additional electrodes and electrical signal acquisition hardware, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining measurement capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the electrical measurement system with a mechanical pressure-based measurement system. Instead of using electrodes to detect electrical potentials from the heart, the system uses pressure sensors to detect mechanical pressure waves in the pulmonary artery, substituting electrical detection with mechanical detection to simplify hardware

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Measurement precision

If electrical signals from the heart are used to measure cardiac metrics, then measurement accuracy is improved, but computational requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecardiac cycle length and pressure metrics measurementVSAvoidcomputational demands

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the essential measurement information (cardiac cycle length and pressure metrics) directly from the pressure signal waveform and its derivatives, eliminating the need for complex computational processing of electrical signals. By focusing on key waveform features and mathematical transforms of pressure data, the system reduces computational burden while preserving measurement accuracy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Measurement precision

If additional electrodes are implanted to measure cardiac metrics, then measurement capability is improved, but patient invasiveness and hardware complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecardiac cycle length and pressure metrics measurementVSAvoidpatient invasiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the pressure sensor serve multiple functions: it simultaneously measures cardiovascular pressure signals for both pressure metrics determination and cardiac cycle length measurement. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate electrodes, reducing patient invasiveness while maintaining comprehensive measurement capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the cardiac cycle length measurement capability from the pressure signal itself, eliminating the need for separate electrical electrodes. By deriving cardiac timing information from pressure waveform characteristics, the system reduces the number of implanted components and patient invasiveness

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

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

Enables accurate measurement of cardiac cycle length and pressure metrics without additional electrodes, reducing hardware implantation and computational demands, and facilitating drug therapy or electrical stimulation based on these measurements.

Implementation Method 1

Pressure sensors may be employed in conjunction with implantable medical devices as physiological sensors configured to detect changes in blood pressure. Example pressure sensors that may be useful for measuring blood pressure may employ capacitive, piezoelectric, piezoresistive, electromagnetic, optical, resonant-frequency, or thermal methods of pressure transduction.

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPressure transduction: Capacitance

Data Source

PatentUS10226630B2Measurement of cardiac cycle length and pressure metrics from pulmonary arterial pressure

Publication Date: 2019.03.12 MEDTRONIC INC

AI summary

Various techniques for measuring cardiac cycle length and pressure metrics based on pulmonary artery pressures are described. One example method described includes identifying a point within a derivative signal of a cardiovascular pressure signal without reference to electrical activity of a heart, initiating a time window from the identified point in the derivative signal, identifying a point within the cardiovascular signal within the time window, and determining at least one of a systolic pressure or diastolic pressure based on the identified point.