Physiologic Signal Display Range Adjustment for P-Wave Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for displaying physiologic signal segments, such as EGM signals, often obscure small features like P-waves due to noise artifacts and signal saturation, making it difficult for clinicians to diagnose atrial arrhythmias.
Innovation Solution
The method involves dividing physiologic signal segments into sub-segments, determining new minimum and maximum peak amplitudes, and adjusting the display range and gain level to enhance visibility of small features within a specified display band, accompanied by a scale indicator for clearer visualization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all sample points of the EGM signal segment are displayed within a display band having a specified height, then both the maximum and minimum peaks can be seen by the clinician, but small signal components such as P-waves become difficult or impossible to observe
Solution Approach 1:
The EGM signal segment is divided into multiple sub-segments, and the display is organized into multiple panels corresponding to these sub-segments. This segmentation allows the clinician to view different portions of the signal with different display ranges, making small features like P-waves visible in panels where they occur, while still providing access to the complete signal through the collection of all panels.
2Loss of information
If the display range is adjusted to show small signal components, then P-waves become visible, but the maximum and minimum peaks may extend beyond the display band boundaries
Solution Approach 1:
Different panels in the display are assigned different display ranges tailored to the specific characteristics of their corresponding sub-segments. Panels containing small P-wave features use a narrower display range to magnify these features, while panels with large amplitude QRS complexes use a wider display range to accommodate the full signal excursion. This local adaptation of display quality ensures optimal visibility of relevant features in each panel.
3Reliability
If the display band height is increased to accommodate larger signal ranges, then all peaks fit within the display, but the resolution and visibility of small features decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The solution transitions from a single-dimensional display (one display band showing the entire signal) to a multi-dimensional display arrangement (multiple panels organized in a grid or sequence). This dimensional change allows the system to preserve fine detail resolution in each panel while providing comprehensive coverage of the entire signal segment across the collection of panels, effectively trading horizontal space for vertical resolution.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods described herein improve visibility of features (e.g., P-waves) of a physiologic signal segment (e.g., an EGM or ECG signal segment) to be displayed within a display band having a specified height between an upper and a lower boundary of the display band. The physiologic signal segment is divided into sub-segments, for each of which a sub-segment minimum peak amplitude and maximum peak amplitude are determined. Based thereon, a new minimum peak amplitude and a new maximum peak amplitude are determined and used to determine a new display range. A portion of the physiologic signal segment that is within the new display range is caused to be display, within the display band having the specified height, such that the upper boundary of the display band corresponds to the new maximum peak amplitude, and the lower boundary of the display band corresponds to the new minimum peak amplitude.