Using implantable medical devices to augment noninvasive cardiac mapping

A method comprising:

• establishing a bidirectional communications link between an electrophysiology (EP) monitoring system and an implantable medical device (IMD), the IMD including an IMD processor, an IMD communications module, and a plurality of IMD electrodes at respective fixed locations within a patient's body, in which the IMD electrodes are coupled to the IMD processor through an electrode interface and the communications module is configured to communicate data through a communications link;
• receiving IMD electrical data at the EP monitoring system via the communications link, the IMD electrical data representing signals generated and/or measured by at least one of the IMD electrodes;
• synchronizing the IMD electrical data with EP electrical measurement data to provide synchronized electrical data based on timing of a synchronization signal sensed by each of the IMD electrodes and/or by EP electrodes of the EP monitoring system, the EP electrical measurement data representing signals measured by the EP electrodes;
• controlling the IMD, responsive to instructions received from the EP monitoring system via the communications link, to provide a vector signal from one of the IMD electrodes to at least one other of the IMD electrodes;
• measuring electrical activity by the EP electrodes at measurement locations on an outer surface of the patient's body over a respective time interval responsive to the vector signal;
• and
• generating an EP map of electrical signals on the surface of interest based on the measured electrical activity over the respective time interval, the vector signal and geometry data, the geometry data representing locations of the EP electrodes, respective locations of the IMD electrodes within the patient's body and the surface of interest.

A system comprising:

• an implantable medical device (IMD) comprising an IMD processor, a first communications module, an electrode interface and an IMD electrode adapted to be positioned at a fixed location within a patient's body, in which the IMD electrode is coupled to the IMD processor through the electrode interface configured to provide IMD electrical data based on an electrical signal sensed by the IMD electrode and to control delivery of a stimulus signal through the IMD electrode;
• and
• an electrophysiology (EP) monitoring system comprising:
• EP electrodes;
• a second communications module;
• non-transitory memory to store the IMD electrical data, EP electrical data and geometry data, the EP electrical data representing signals measured by the EP electrodes;
• an EP processor coupled to the memory to access data and instructions stored in the memory, and coupled to the second communications module, the instructions programmed to at least:
• establish a communications link between the first and second communications modules while the IMD electrode is implanted at the fixed location in the patient's body;
• receive the IMD electrical data through the communications link;
• synchronize the IMD electrical data and the EP electrical data to provide synchronized electrical data based on a timing feature reflected in a synchronization signal sensed by the IMD electrode and/or the EP electrodes, the synchronized electrical data including electrical signals measured by the IMD electrodes and the EP electrodes that has been synchronized for a respective time interval;
• and
• compute a map of electrical signals for locations residing on a surface of interest based on the synchronized electrical data and the geometry data, the geometry data representing locations of the EP electrodes, the location of the IMD electrode within the patient's body and geometry of the surface of interest.