Method of using a matched filter for detecting QRS complex from a patient undergoing magnetic resonance imaging

Method for automating an initiation of MRI data acquisition upon a detection of QRS complex in an ECG signal for a patient undergoing MRI, comprising the steps of:

• correlating a QRS complex template with each continuous-in-time ECG signal received from a set of ECG channels of a patient, the QRS complex template representative of a shape in time unique to a QRS complex in a set of QRS complexes for the patient;
• assigning a weighted score for each ECG channel indicative of a strength of the correlation of the QRS complex template with the continuous-in-time ECG signal for a particular ECG channel in said set of ECG channels;
• determining a threshold that when exceeded indicates that the continuous-in-time ECG signal correlates with the QRS complex template, the threshold a combined value of each continuous-in-time ECG signal in said set of ECG channels, the contribution of each ECG channel to the threshold proportionate to the assigned weighted score for each ECG channel;
• correlating the QRS complex template for each ECG channel in said set of ECG channels with a real-time ECG signal for each ECG channel in said set of ECG channels of the patient undergoing MRI;
• combining the correlations for each ECG channel in said set of ECG channels, the contribution of each ECG channel to the combined correlation proportionate to the weighted score assigned to each ECG channel;
• and,
• initiating automatically a prescribed MRI data acquisition at a point in time when the combined correlation exceeds the threshold.

A method for automating an initiation of MRI data acquisition upon detection of QRS complex in an ECG signal for a patient undergoing MRI, comprising the steps of:

• determining a QRS complex template having a shape in time representative of an average shape in time of QRS complex in a set of QRS complexes in an ECG signal for a patient;
• correlating the QRS complex template with a continuous-in-time ECG signal of the patient;
• determining a threshold that when exceeded indicates that the continuous-in-time ECG signal correlates with the QRS complex template;
• correlating a real-time ECG signal from the patient undergoing MRI with the QRS complex template;
• and,
• initiating automatically a prescribed MRI data acquisition at a point in time when the correlation of the real-time ECG signal with the QRS complex template exceeds the threshold.

Method for automating an initiation of MRI data acquisition upon correlation of a real-time ECG signal of a patient undergoing MRI with a predescribed template, comprising the steps of:

• correlating a predescribed template with each continuous-in-time ECG signal received from a set of ECG channels of a patient, the predescribed template representative of a time course unique to a subsection of the continuous-in-time ECG signal for the patient;
• assigning a weighted score for each ECG channel indicative of a strength of the correlation of the predescribed template with the continuous-in-time ECG signal for a particular ECG channel in said set of ECG channels;
• determining a threshold that when exceeded indicates that the continuous-in-time ECG signal correlates with the predescribed template, the threshold a combined value for each continuous-in-time ECG signal in said set of ECG channels, the contribution of each ECG channel to the threshold proportionate to a weighted score assigned to each ECG channel;
• correlating the predescribed template for each ECG channel in said set of ECG channels with a real-time ECG signal for each ECG channel in said set of ECG channels of the patient undergoing MRI;
• combining the correlations for each ECG channel in said set of ECG channels, the contribution of each ECG channel to the combined correlation proportionate to the weighted score assigned to each ECG channel;
• and,
• initiating automatically a prescribed MRI data acquisition when the combined correlation exceeds the threshold.