Alarm Processor for Detection of Adverse Hemodynamic Effects of Cardiac Arrhythmia

An apparatus for providing a warning, comprising:

• a sensor, which is configured to be coupled to a body of a patient and to output a photoplethysmograph signal, which is indicative of sequential blood pulses in the body;
• and
• a processor, which is coupled to process the photoplethysmograph signal so as to generate a transformed signal based at least in part on a transformation of the photoplethysmograph signal, the processor being programmed to detect a change in a feature of the transformed signal;
• identify information indicative of a pulse rhythm abnormality based at least in part on the detected change in the feature of the transformed signal;
• and to identify the presence of a cardiac arrhythmia in a subject based at least in part on the information indicative of the pulse rhythm abnormality.

An apparatus for providing a warning, comprising:

• a first sensor, which is configured to be coupled to a body of a patient and to output a photoplethysmograph signal, which is indicative of sequential pulse waveforms in the body;
• a second sensor configured to be coupled to the body of a patient and to output an electrocardiograph signal generating QRS complexes;
• and
• a processor programmed to compare the signals and to detect the association of a change in the electrocardiographic signal and a substantially simultaneous change in the pulse waveforms and to output an indication responsive to the association.