Wearable medical device for continuous heart monitoring with intermittent additional signal data provided via one or more touch-sensitive electrodes

A wearable medical patch device for monitoring a patient, the device comprising:

• a first side configured to be positioned in continuous contact with the skin of a patient for an extended period of time;
• at least two first electrodes disposed on the first side;
• at least one touch electrode disposed on a second side of the medical patch device;
• a tissue fluid monitor, comprising one or more radio frequency (RF) antennas, configured to sense, based on signals responsive to RF waves that have passed through a lung of a patient, one or more parameters indicative of a fluid level in the patient's lung;
• at least one accelerometer configured to produce data indicative of a patient's physical position and movements;
• and
• a controller coupled to receive signal data from the at least two first electrodes, the at least one touch electrode, the tissue fluid monitor, and the at least one accelerometer, the controller configured to
• continuously monitor heart rhythms of a patient, based on signal data from the at least two first electrodes,
• additionally monitor heart rhythms of a patient, based on signal data from at least one of the at least two first electrodes and from the at least one touch electrode, during a time period when the patient is touching the at least one touch electrode,
• calculate a plurality of time-spaced change lung fluid content values for the one or more parameters indicative of the fluid level in a patient's lung, and
• correlate patient position and/or movements, based on signal data from the at least one accelerometer, with at least one other patient physiological parameter taken with the device.