Device for analysis of recorded electrocardiogram

A gauge and slipcase combination comprising:

• (a) a gauge which facilitates the analysis of a recorded electrocardiogram which comprises a flat sheet of transparent material having:
• (i) a plurality of straight diverging lines disposed on said sheet with the lines being spaced apart at equal angular increments;
• (ii) a plurality of straight, parallel lines disposed on said sheet extending in a direction transverse to said diverging lines and perpendicular to a line extending medially between the outermost of said diverging lines, said diverging lines intersecting said parallel lines as to define equal increments, along a given parallel line, and said transverse lines being spatially arranged such that they intersect with said diverging lines to form a grid therewith wherein the distance between adjacent points of intersection with said diverging lines on any of the parallel lines bear a relation to the heart beat rates or heart rate cycle interval of a periodic wave form recorded on an electrographic chart or strip;
• (iii) indicia means disposed on said sheet for designating the transverse parallel lines as graduations of a scale comprising intervals which correspond to said heart rate cycle intervals or heart beat rates;
• (iv) said gauge being physically sized so that said diverging lines are laterally spaced apart to encompass at least two heart beat cycles of said periodic wave form;
• (v) wherein said sheet is generally rectangular and includes a longitudinally extending slit toward one long edge thereof, thereby providing a flexible tongue between said slit and edge for frictionally engaging the clothing of a user when the remainder of the gauge is inserted into said user's pocket;
• and
• (b) a slip case having a slit extending on one side thereof, said slip case receiving said gauge with said tongue extending from said case slit whereby said encased gauge can be inserted into a user's pocket and retained frictionally by said protruding tongue.

A method for accurately determining the degree of regularity of the cardiac rhythm over a sequence of beats in a periodic waveform recorded on an ECG tracing, said method comprising:

• the steps of placing a transparent sheet gauge over a periodic waveform recorded on an ECG tracing, with the sheet having a scale disposed thereon which is defined by a plurality of straight diverging lines which are spaced apart so as to provide continuously variable spacing capable of matching a periodic waveform of any cycle length or repetition rate;
• aligning the scale with respect to the periodic waveform such that the diverging lines intersect with respective segments on a sequence of cycles on said periodic waveform, and with the base line of said waveform extending perpendicularly to a line extending medially between the outermost diverging lines;
• and
• comparing the regularity of the intersections of the diverging lines with the respective segments of a sequence of cycles on said waveform.

A method for accurately determining the degree of regularity of the cardiac rhythm over a sequence of beats in a periodic waveform recorded on an ECG tracing, said method comprising the steps of:

• determining the cycle length or heartbeat rate of a periodic waveform recorded on an ECG tracing;
• placing a transparent sheet gauge over said ECG tracing, with the sheet having a scale disposed thereon, which is defined by a plurality of straight diverging lines and a plurality of straight parallel lines which extend in a direction transverse to the diverging lines and perpendicular to a line extending medially between the outermost of said diverging lines, said diverging lines intersecting said parallel lines as to define equal increments on a given parallel line, and indicia for designating the transverse parallel lines as graduations of a scale comprising cycle interval or hearbeat rate;
• aligning one of the straight parallel lines corresponding to the determined cycle length or heart rate of said periodic waveform with respect to the base line of the periodic waveform in such a position that the outermost of the diverging lines intersecting said straight parallel line intersects with respective segments on a sequence of cycles of said periodic waveform;
• and
• comparing the regularity of intersection of the diverging lines with the straight parallel line with respective segments of a sequence of beats, and thereby accurately determining the regularity of cardiac rhythm of a series of beats in a periodic waveform.