Detection and grouping analysis of cardiac cycles
AssigneeBiomagnetic Technologies, Inc.
InventorDavid Kynor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The physiology of the heart is analyzed by measuring a series of cardiac cycles using a biomagnetometer or other device capable of detecting cardiac cycles, classifying the cardiac cycles into groups according to the degree of correlation with a template cardiac cycle for the group, and associating the cardiac cycles of the groups with an origin location within the subject. The classifying operation preferably includes selecting a template cardiac cycle against which other previously ungrouped cardiac cycles are to be correlated, performing a correlation analysis of all previously ungrouped cardiac cycles with the template cardiac cycle, and associating with the template cardiac cycle all previously ungrouped cardiac cycles having at least a preselected degree of correlation, to form a group.
Claims18
Apparatus for measuring the physiology of the heart, comprising:
- means for detecting a series of cardiac cycles of a subject;
- means for storing the patterns of the series of cardiac cycles detected by the means for detecting;
- means for performing correlation analysis of cardiac cycles in the series of cardiac cycles;
- and
- means for classifying groupings of cardiac cycles, the means for classifying comprising
- means for identifying a first template cardiac cycle,
- means for forming a first selected group of cardiac cycles from among those of the series of cardiac cycles having at least a first preselected degree of correlation with the first template cardiac cycle, and leaving a first ungrouped group of cardiac cycles having a correlation less than the first preselected degree of correlation,
- means for selecting a second template cardiac cycle from the first ungrouped group of cardiac cycles, and
- means for forming a second group of cardiac cycles from among the first ungrouped group of cardiac cycles having at least a second preselected degree of correlation with the second template cardiac cycle, and leaving a second ungrouped group of cardiac cycles having a correlation less than the second preselected degree of correlation.
Apparatus for measuring the physiology of the heart, comprising:
- biomagnetometer means for detecting magnetic fields produced by a beating heart of a subject;
- means for storing the patterns of a series of cardiac cycles detected by the biomagnetometer means;
- means for performing correlation analysis of cardiac cycles in the series of cardiac cycles;
- and
- means for classifying the series of cardiac cycles into a plurality of groups, the means for classifying including means for identifying each group, including
- means for identifying a group template cardiac cycle, and
- means for forming a group of cardiac cycles from among those of the series of cardiac cycles not previously classified into a group and having at least a preselected degree of correlation with the template cardiac cycle.
A method for measuring the physiology of the heart, comprising the steps of:
- providing an apparatus that detects cardiac cycles of a subject;
- detecting magnetic signals corresponding to a time sequence of a plurality of cardiac cycles of a subject, utilizing the apparatus;
- and
- classifying the series of cardiac cycles into a number of groups according to the degree of correlation of each cardiac cycle with a template cardiac cycle for each group.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.