Calculating a heart rate from an ECG waveform by discarding a percentage of R-R intervals prior to averaging

A medical device for calculating a heart rate in an ECG waveform, comprising:

• detection logic for detecting a plurality of heartbeats in said ECG waveform;
• means for determining a plurality of intervals between each of said plurality of heartbeats;
• means for sorting said plurality of intervals from shortest interval to longest interval, thereby creating sorted intervals;
• first discarding means for discarding a first percentage of the shortest intervals;
• second discarding means for discarding a second percentage of the longest intervals, wherein said intervals remaining after said first discarding means and said second discarding means are remaining intervals;
• means for first averaging said remaining intervals to obtain a first average interval;
• means for converting said first average interval to a heart rate;
• means for storing said heart rate;
• means for waiting a period of time;
• means for repeating said determining, sorting, first discarding, and second discarding means;
• second averaging means for averaging said remaining intervals to obtain a second average interval;
• third averaging means for averaging said first average interval with said second average interval to obtain a third average interval;
• means for converting said third average interval to a second heart rate;
• and
• means for storing said second heart rate.

A method of calculating a heart rate in an ECG waveform, comprising the steps of:

• detecting a plurality of heartbeats in said ECG waveform;
• determining a plurality of intervals between each of said plurality of heartbeats;
• sorting said plurality of intervals from shortest interval to longest interval, thereby creating sorted intervals;
• first discarding a first percentage of the shortest intervals;
• second discarding a second percentage of the longest intervals, said first percentage and said second percentage being the same, wherein said intervals remaining after said first discarding step and said second discarding step are remaining intervals;
• first averaging said remaining intervals to obtain a first average interval;
• converting said first average interval to a heart rate;
• and
• storing said heart rate.

A medical device for calculating a heart rate in an ECG waveform, comprising:

• detection logic for detecting a plurality of heartbeats in said ECG waveform;
• means for determining a plurality of intervals between each of said plurality of heartbeats;
• means for sorting said plurality of intervals from shortest interval to longest interval, thereby creating sorted intervals;
• first discarding means for discarding a first percentage of the shortest intervals;
• second discarding means for discarding a second percentage of the longest intervals, said first percentage and said second percentage being the same, wherein said intervals remaining after said first discarding means and said second discarding means are remaining intervals;
• means for first averaging said remaining intervals to obtain a first average interval;
• means for converting said first average interval to a heart rate;
• and
• means for storing said heart rate.