Method and apparatus for acquiring and processing electrocardiographic signals
AssigneesPaolo Alcidi, Gino Grassi
InventorsPaolo Alcidi, Gino Grassi
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Abstract
Method and apparatus for acquiring and processing electrocardiographic signals comprising the steps of detecting and recording a first basic electrocardiographic waveform of a subject tested under relaxed condition, i.e at rest, and a second electrocardiographic waveform of the same subject tested at the end of an induced stress, which method further comprises comparing the said basic waveform with the second waveform and detecting, from the thus operated comparison, the instant in which a change in the second waveform takes place, by evaluating the time elapsed from a preset initial instant. (FIG. 1).
Claims10
A method of acquiring and processing electrocardiographic signals, the method comprising the steps of:
- detecting and recording a first basic electrocardiographic waveform of a subject tested under a relaxed condition;
- detecting and recording a second electrocardiographic waveform of the subject tested at an end of an induced stress;
- comparing said first electrocardiographic waveform with said second electrocardiographic waveform;
- detecting a point in time when said second waveform differs from said first waveform by evaluating a time elapsed from a preset initial time.
An apparatus for acquiring and processing electrocardiographic signals, the apparatus comprising:
- ECG differential amplifier means adapted to be connected to a thorax of a subject under test through one or more electrocardiographic leads, said ECG differential amplifier means picking up an electrocardiographic waveform;
- filter means located downstream of said amplifier means, said filter means including a first filter being a high-pass filter for stabilization of a baseline of said electrocardiographic waveform, said filter means including a second filter being a low-pass filter for minimizing accidental noises due to muscular tremor;
- an analog-digital converter means located downstream of said filter means for digitally converting said electrocardiographic waveform;
- averaging preprocessor means located downstream of said converter means for acquiring said electrocardiographic waveform and forming an averaged basic QRS thereof, said averaged QRS including an ascending segment QR and a descending segment RS;
- programmable microprocessor means located downstream of said averaging preprocessor means and for automatically performing the operations of:
- detecting a first normalization factor of said RS segment of said averaged QRS;
- detecting a second normalization factor of said QR segment of said averaged QRS;
- normalizing said RS and said QR segments;
- connecting said normalized segments QR and RS to attain a corresponding averaged QRS bilaterally normalized, QRS2n;
- aligning said normalized averaged QRS with another averaged QRS;
- detecting an alignment difference between corresponding points of said aligned normalized averaged QRS with said another averaged QRS;
- display means connected to said programmable microprocessor means for displaying and printing waveforms from said programmable microprocessor means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.