Method, apparatus and product for acquiring cardiac images
AssigneesGE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC, Jasbir S. Sra
InventorsMarc Anthony Burrell, Jasbir S. Sra
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Abstract
A method for acquiring cardiac information from a patient having a pacer for pacing a heart rhythm, an abnormal EKG, or an abnormal heartbeat is disclosed. The method includes: placing a signal injection device proximate the pacer of the patient and injecting a signal across a skin barrier of the patient toward the pacer; in response to the signal received at the pacer, pacing the patient's heart in a fixed asynchronous pacing mode; and, acquiring cardiac information relating to the patient's fixed asynchronously paced heart.
Claims7
A method for acquiring a cardiac image from a patient having a pacer for pacing a heart rhythm, an abnormal EKG, or an abnormal heartbeat, the method comprising:
- receiving a gated electrocardiogram signal having local maxima and minima values and trigger points;
- determining for a period of time the time between each trigger point and the local maxima or minima associated therewith;
- in response to the trigger point occurring at the associated local maxima or minima, calculating a zero time differential for a corrected trigger for gating;
- in response to the trigger point occurring prior to the associated local maxima or minima, calculating a time delay for the corrected trigger;
- in response to the trigger point occurring after the associated local maxima or minima, calculating a time advancement for the corrected trigger;
- sending the corrected trigger to a cardiac image acquisition device for gating, wherein the gating is substantially synchronized with the local maxima or minima of the gated electrocardiogram signal;
- placing a signal injection device proximate the pacer of the patient and injecting a signal across a skin barrier of the patient toward the pacer;
- in response to the signal received at the pacer, pacing the patient's heart in a fixed asynchronous pacing mode;
- and
- acquiring a cardiac image of the patient's fixed asynchronously paced heart.
A method for acquiring cardiac information from a patient having a pacer for pacing a heart rhythm, an abnormal EKG, or an abnormal heartbeat, the method performed using an apparatus having electrocardiogram-gated acquisition and cardiac imaging capabilities for use with a patient having a pacer, the apparatus comprising an electrocardiograph, a cardiac scanner in signal communication with the electrocardiograph, an interface board in signal communication intermediate the electrocardiograph and the cardiac scanner, and a storage medium, readable by a processing circuit, storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing aspects of the method, the method comprising:
- receiving a gated electrocardiogram signal having local maxima and minima values and trigger points;
- determining for a period of time the time between each trigger point and the local maxima or minima associated therewith;
- in response to the trigger point occurring at the associated local maxima or minima, calculating a zero time differential for a corrected trigger for gating;
- in response to the trigger point occurring prior to the associated local maxima or minima, calculating a time delay for the corrected trigger;
- in response to the trigger point occurring after the associated local maxima or minima, calculating a time advancement for the corrected trigger;
- sending the corrected trigger to a cardiac image acquisition device for gating, wherein the gating is substantially synchronized with the local maxima or minima of the gated electrocardiogram signal;
- placing a signal injection device proximate the pacer of the patient and injecting a signal across a skin barrier of the patient toward the pacer;
- in response to the signal received at the pacer, pacing the patient's heart in a fixed asynchronous pacing mode;
- and
- acquiring cardiac information relating to the patient's fixed asynchronously paced heart;
- and
- acquiring a cardiac image of the patient's fixed asynchronously paced heart.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.