Cardiac monitoring system with automatic delection of electrode positioning and connection box switching
View Patent ↗A cardiac monitoring system that automatically determines whether one or more electrodes are placed at wrong positions on a person's body includes an ECG monitor. The electrodes are connected to the ECG monitor wirelessly or by wire. Each electrode includes a position code that corresponds to a body location where the electrode is to be placed. The signals that are transmitted from each electrode include the position code assigned to the electrode. The profile of the signals received from the electrodes are compared with expected profile of the signals from the electrodes that are placed at each specific position on the body. The position code in the transmitted data of any electrode that is determined to be placed at a wrong position is automatically replaced with the position code corresponding to the electrodes' actual position. The leads are then determined based on the electrode signals and the electrodes' position codes.
1 . A cardiac monitoring system, comprising:
a first plurality of input ports, each input port in the first plurality of input ports configured to receive signals from a corresponding electrode patch, in a plurality of electrode patches, placed at a corresponding predetermined position in a plurality of positions on a body of a subject;
a first processor configured to:
process the signals received at the first plurality of input ports; and
determine an electrocardiogram of the subject's heart when each input port in the first plurality of input ports receives one or more signals from the corresponding electrode patch;
a connection box comprising:
a second plurality of input ports, each input port in the second plurality of input ports connected to an electrode patch in the plurality of electrode patches by one or more wires;
a plurality of output ports, each output port in the plurality of output ports connected to an input port in the first plurality of input ports by one or more wires;
a second processor;
a switch; and
a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a plurality of predetermined signal profiles, each predetermined signal profile associated with an electrode patch in the plurality of electrode patches, each predetermined signal profile generated from signals received by the associated electrode patch placed at the corresponding predetermined position on bodies of a plurality of persons;
wherein the second processor is configured to:
receive, after a start of monitoring cardiac activity of the subject, signals from each electrode patch in the plurality of electrode patches, each electrode patch signal comprising a signal received by the electrode patch from the subject's heart;
compare a profile of the signals received from each electrode patch with the predetermined signal profile associated with the electrode patch;
determine that the profile of the signals received from a set of one or more electrode patches in the plurality of electrode patches does not match the predetermined signal profile corresponding to the electrode patch;
for each electrode patch in the set of electrode patches:
determine an actual position of the electrode patch on the body of the subject by matching the profile of the electrode patch's signal with another predetermined signal profile in the plurality of predetermined signal profiles; and
route the electrode patch signal, through the switch and an output port of the connection box, to an input port in the first plurality of input ports that corresponds to the electrode patch.
2 . The cardiac monitoring system of claim 1 ,
wherein the connection box further comprises a plurality of amplifiers,
wherein each amplifier in the plurality of amplifiers is configured to:
receive analog signals from an electrode patch through an input port in the second plurality of input ports; and
amplify the analog signals received from the electrode patch.
3 . The cardiac monitoring system of claim 2 ,
wherein the connection box further comprises a plurality of noise filters;
wherein each noise filter in the plurality of noise filters is connected to an output of an amplifier in the plurality of amplifiers, and
wherein each noise filter in the plurality of noise filters is configured to filter noise from the signals amplified by the corresponding amplifier.
4 . The cardiac monitoring system of claim 3 ,
wherein the connection box further comprises a plurality of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs),
wherein each ADC in the plurality of ADCs is positioned between an output of a corresponding noise filter in the plurality of noise filters and the second processor, and
wherein each ADC in the plurality of ADCs is configured to:
receive analog signals from the output of the corresponding noise filter;
convert analog signals received from the corresponding noise filter into digital signals; and
send the digital signals to the second processor.
5 . The cardiac monitoring system of claim 3 ,
wherein the switch comprises a plurality of inputs, and
wherein an output of each noise filter in the plurality of noise filters is connected to an input in the plurality of inputs of the switch.
6 . The cardiac monitoring system of claim 1 ,
wherein the switch is a first switch,
wherein the connection box further comprises:
a plurality of selector switches other than the first switch, each selector switch comprising a control input, a plurality of analog inputs, and a plurality of outputs; and
a plurality of amplifiers, each amplifier comprising a first input and a plurality of inputs other than the first input, wherein each output in the plurality of outputs of a selector switch is connected to an input in the plurality of inputs of a corresponding amplifier,
wherein each selector switch and the corresponding amplifier are configured such that:
an input port in the second plurality of input ports is connected to the first input of the amplifier,
each of a remainder of the input ports in the second plurality of input ports is connected to an analog input of the selector switch,
wherein the second processor is configured to program each selector switch, through the control input of the selector switch, to program each selector switch to route zero or more inputs in the plurality of inputs of the selector switch through the output of the selector switch into the plurality of analog inputs of the amplifier.
7 . The cardiac monitoring system of claim 6 ,
wherein the connection box further comprises a plurality of noise filters;
wherein each noise filter in the plurality of noise filters is connected to an output of an amplifier in the plurality of amplifiers, and
wherein each noise filter in the plurality of noise filters is configured to filter noise from the signals amplified by the corresponding amplifier.
8 . The cardiac monitoring system of claim 7 ,
wherein the connection box further comprises a plurality of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs),
wherein each ADC in the plurality of ADCs is positioned between an output of a corresponding noise filter in the plurality of noise filters and the second processor, and
wherein each ADC in the plurality of ADCs is configured to:
receive analog signals from the output of the corresponding noise filter;
convert analog signals received from the corresponding noise filter into digital signals; and
send the digital signals to the second processor.
9 . The cardiac monitoring system of claim 7 ,
wherein the switch comprises a plurality of inputs, and
wherein an output of each noise filter in the plurality of noise filters is connected to an input in the plurality of inputs of the switch.