Method, apparatus and product for acquiring cardiac images

1. 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.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the signal injection device is a magnetic signal injection device comprising at least one of a fixed magnet and an electromagnet.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

in response to the magnetic signal received at the pacer, activating a switch at the pacer for pacing the patient in a fixed asynchronous pacing mode.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the magnetic signal injection device is adapted to produce a magnetic signal having a signal strength at the pacer equal to or greater than about 90 Gauss when placed at a distance equal to or less than about 2 inches from the pacer.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the magnetic signal injection device has an outside dimension equal to or greater than an outside dimension of the pacer.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fixed asynchronous pacing mode includes a ventricular, an atrial, or a dual chamber asynchronous pacing mode.

7. 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.