System for determining electrical status of patient attached leads

1. A system for determining electrical status of patient attached leads in medical patient monitoring, comprising:

a repository of data indicating a plurality of predetermined impedance value ranges and corresponding associated lead status information of at least one electrical lead attached to a patient for conducting electrical signals for use in patient monitoring;

an impedance measurement processor using a substantially passive impedance bridge network operating exclusive of constant current injection for automatically successively determining whether an impedance value of a particular patient attached lead of a plurality of electrical leads attached to patient skin is within a particular impedance value range of a plurality of predetermined impedance value ranges and capturing a cardiac impedance distribution together with electrophysiological vectors on different leads for together mapping to localize cardiac tissue conditions and indicating a potential patient medical condition supporting diagnosis, said impedance measurement processor predicts a lead signal voltage conveyed on said particular patient attached lead using remaining acceptable lead signals in response to a determination said particular impedance value range of said particular patient attached lead indicates an unacceptable connection and comprises a failed lead, wherein said prediction of said lead signal conveyed on said particular patient attached lead is in response to a weighted lead signal combination using remaining said acceptable lead signals; and

an output processor for communicating data comprising a message identifying an electrical status of a particular lead of said plurality of electrical leads by deriving status information from said repository in response to a determination said impedance value of said particular patient attached lead is within said particular impedance value range.

2. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said repository of data comprises stored data in electrical memory and

said impedance measurement processor automatically determines whether an impedance value of a particular patient attached lead indicates a potential patient medical condition supporting diagnosis and captures ECG signal amplitude and waveform shape information.

3. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said repository of data comprises data stored in an arrangement of electrical components,

said plurality of predetermined impedance value ranges indicate potential patient medical conditions and

said impedance measurement processor automatically selects between a potential patient medical condition and an unacceptable connection based on an impedance value of a particular patient attached lead.

4. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said plurality of predetermined impedance value ranges include, (a) a first value range indicating a particular patient attached lead has an acceptable connection, (b) a second value range indicating a particular patient attached lead has a poor or intermediate connection and (c) a third value range indicating a particular patient attached lead has negligible connection.

5. A system according to claim 4 , wherein

said first value range is below a threshold of approximately 4-7 kOhms,

said second value range exceeds said first value range but is below approximately 18-22 kOhms and

said third value range exceeds said second value range.

6. A system according to claim 4 , wherein

said plurality of predetermined impedance value ranges include a fourth value range indicating a particular patient attached lead exceeds approximately 100 kOhms and is a failed connection.

7. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said output processor automatically communicates data comprising at least one message identifying electrical status of said particular patient attached lead is unacceptable and inhibits processing of signal data conveyed on said particular patient attached lead in response to determining an impedance value of said particular patient attached lead is within a particular impedance value range.

8. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said impedance measurement processor automatically determines impedance value ranges of said plurality of electrical leads attached to said patient and

said output processor automatically communicates data comprising at least one message identifying electrical status of said plurality of electrical leads.

9. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said output processor automatically communicates said data comprising said message for display on a monitor of a patient monitoring device.

10. A system for determining electrical status of patient attached leads in medical patient monitoring, comprising:

a repository of data indicating a plurality of predetermined impedance value ranges and corresponding associated lead status information of at least one electrical lead attached to a patient for conducting electrical signals for use in patient monitoring, said plurality of predetermined impedance value ranges indicating potential patient medical conditions;

an impedance measurement processor using a substantially passive impedance bridge network operating exclusive of constant current injection for automatically successively determining whether an impedance value of a particular patient attached lead of a plurality of electrical leads attached to patient skin is within a particular impedance value range of a plurality of predetermined impedance value ranges by successively altering a known impedance value in an impedance bridge network and said impedance measurement processor automatically determines between whether an impedance value of a particular patient attached lead indicates a potential patient medical condition supporting diagnosis or an unacceptable connection and captures a cardiac impedance distribution together with electrophysiological vectors on different leads for mapping to localize cardiac tissue conditions and indicating a potential patient medical condition supporting diagnosis, wherein said impedance measurement processor automatically initiates prediction of a lead signal voltage conveyed on said particular patient attached lead in response to a weighted lead signal combination using remaining acceptable lead signals; and

an output processor for automatically communicating data comprising a message identifying an electrical status of a particular lead of said plurality of electrical leads by deriving status information from said repository in response to a determination said impedance value of said particular patient attached lead is within said particular impedance value range.

11. A system according to claim 10 , wherein

said impedance measurement processor automatically initiates said prediction of said lead signal voltage conveyed on said particular patient attached lead using said remaining acceptable lead signals in response to a determination said particular impedance value range of said particular patient attached lead indicates an unacceptable connection,

said particular impedance value and range is resistive and

said impedance measurement processor applies DC voltage to said impedance bridge network in successively altering a known impedance value in said impedance bridge network to determine said particular impedance value range.

12. A system according to claim 10 , wherein

said particular impedance value and range is reactive and comprises complex number values and

said impedance measurement processor applies AC voltage to said impedance bridge network in successively altering a known impedance value in said impedance bridge network to determine said particular impedance value range.

13. A method for determining electrical status of patient attached leads in medical patient monitoring, comprising the activities of:

employing at least one processing device for,

storing in a repository, data indicating a plurality of predetermined impedance value ranges and corresponding associated lead status information of at least one electrical lead attached to a patient for conducting electrical signals for use in patient monitoring;

using a substantially passive impedance bridge network operating exclusive of constant current injection for automatically successively determining whether an impedance value of a particular patient attached lead of a plurality of electrical leads attached to patient skin is within a particular impedance value range of a plurality of predetermined impedance value ranges and indicates a potential patient medical condition supporting diagnosis;

capturing a cardiac impedance distribution together with electrophysiological vectors on different leads for mapping to localize cardiac tissue conditions and indicating a potential patient medical condition supporting diagnosis;

predicting a lead signal conveyed on said particular patient attached lead using remaining acceptable lead signals in response to a determination said particular impedance value range of said particular patient attached lead indicates an unacceptable connection, wherein said prediction of said lead signal conveyed on said particular patient attached lead is in response to a weighted lead signal combination using remaining said acceptable lead signals; and

communicating data comprising a message identifying an electrical status of a particular lead of said plurality of electrical leads by deriving status information from said repository in response to a determination said impedance value of said particular patient attached lead is within said particular impedance value range.