System for cardiac medical condition detection

1. A system for heart performance characterization and abnormality detection, comprising:

an interface for receiving sampled data representing an electrical signal indicating electrical activity of a patient heart over a plurality of heart beat cycles;

a signal processor including a peak detector and time detector for identifying peaks and detecting a time difference between the identified peaks of the received sampled data, said signal processor being configured to process the received sampled data in determining,

a plurality of first signal characteristic values over a plurality of heart cycles including, a first signal characteristic value comprising a time interval between a peak of a P wave to a peak of a succeeding R wave representing a repolarization time interval in an individual heart cycle and

a plurality of second signal characteristic values over a plurality of heart cycles, a second signal characteristic value comprising a time interval between the start of a P wave to a peak of the P wave representing a depolarization time interval in an individual heart cycle;

a comparator for comparing at least one of the plurality of first and second signal characteristic values or a value determined by said signal processor from both the first and the second signal characteristic value, with a threshold value to provide a comparison indicator; and

a patient monitor for generating an alert message associated with the threshold in response to said comparison indicator.

2. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said value determined from both said first and second signal characteristic value comprises at least one of, a ratio, a ratio mean, a ratio standard deviation and a ratio variance.

3. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said signal processor derives a value from one or more of said plurality of first signal characteristic values and

said signal processor determines a ratio of a value derived from said plurality of first signal characteristic values to a value derived from said plurality of second signal characteristic values.

4. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said plurality of second signal characteristic values further comprises a time interval between a peak of a P wave to a peak of a succeeding Q wave in an individual heart cycle and said signal processor uses the peak detector and the time detector for identifying the start and peak points of the Q wave and P wave and for detecting a time difference between the identified points.

5. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said plurality of second signal characteristic values further comprises a time interval between a peak of a Q wave to an R wave peak in an individual heart cycle and said signal processor uses a wave start and peak detector and time detector for identifying the start and peak points of the Q wave and R wave and for detecting a time difference between the identified points.

6. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said plurality of second signal characteristic values further comprises an integral of a time-frequency product over a time interval between a peak of a P wave to a peak of a succeeding R wave representing a repolarization time interval.

7. A system according to claim 6 , wherein

said signal processor is configured to use the received sampled data in determining a plurality of third signal characteristic values over a plurality of heart cycles, a third signal characteristic value substantially comprising an integral of a time-frequency product over a time interval between the start of a P wave to a peak of the P wave representing a depolarization time interval.

8. A system according to claim 7 , wherein

said signal processor calculates a ratio of a second signal characteristic value to the third characteristic value.

9. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said signal processor is adapted to determine said plurality of first signal characteristic values over said plurality of heart cycles in response to synchronization with a heart cycle synchronization signal.

10. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said signal processor derives a value from one or more of said plurality of first signal characteristic values and

said signal processor provides said value derived from said plurality of first signal characteristic values by averaging said plurality of first signal characteristic values over said plurality of heart cycles.

11. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said signal processor derives a value from one or more of said plurality of first signal characteristic values and

said signal processor provides said value derived from said plurality of first signal characteristic values by determining a standard deviation or variance of said plurality of first signal characteristic values over said plurality of heart cycles.

12. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said signal processor derives a value from one or more of said plurality of first signal characteristic values and

said signal processor provides said value derived from said plurality of first signal characteristic values by determining a ratio of an average of said plurality of first signal characteristic values to a standard deviation or variance of said plurality of first signal characteristic values.

13. A system according to claim 1 , including

a repository of mapping information, associating ranges of said first characteristic value with corresponding medical conditions and

said comparator compares said first characteristic values with said ranges to provide a comparison indicator identifying a medical condition and

said patient monitor generates an alert message identifying said medical condition.

14. A system according to claim 13 , wherein

said predetermined mapping information associates ranges of said first characteristic values with particular patient demographic characteristics and with corresponding medical conditions and said system is configured to use patient demographic data including at least one of, age weight, gender and height in comparing said first characteristic value with said ranges and generating an alert message indicating a potential medical condition.

15. A system according to claim 1 , including

a repository of mapping information, associating ranges of said first and second characteristic values with corresponding medical conditions and

said comparator compares said first and second characteristic values with said ranges to provide a comparison indicator identifying a medical condition and

said patient monitor generates an alert message identifying said medical condition.

16. A system according to claim 15 , wherein

said predetermined mapping information associates ranges of said first and second characteristic values with particular patient demographic characteristics and with corresponding medical conditions and said system is configured to use patient demographic data including at least one of, age weight, gender and height in comparing the first and second characteristic values with said ranges and generating an alert message indicating a potential medical condition.

17. A system for heart performance characterization and abnormality detection, comprising:

an interface for receiving sampled data representing an electrical signal indicating electrical activity of a patient heart over a plurality of heart beat cycles;

a signal processor including a peak detector and time detector for identifying peaks and detecting a time difference between the identified peaks of the received sampled data, said signal processor being configured to process the received sampled data in determining,

a plurality of first signal characteristic values over a plurality of heart cycles including, a first signal characteristic value comprising a time interval between a peak of a P wave to a peak of a succeeding R wave representing a repolarization time interval in an individual heart cycle and

a plurality of second signal characteristic values over a plurality of heart cycles, a second signal characteristic value comprising a time interval between the start of a P wave to a peak of the P wave representing a depolarization time interval in an individual heart cycle;

a comparator for comparing a ratio determined by said signal processor from both the first and the second signal characteristic value, with a threshold value to provide a comparison indicator; and

a patient monitor for in response to said comparison indicator indicating at least one of said plurality of first signal characteristic values exceeds the threshold value, generating an alert message associated with the threshold.

18. A system for heart performance characterization and abnormality detection, comprising:

an interface for receiving sampled data representing an electrical signal indicating electrical activity of a patient heart over a plurality of heart beat cycles;

a signal processor configured to use the received sampled data in determining a plurality of first and second signal characteristic values over a plurality of heart cycles including,

a first signal characteristic value comprising a time interval between a peak of a P wave to a peak of a succeeding R wave representing a repolarization time interval in an individual heart cycle and

a second signal characteristic value comprising a time interval between the start of a P wave to a peak of the P wave representing a depolarization time interval in an individual heart cycle and said signal processor identifies the start and peak points of the P and R waves and detects a time difference between the identified points and

derives a value from at least one of the first and second signal characteristic value;

a comparator for comparing at least one of,

a value determined by said signal processor from both the first and the second signal characteristic value, with a threshold value to provide a comparison indicator,

the plurality of first signal characteristic values or a value derived from said plurality of first signal characteristic values with a threshold value to provide a comparison indicator and

the plurality of second signal characteristic values or a value derived from said plurality of second signal characteristic values with a threshold value to provide a comparison indicator; and

a patient monitor for generating an alert message associated with the threshold in response to a comparison indicator provided by said comparator.

19. A system according to claim 18 , wherein

said comparator determines a comparison indicator indicating whether said at least one of the first and second signal characteristic values lies in a predetermined value range and

said patient monitor, in response to a comparison indicator provided by said comparator indicating the first or second calculated signal characteristic value lies in a predetermined value range, generates an alert message associated with the value range.

20. A system according to claim 18 , wherein

said signal processor derives said threshold value from recorded electrical signal data for said patient.

21. A system according to claim 18 , wherein

said signal processor derives said threshold value from recorded electrical signal data for a population of patients.

22. A system according to claim 21 , wherein

said population of patients has similar demographic characteristics including at least two of, (a) age, (b) weight, (c) gender and (d) height, to those of said patient.

23. A system according to claim 18 , wherein

said signal processor dynamically adjusts said threshold value in response to heart electrical activity signal variation of the patient.

24. A system according to claim 18 , wherein

said plurality of heart cycles are successive heart cycles.

25. A system according to claim 18 , wherein

said signal processor dynamically adjusts at least one of the threshold values in response to heart electrical activity signal variation of said patient.

26. A method for heart performance characterization and abnormality detection, comprising the activities of:

receiving sampled data representing an electrical signal indicating electrical activity of a patient heart over a plurality of heart beat cycles;

using a peak detector and time detector for identifying the peaks and detecting a time difference between the identified peaks;

using the received sampled data and identified peaks and detected time difference in determining,

a plurality of first signal characteristic values over a plurality of heart cycles including, a first signal characteristic value comprising a time interval between a peak of a P wave to a peak of a succeeding R wave representing a repolarization time interval in an individual heart cycle and

a plurality of second signal characteristic values over a plurality of heart cycles, a second signal characteristic value comprising a time interval between the start of a P wave to a peak of the P wave representing a depolarization time interval in an individual heart cycle;

comparing at least one of the plurality of first and second signal characteristic values or a determined from both the first and the second signal characteristic value, with a threshold value to provide a comparison indicator; and

generating an alert message associated with the threshold in response to said comparison indicator.