System for cardiac condition detection using heart waveform area associated analysis

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

an interface for receiving waveform signal data representing electrical activity of a patient heart over at least one heart beat cycle;

a signal processor, employing a signal peak and amplitude detector and

identifying a first signal portion of a first heart cycle of said signal data,

identifying a plurality of different amplitude ranges within said first signal portion,

determining a first area under said waveform in said first signal portion and in only one of the plurality of different amplitude ranges, and

deriving a parameter based on the determined first area; and

an output processor for generating an alert message if at least one of,

(a) the derived parameter and

(b) a difference between the derived parameter and a corresponding derived parameter for a different heart cycle for the patient, exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

2. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said signal data is digitally sampled data and

said first signal portion substantially comprises at least one of, (a) a QR portion and (b) an RS portion.

3. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said signal peak detector,

detects peaks of a waveform within the received signal data and a valley as a negative peak in the waveform and

detects a baseline comprising a substantially zero voltage level of the signal data by filtering out a static (DC) voltage signal component from the received signal data and by determining a substantially zero voltage level of the resultant filtered received signal data and

detects a signal portion as lying between at least one of, a peak, a valley and an intersection of said waveform with said baseline.

4. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said signal processor derives said parameter as a ratio of the determined first area to a sum of areas under said waveform in said first signal portion in one or more others of the plurality of amplitude ranges.

5. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said signal processor derives said parameter in response to at least one of, an energy, frequency, entropy and complexity value associated with said determined first area.

6. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said signal processor derives said parameter in response to at least one of, energy, frequency, entropy and complexity values associated with both said determined first area and a sum of areas under said waveform in said first signal portion in one or more others of the plurality of amplitude ranges.

7. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said signal processor derives said parameter in response to calculating a standard deviation or variance of said determined first area over a plurality of heart cycles.

8. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said signal processor

identifies a second signal portion of the first heart cycle of said signal data,

identifies a second plurality of different amplitude ranges within said second signal portion,

determines a second area under said waveform in said second signal portion and in only one of the plurality of different amplitude ranges, and

derives said parameter based on the determined first and second areas.

9. A system according to claim 8 , wherein

said first signal portion substantially comprises a QR portion and said second signal portion substantially comprises an RS portion.

10. A system according to claim 8 , wherein

said first signal portion and said second signal portion are in the same heart cycle.

11. A system according to claim 8 , wherein

said first signal portion and said second signal portion are in different heart cycles of the same patient.

12. A system according to claim 8 , wherein

said signal processor derives said parameter as a ratio of the determined first area and determined second area.

13. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said signal processor adaptively selects said of the plurality of different amplitude ranges from said plurality of different amplitude ranges in response to at least one of, (a) data indicating a clinical procedure being performed and (b) a detected noise level of said signal data.

14. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said signal processor includes a timing detector for detecting time duration between a detected peak of a heart activity signal of the patient and a detected peak of the received signal data of the patient.

15. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said threshold value is derived from received signal data for a population of patients.

16. A system according to claim 15 , 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.

17. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said signal processor dynamically adjusts said threshold value in response to a determined sensitivity of arrhythmia detection.

18. A system according to claim 1 , including

a repository of mapping information, associating ranges of said derived parameter with corresponding medical conditions and

said output processor compares said derived parameter with said ranges and in response generates an alert message identifying a medical condition.

19. A system according to claim 18 , wherein

said predetermined mapping information associates ranges of derived parameters with particular patient demographic characteristics and with corresponding medical conditions and said system uses patient demographic data including at least one of, age weight, gender and height in comparing a derived parameter with said ranges and generating an alert message indicating a potential medical condition.

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

an interface for receiving waveform signal data representing electrical activity of a patient heart over at least one heart beat cycle;

a signal processor, employing a signal peak and amplitude detector, and

identifying a first signal portion of a first heart cycle of said signal data,

identifying a second signal portion of the first heart cycle of said signal data,

identifying a plurality of different amplitude ranges within the first and second signal portions,

determining a first area under said waveform in said first signal portion and in only one of the plurality of different amplitude ranges,

determining a second area under said waveform in said second signal portion and in only the one of the plurality of different amplitude ranges, and

deriving a parameter based on the determined first and second areas; and

an output processor for generating an alert message if at least one of,

(a) the derived parameter and

(b) a difference between the derived parameter and a corresponding derived parameter for a different heart cycle for the patient, exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

21. A system according to claim 20 , wherein

said first signal portion substantially comprises a QR portion and said second signal portion substantially comprises an RS portion and

said first signal portion and said second signal portion are at least one of, (a) in the same heart cycle and (b) in different heart cycles of the same patient.