Computer-implemented method of handling electrocardiogram data

1. A method of displaying electrocardiogram data on a display screen of a computer, the electrocardiogram data having a collection of magnitude values varying over time and representing a succession of heartbeats, the method comprising:

the computer displaying the electrocardiogram data within an elongated rectangular portion of the display screen, with a plurality of single axis graphs extending transversally relative to the length of the rectangular portion, and positioned immediately adjacent to one another along the length of the rectangular portion, each graph in the sequence representing a corresponding, successive, period of time of the electrocardiogram data with the magnitude values displayed by corresponding colors or tones as a function of a color and/or tone magnitude scale, and corresponding time values plotted along the single axis, wherein heartbeats represented by corresponding ones of the graphs each have a common alignment reference feature being transversally aligned with a common transversal reference coordinate of the rectangular portion, and ending at a common rhythmic reference feature, the transversal positions of the ends of the graphs varying from one graph to another as a function of heartbeat rhythm; and

the computer further displaying a remaining area extending transversally between the ends of the graphs and a corresponding edge of the rectangular portion in a manner contrasting with the color and/or tone scale of the graphs.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the color and/or tone scale is a color scale, and the remaining area is black.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of displaying the electrocardiogram data includes:

if i) a heartbeat is associated to the period of time corresponding to a given graph and ii) a next heartbeat is further associated to a next period of time of the electrocardiogram data, then displaying in the given graph magnitude values spanning P, Q, R, S and T peaks of the associated heartbeat, and the magnitude values spanning from the T peak of the associated heartbeat to the common rhythmic reference feature of the next heartbeat, across at least a P peak of the next heartbeat; and

if i) a heartbeat is associated to the period of time corresponding to a given graph and ii) a next heartbeat is not associated to a next period of time of the electrocardiogram data, then displaying in the given graph magnitude values spanning P, Q, R, S and T peaks of the associated heartbeat, and the magnitude values spanning from the T peak of the associated heartbeat to a maximum duration of the given graph, the maximum duration of the given graph corresponding to a spatial coordinates of the corresponding edge of the rectangular portion.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of displaying the electrocardiogram data includes:

if a heartbeat is not associated to the period of time corresponding to a given graph, then displaying in the given graph magnitude values spanning the entire duration of the period of time, leading to the maximum duration.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the common alignment reference feature is a R peak.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the common rhythmic reference feature is associated with one of a Q peak, a R peak and a S peak of a next heartbeat.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the common rhythmic reference feature is the beginning of the R peak of a next heartbeat.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the common alignment reference feature and the common rhythmic reference feature are the same reference feature.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the corresponding edge of the rectangular portion has a transversal position corresponding to at least 1.8 second in the spatial coordinates.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the corresponding edge of the rectangular portion has a transversal position corresponding to 2 seconds in the spatial coordinates.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the spatial coordinates are linear.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the spatial coordinates are logarithmic.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the display screen has a plurality of pixels, and the step of displaying the electrocardiogram data includes displaying each graph in a corresponding column of pixels.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the length of the rectangular area extends horizontally and the single axis of the graphs extends vertically.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of displaying the electrocardiogram data includes displaying the electrocardiogram data in a plurality of vertically superposed ones of said rectangular area, with a time scale of the plurality of graphs extending from the left to the right-hand side of corresponding rectangular areas, and from an upper rectangular area to a lower rectangular area.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising the computer further displaying, in another rectangular portion of the display screen, a 2D graph plotting the magnitude values on a vertical scale, and time on a horizontal scale for a plurality of adjacent ones of the single axis graphs.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising the computer displaying a visual marker indicating the plurality of adjacent ones of the graphs which correspond to a corresponding portion of the electrocardiogram data displayed in the 2D graph.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising: receiving a user input corresponding to spatial coordinates of at least one of said single axis graphs displayed in said rectangular portion, and displaying, in the 2D graph, the portion of the electrocardiogram data corresponding to the at least one of said single axis graphs indicated by said user input.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying a plurality of numerical values indicative of a temporal coordinates associated with the scale of the single axis on at least one side of the rectangular area.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying a plurality of numerical values indicative of heart rate on at least one side of the rectangular area.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of displaying the electrocardiogram data includes displaying only one graph for each group of a given number of adjacent heartbeats.

22. A computer program product stored in a computer memory and readable by the computer to perform the method according to claim 1 .