System and method to identify sources associated with biological rhythm disorders

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016015283-A1
Application number	US-201514869687-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 29, 2015
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Jan 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system and method are provided to define a driver of a source associated with a cardiac rhythm disorder of a human heart. A plurality of cardiac signals associated with sensors arranged spatially in relation to an area of the heart are processed to determine a sequence of arcs of rotation in relation to the sensors over a time interval. Rotational directions of the arcs of rotation in the sequence are determined. The area of the heart is identified as controlling the source when the rotational directions of the arcs of rotation in the sequence continue in a same rotational direction in excess of a threshold.

First claim

1 . A method of identifying an area of a human heart, the area associated with controlling a source of a cardiac rhythm disorder of the human heart, the method comprising:
processing a plurality of cardiac signals associated with sensors arranged spatially in relation to the area of the heart to determine at least one sequence of activation in relation to the sensors over a time interval; determining a rotational direction of the at least one sequence of activation; and identifying the area of the heart as associated with controlling the source when the at least one sequence of activation continues to rotate in the rotational direction over the time interval.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensors define vertices of the area of the heart.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the area comprises a plurality of areas of the heart defined by the vertices, the plurality of areas associated with controlling the source of the cardiac rhythm disorder.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises generating an indicator associated with the area of the heart as controlling the source.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the method further comprises corresponding the indicator to the sensors arranged spatially in relation to the area of the heart.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein corresponding the indicator to the sensors arranged spatially in relation to the area of the heart comprises overlaying the indicator over a representation of the plurality of cardiac signals.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the rotational direction of the at least one sequence of activation further comprises:
determining arcs of rotation of the at least one sequence in relation to the sensors over the time interval; and determining rotational directions of the arcs of rotation.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein identifying the area of the heart as associated with controlling the source further comprises determining that the rotational directions of the arcs of rotation continue in the rotational direction in excess of a threshold.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein determining a rotational direction of an arc of rotation comprises:
selecting a first cardiac signal and a second cardiac signal from the plurality of cardiac signals; determining indices of rotational activity among the first cardiac signal and the second cardiac signal at a plurality of time points during the time interval; and combining the indices of rotational activity to define the rotational direction of the arc of rotation.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein determining an index of rotational activity comprises:
calculating a phase difference among the first cardiac signal and the second cardiac signal at a time point of the time interval; and determining whether the phase difference is less than or equal to a first phase threshold, or whether the phase difference is greater than a second phase threshold; incrementing the phase difference by a phase value when the phase difference is less than or equal to the first phase threshold; and decrementing the phase difference by the phase value when the phase difference is greater than the second phase threshold.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein combining the indices of rotational activity comprises summing calculated phase differences, as incremented or decremented, at the plurality of time points of the time interval.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
performing processing, determining and identifying over a plurality of time intervals; and determining persistence of the identified area as controlling the source when the at least one sequence of activation continues to rotate in the rotational direction over the plurality of time intervals.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises generating an indicator associated with the persistence of the identified area as associated with controlling the source.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises corresponding the indicator to the sensors arranged spatially in relation to the area of the heart.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein corresponding the indicator to the sensors arranged spatially in relation to the area of the heart comprises overlaying the indicator over representations of the plurality of cardiac signals associated with the plurality of time intervals.

16 . A system to identify an area of a human heart, the area associated with controlling a source of a cardiac rhythm disorder of the human heart, the system comprising:
a processing device; and a memory device to store a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processing device, cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:
processing a plurality of cardiac signals associated with sensors arranged spatially in relation to the area of the heart to determine at least one sequence of activation in relation to the sensors over a time interval;
determining a rotational direction of the at least one sequence of activation; and
identifying the area of the heart as associated with controlling the source when the at least one sequence of activation continues to rotate in the rotational direction over the time interval.

17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the sensors define vertices of the area of the heart.

18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the area comprises a plurality of areas of the heart defined by the vertices, the plurality of areas associated with controlling the source of the cardiac rhythm disorder.

19 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the operations further comprise generating an indicator associated with the area of the heart as controlling the source.

20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the operations further comprise corresponding the indicator to the sensors arranged spatially in relation to the area of the heart.

21 . The system of claim 20 , wherein the operations further comprise overlaying the indicator over a representation of the plurality of cardiac signals.

22 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the operations to determine the rotational direction of the at least one sequence of activation comprise:
determining arcs of rotation of the at least one sequence in relation to the sensors over the time interval; and determining rotational directions of the arcs of rotation.

23 . The system of claim 22 , wherein the operations to identify the area of the heart as associated with controlling the source comprise determining that the rotational directions of the arcs of rotation continue in the rotational direction in excess of a threshold.

24 . The system of claim 23 , wherein the operations to determine a rotational direction of an arc of rotation comprise:
selecting a first cardiac signal and a second cardiac signal from the plurality of cardiac signals; determining indices of rotational activity among the first cardiac signal and the second cardiac signal at a plurality of time points during the time interval; and combining the indices of rotational activity to define the rotational direction of the arc of rotation.

25 . The system of claim 24 , wherein the operations to determine an index of rotational activity comprise:
calculating a phase difference among the first cardiac signal and the second cardiac signal at a time point of the time interval; and determining whether the p

Assignees

• Univ California
• Topera Inc

Inventors

• Narayan Sanjiv
• Briggs Carey Robert
• Sehra Ruchir

Classifications

• A61B5/339

  Displays specially adapted therefor · CPC title

• A61B5/04012

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61B5/0422

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61B5/02405 Primary

  Determining heart rate variability · CPC title

• A61B5/361

  Detecting fibrillation · CPC title