Patent ID: 7082329
Filing Date: 2006-07-25
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A monitor for monitoring diastolic relaxation of a ventricle of a heart comprising: an impedance measurement unit, including an electrode arrangement adapted to interact with a monitored ventricle of a heart of a subject to measure an impedance in said monitored ventricle, for generating an impedance signal corresponding to said impedance; a detector connected to said impedance measurement unit for detecting an occurence of a notch in said impedance signal coincident with entry of blood into said monitored ventricle, said detector comprising a differentiator which forms a time derivative of said impedance signal and a loop generator connected to said impedance measurement unit and to said differentiator for plotting impedance values with respect to related time derivative values to form a loop for each cardiac cycle of said heart; and a comparator connected to said loop generator for comprising said loop in a loop template representing a normal loop for the subject, said comparator generating an output indicative of deviators in said loop from normal variation in timing and shape of said notch.