Patent ID: 6778851
Filing Date: 2004-08-17
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
A system for determining the condition of a patient's heart, comprising:(a) a plurality of electrodes, each electrode capable of detecting the electrical activity associated with a heartbeat of a patient and producing a corresponding cardiac signal, (b) means for converting the cardiac signals into digital form, and (c) data processing means programmed to: (1) process the digital cardiac signals to determine a plurality of parameters of the patient's heartbeat, (2) determine the condition of the patient's heart using a binary decision tree algorithm, such algorithm having a plurality of decision nodes each of which makes a decision based upon the value(s) of a respective subset of the parameters, the decision criterion of at least one of the said decision nodes being modified according to a measured value of at least one parameter not of the respective subset, and (3) provide an output indicative of the condition of the patient's heart so determined.