Abstract:
The method and system includes detecting atrial fibrillation in a patient by monitoring the blood oxygen saturation level over a period of time. The method and system produces a plethysmographic waveform from the monitored blood oxygen saturation level and analyzes the plethysmographic waveform and detected intervals and determines whether the patient is in atrial fibrillation. The method and system is preferably implemented in a software application and may be configured to report to the user on the current state of atrial fibrillation (AFIB) and a current trend.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The invention relates to the field of patient monitoring. More particularly, the invention relates to the field of patient monitoring to detect atrial fibrillation.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Monitoring of chronically ill patients in the home environment will become more common in the near future as the population ages, health care costs increase and patients demand more control over their own care. The clinical data collected in the home, such as blood pressure, weight, and heart rate can be transmitted back to a caseworker or clinician who can provide early intervention to prevent re-hospitalizations. Many of the patients with chronic illnesses could benefit from home cardiac monitoring.  
         [0003]     One very typical and dangerous arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation (AFIB). AFIB is the most common cardiac arrhythmia resulting in hospitalization in the United States. AFIB is identified by irregular heart rhythms and is clinically defined as uncoordinated contractions of the atria. Patients often experience palpitations and have an increased risk of stroke. Some patients may be asymptomatic. Approximately one-third of all strokes are due to AFIB. Furthermore, the presence of AFIB makes strokes 5-times more likely and 2-times more debilitating.  
         [0004]     AFIB requires aggressive treatment. The longer a patient is in AFIB, the more likely they are to remain in AFIB, making early detection desirable. Prompt detection of the onset of AFIB provides an opportunity for therapy during the first 48 hours when expensive antithrombolic treatments may not be necessary because the formation of blood clots has not yet occurred in the atria.  
         [0005]     Current methods of detecting AFIB are primarily reliant on the use of continuous ECG recordings. Unfortunely, continuous cardiac monitoring via ECG presents many challenges, including the precise application of a variety of electrodes, an uncomfortable apparatus and cabling, and issues with battery replacement. For many patients this level of acuity is not warranted. It would be desirable to be able to screen for AFIB simply, without requiring electrodes or additional sensors.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The method and system includes detecting atrial fibrillation in a patient by acquiring a plethysmograph waveform from a blood oxygen saturation level monitoring device. The plethysmograph waveform is analyzed and pulse intervals are calculated to determine whether the patient is in atrial fibrillation. The method and system is preferably implemented in a software application and is configured in a report to the patient and/or clinician on the current state of atrial fibrillation (AFIB) and a current AFIB trend.  
         [0007]     In one aspect of the present invention, a method of detecting atrial fibrillation in a human or animal subject comprises acquiring a plethysmographic waveform of a patient from a monitoring device over a period of time, measuring a set of pulse intervals from the plethysmographic waveform, measuring a set of features from the plethysmographic waveform and analyzing the set of pulse intervals and the set of pulse features from the plethysmographic waveform to determine an atrial fibrillation state of the patient and wherein the monitoring device is a pulse oximeter sensor and one of the set of features is a set of pulse amplitudes.  
         [0008]     This method further comprises analyzing the set of pulse intervals and the set of pulse features from the plethysmographic waveform to detect an atrial fibrillation trend of the patient and reporting the atrial fibrillation trend, and further reporting the atrial fibrillation state. The method also comprises analyzing the set of pulse intervals, which includes: conducting a hidden Markov model analysis on the set of pulse intervals; and conducting a contextual analysis on the set of pulse intervals and wherein the hidden Markov model analysis determines a probability of the patient having an irregular heart rhythm and the contextual analysis rules out atrial fibrillation as a source of irregular heart rhythm.  
         [0009]     Analyzing the set of pulse features in this method also includes calculating amplitude variation between each consecutive one of the set of pulse amplitudes, wherein the atrial fibrillation state determination is dependent on an analysis of pulse amplitude variation, and analyzing the set of pulse amplitudes includes determining a set of filling time dynamics of the set of pulse amplitudes and further wherein the steps of analyzing the set of pulse amplitudes and determining the set of filling time dynamics provides an indication of the degree of atrial augmentation present.  
         [0010]     In another aspect of the present invention, a system for detecting atrial fibrillation in a human or animal subject comprises a remote sensing system configured to analyze a plethysmographic waveform from a monitoring device, a storage media for storing a computer application, a processing unit coupled to the remote sensing system and the storage media, and configured to execute the computer application, and further configured to receive the plethysmographic waveform from the remote sensing system, wherein when the computer application is executed, a set of pulse intervals from the plethysmographic waveform are detected and a set of pulse features are measured from the plethysmographic waveform, and further wherein the set of pulse intervals and the set of pulse features are analyzed to determine an atrial fibrillation state of the patient. The monitoring device is a pulse oximeter sensor, and when the set of pulse intervals and the set of pulse features from the plethysmographic waveform are analyzed, an atrial fibrillation trend of the patient is detected, and a means for reporting the atrial fibrillation trend to the patient and a means for reporting the atrial fibrillation state are included. When the computer application is executed and the set of pulse intervals is analyzed, a hidden Markov model analysis is conducted on the set of pulse intervals, and a contextual analysis is conducted on the set of pulse intervals, wherein the hidden Markov model analysis determines a probability of the patient having an irregular heart rhythm and the contextual analysis rules out atrial fibrillation as a source of irregular heart rhythm.  
         [0011]     In this system, when the computer application is executed and the set of pulse features is analyzed, the filling time dynamics of the set of pulse features is determined, and feature variation between each one of the set of pulse features is calculated relative to the mean, the median, consecutive pulses, or maximum to minimum and wherein the atrial fibrillation state determination is dependent on an analysis of pulse amplitude variation and further wherein the analysis of pulse amplitude variation as a function of filling time provides an indication of the degree of atrial augmentation present. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]      FIG. 1  illustrates a graphical comparison of an ECG wave and a plethysmographic wave.  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  illustrates an additional graphical comparison of an ECG wave and a plethysmographic wave.  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  illustrates a flow chart of a method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIGS. 4   a - 4   b  illustrate a block diagram of a method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0016]      FIGS. 5   a - 5   b  illustrate a graphical representation of a slope profile of plethysmographic pulse amplitudes in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  illustrates a block diagram of a system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0018]      FIG. 1  illustrates an ECG waveform  20  and a plethysmographic waveform  30 . Typically, a physician or healthcare provider will detect and diagnose AFIB in a patient using the ECG waveform  20 . However, as discussed above, obtaining an ECG waveform  20  from a patient is much more complex and difficult then obtaining a plethysmographic waveform  30  from a patient. As will be discussed below, in order to detect AFIB using the plethysmographic waveform  30 , a number of aspects of the plethysmographic waveform  30  will be examined. A pulse detection will be utilized and the pulse intervals analyzed using a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) method and a contextual analysis. Also, the amplitude  40  of each pulse will be measured and analyzed, as well as the ventricular filling time  50  between each pulse of the plethysmographic waveform. The present invention will allow for a more simplistic and convenient method to detect AFIB using a patient&#39;s plethysmographic waveform  30 . Of course, this will greatly enhance a home monitoring system as will be described below. The method and system, and implementation of such will be described in greater detail below.  
         [0019]      FIG. 2  illustrates the impact of a change in heart rate (or RR interval) on the distal plethysmograph pulse. The interval RR, is longer than the preceding interval that generated pulse A 0 . As a result, there is more time for the arterial blood to flow passively into the venous system. This produces a lowered blood volume at a diastole (P 0 ). The long RR interval also allows for a longer filing time in the left ventricle of the heart. By Starling&#39;s Law, the increased volume in the ventricle results in a more forceful ejection of larger amplitude of the next volume pulse A 1 .  
         [0020]     The following RR interval (RR 2 ) is shorter than the preceding interval. Since there is less time for blood to flow out of the arterial system, the pulse level at P 1  does not drop to as low of a value at diastole as the preceding pulse. The short filing time results in a lower stroke volume and a systolic pressure (compared to the preceding interval), which is reflected in the lower amplitude at A 2 . Interval RR 4  illustrates an even shorter interval, with a resulting higher level at P 2  and reduced amplitude at A 4 .  
         [0021]     The amplitude of the pulse (A i+1 -P i ) is therefore proportional to the length of the preceding RR interval and can be used as another input to the algorithm used for determining whether a patient is in AFIB.  
         [0022]      FIG. 3  illustrates a detection method  100  of the present invention. In step  110 , the plethysmograph waveform of a patient is collected over a period of time from a plethysmographic sensor. In step  120 , the plethysmograph pulses are detected from the plethysmographic waveform over the period of time collected in step  110 . A plurality of pulse intervals are detected from the plethysmographic waveform in step  130 , and a plurality of pulse features are measured in step  135 . The pulse intervals and the pulse features are analyzed to determine an AF state in step  140 . The result of the analysis from step  140  are reported in step  150 , and a current trend of the patient&#39;s AFIB status is also reported.  
         [0023]     A block diagram of the detecting method  100  is further depicted in  FIGS. 4   a  and  4   b . Referring first to  FIG. 4   a , the SPO2 data is collected and displayed as a plethysmographic waveform  300 . Pulse detection  310  is carried out on the plethysmographic waveform  300  which includes detecting a series of pulses and measuring the pulse intervals  312 ,  314 , signifying the repeated filling of the chambers of the heart. Once the pulse detection  310  and pulse interval calculations  312 ,  314  have occurred, a hidden Markov model (HMM)  330  analysis as well as a contextual analysis  340  may be carried out on the detected pulse intervals. A more detailed description of the HMM  330  and the contextual analysis  340  will be included in the detailed description of  FIG. 4   b.    
         [0024]     Still referring to  FIG. 4   a , while simultaneously referring to  FIG. 1 , a pulse feature measurement  320  is conducted on the plethysmographic waveform  300 . The pulse feature measurement  320  measures each amplitude  40  of the plethysmographic waveform  30  and utilizes this information to calculate amplitude variation  360 . Calculating the amplitude variation  360  gives a physician or healthcare provider an indication of how the heart is operating, and changes in the amplitude of each consecutive pulse, up or down, provide information about the types and regularity.  
         [0025]     Atrial augmentation detection  350  is also determined using pulse feature measurement  320  data. Referring to  FIGS. 4   a  and  5   a - 5   b  simultaneously, the atrial augmentation detection  350  is determined as depicted in  FIGS. 5   a - 5   b . The filling time dynamics  400  are important as they can confirm irregularities that may be detected when the amplitude variation is calculated  360 . Referring now to  FIG. 5   a - 5   b , the filling time dynamics  400  are depicted graphically illustrating time (t) along the x-axis of the graph and amplitude (A) along the y-axis of the graph. The plethysmographic pulse amplitude  410  is highly dependant on ventricular filling time  420 . The amplitude slope  440  obtained from a plot of several pulse amplitudes  430  as a function of time provide information about the atrial contribution to cardiac output. The changes in amplitude  410  of the Plethysmographic pulses  430 , and the resulting amplitude slope  440  can reflect either the presences or absence of atrial “kick” and relative changes in blood pressure. It should be noted that in  FIGS. 5   a - 5   b  pulse amplitude  410  and atrial filling time  420  are labeled on a single exemplary pulse waveform, and that each pulse amplitude  430  has an amplitude  410  and filling time  420  value. The resulting filling time dynamic graph  400  is created by “cutting” each individual pulse from the plethysmographic waveform  30  ( FIG. 1 ), including each pulse&#39;s atrial fill time  50  and “pasting” each individual pulse on the filling time dynamics graph  400 , and starting the fill time  50  at “0”.  
         [0026]     It is well known that the smaller upper chambers of the heart (left and right atria) when functioning properly push extra blood into the larger lower chambers (left and right ventricles) just prior to each main contraction of the heart. This can account for 10% to 40% of ventricular filling. This augmentation of ventricular filling is missing during atrial fibrillation and accounts for some of the symptoms of these patients. Atrial augmentation is also known as “atrial kick” or “atrial contribution”. As people age, the atrial kick becomes more important and so older patients are more affected by atrial fibrillation.  
         [0027]     What has not been previously disclosed is a method to recognize in a plethysmographic waveform, evidence of the atrial augmentation. Atrial augmentation can be discerned in the pattern of pulse amplitudes at varying heart beat intervals.  
         [0028]     In general the beating of a heart is roughly regular, but a degree of irregularity in rhythm is almost always present. Intervals between heart beats decrease during inspiration of breath. Heart beat intervals lengthen during expiration of breath. Some beats occur early known as premature ventricular complexes (PVC) or premature atrial complexes (PAC) and others. These varying heart beat intervals mean that between heart beats there may be more or less time for blood to fill into the ventricles. Increased filling time results in increased blood ejected and increased blood pressure and an increased pulse amplitude in the plethysmograph for that beat.  
         [0029]     Therefore two factors, among others, are affecting plethysmograph amplitude; atrial augmentation and filling time.  FIG. 5   a  illustrates a superimposition of waveforms demonstrating that pulse amplitude increases with filling time. In  FIG. 5   a , the patient has atrial fibrillation so that the pulse amplitude  410  increases only as a function of filling time  420 , and therefore, no atrial augmentation is present.  
         [0030]     When atrial augmentation is present the pattern of pulse amplitude  410  at varying heart beat intervals is different. In this case most premature beats will not have the benefit of atrial augmentation and the plethysmograph pulse heights of those beats will be similar to as shown in  FIG. 5   a . However, at a longer beat interval the atrial augmentation is present and so  FIG. 5   b  shows the increased pulse height of the first and last pulses. These pulses come up to the dotted line shown which is at a level higher than in  FIG. 5   a.    
         [0031]     Therefore the general strategy for recognition of evidence of atrial augmentation is to observe the plethysmograph pulse amplitudes  430  over a period of time including at least some variety of heart beat intervals and observing the degree of pulse height increase as a function of the increase in shorter heart beat intervals. This allows an extrapolation of pulse height as a function of filling time. If atrial augmentation is present, longer heart beat intervals will yield pulse amplitudes exceeding what is expected from filling time alone.  FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b  are a simplification. The height versus filling time function may not be linear, and the extrapolation may be a more complicated function. However, augmentation is still recognized as a pulse increase over the filling time extrapolation.  
         [0032]     Referring back to  FIG. 4   a  the results of the HMM  330 , contextual analysis  340 , atrial augmentation detection  350 , and amplitude variation calculation  360  are evaluated to determine whether the rhythm of the heart is irregular in  370 . Whether the patient is an AFIB or not an AFIB is reported in step  380 , and a trend of AF  390  during the time period that the plethysmograph was acquired.  
         [0033]     Referring now to  FIG. 4   b , the HMM  330  and contextual analysis  340  will be described in greater detail. In this method  100 , the detected pulse intervals  310  are classified as detailed pulse intervals in  312  and as pulse intervals in  314 . The HMM  330  and contextual analysis  340  distinguish between rhythms with irregular and regular irregularities. For the HMM  330  analysis, which is an analysis that is commonly used in the art to detect AFIB from ECG waveforms, a detailed pulse interval  312  classification is created where pulse intervals are classified as VS=very short, S=short, SS=slightly short, R=regular, SL=slightly long, L=long and VL=very long. The HMM  330  analysis requires less intervals than the contextual analysis  340  to be accurate and the specifics of the HMM  330  analysis can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,937,887.  
         [0034]     While the Hidden Markov Model is known in the art to detect AFIB from an ECG waveform, utilizing the HMM  330  analysis in this system and method has never been contemplated. While the HMM  330  analysis calculates a probability of a heart rhythm being an irregular rhythm, the contextual analysis  340  utilizes a greater number of pulse intervals  314  to rule out AFIB as the source of irregularity. The contextual analysis  340  utilizes a greater number of pulse intervals  314 , while only classifying the intervals as S=short or L=long. Again, the results of these two analysis contribute to determining whether the rhythm is irregularly irregular in step  370 . Finally, it should be noted that the method as described herein may be embodied as a set of computer code executable by a processor in a monitoring system such as that depicted in  FIG. 6 .  
         [0035]      FIG. 6  depicts a detection system  500  of the present invention including a finger probe  520  that is attachable to the patient&#39;s finger  510  and configured to acquire the plethysmograph waveform from the patent&#39;s finger  510  and send that level to the processor  560  such that a plethysmographic waveform  550  can be displayed on an electronic device  530  such as a computer, hand-held device, laptop, or other electronic device  530  known in the art. The electronic device  530  includes an input device  570 , such as a keyboard, so that a patient or physician, or other user of the electronic device may manipulate the display  540 , configure the output from the method, or deactivate or activate alarms. The computer code embodying the method of the present invention is stored in a stored media  580  and the processor  560  is configured to execute the code. The processor  560 , while executing the code, will take into account all of the factors as described above in describing the detection method  100  and determine whether the patient is in AFIB. Furthermore, the AFIB report  380  and the trend report  390  may be displayed  540 .  
         [0036]     The present invention provides numerous advantages over the prior art. The invention includes lower cost (elimination of several ECG electrodes and/or electrode contact jells) greater flexibility and ease of use over multiple ECG electrodes, shorter hook up time, and the system and method are more convenient and easier for patients to implement than ECG, meaning greater patient compliance. Patient compliance is also improved in that the acquisition time is much shorter, and the short-term measurement means that a compliant patient can minimize such things as motion artifact, which tends to make typical ECG systems less accurate.  
         [0037]     The system and method is primarily intended as a periodic assessment tool, so real-time outputs are not necessary, and because SPO2 measurement is already a common component of patient monitoring devices, no additional hardware is required to implement the system. Detection of AFIB within  48  hours of initiation provides the opportunity for cardio-version without the substantial cost and time of anti-thrombolytic therapy, thereby improving healthcare while reducing healthcare costs. This improved system and method of improving home monitoring will also result in fewer visits to the emergency room, while reducing home nursing care and office visits by not requiring professional application of sensors, as is done in ECG applications.  
         [0038]     These techniques could also be used in conjunction with other means of measuring blood volume or blood pressure pulses to measure the presence of AFIB. These include, but are not limited to: impedance plethysmography, optical reflectance plethysmography, arterial tonometry and piezoelectric sensors.  
         [0039]     The present invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments incorporating details to facilitate the understanding of the principals of construction and operation of the invention. Such reference herein to specific embodiments and details thereof is not intended to limit the scope of the claims appended hereto. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made in the embodiment chosen for illustration without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.