Patent ID: 8560069

Claim:
A system for heart performance characterization and abnormality detection, comprising: an interface for receiving sampled data representing an electrical signal indicating electrical activity of a patient heart over a plurality of heart beat cycles and for receiving a pace signal indicating occurrence of a heart pace pulse applied to the heart; a signal processor for using the received sampled data and pace signal in, determining a plurality of first signal characteristic values over a plurality of heart cycles, an individual first signal characteristic value comprising a time interval between occurrence of said pace pulse and a cardiac cycle characteristic and calculating a second signal characteristic comprising an average of said plurality of first signal characteristic values, said signal processor identifying a number of successful heart beats over a time period; a comparator configured to compare at least one of the first and second characteristic values with a threshold value to provide a comparison indicator and to compare said number of successful heart beats with a corresponding number of pacing pulses provided in the time period to derive a heart performance indicator; and a patient monitor for in response to said comparison indicator indicating a calculated signal characteristic value exceeds the threshold value, generating an alert message associated with the threshold.