Patent Document ID: 20020138106
Application ID: 10066317
Patent Flag: 0

Claim One:
1. A method for intracardiac detection of repolarization alternans, comprising the steps of: a) placing an electrode within the body and within the vicinity of the heart; b) sensing at the location of the electrode the electrical voltage amplitude at a predetermined time relative to a fiducial point in the heart rhythm of a series of beats, the series of beats including a predetermined number of pairs of adjacent beats, each of the pairs of adjacent beats including an even numbered beat and an odd numbered beat; c) subtracting the voltage amplitude of the even numbered beat from the odd numbered beat in the adjacent beats, respectively, to obtain for each pair of adjacent beats a sign of the difference in voltage amplitude; and d) indicating the presence of repolarization alternans if the sign obtained in step (c) for a predetermined number of adjacent pairs of beats is consistent.