Hand-manipulable, ECG and acoustic, cardiography device

摘要

Compact, single-handedly manipulable, cardiography devices, structured for personal use in two, selectively different, functional-cardiography styles, enabling, respectively, one or both of (a) non-acoustic, and (b) acoustic, cardiography, such use involving, as appropriate to the particular functional-cardiography style to be implemented, the collecting and recording of personal cardiography-relevant data—ECG only in a non-acoustic case, and both ECG and heart-sound together in an acoustic case—suitable for subsequent data-analysis processing, and associated cardiovascular diagnosis. Two, representative device overall configurations are illustrated, including (1) a stylus pen-like shape, and (2) a finger-mountable ring-like shape. Collected-data analysis processing, and associated cardiovascular diagnosis, may be performed by device-included electronic information-handling structure, or may, via operation of such electronic structure, be communicated appropriately “outwardly” from the relevant device for external processing and analysis.

主权项

1. A digitally-manipulable cardiography device employable, including single-handedly, by a subject, via hand and finger manipulation, to collect personal cardiography-relevant information comprising
a support structure having an overall configuration of an elongate stylus including an outside and a tip end, the support structure having an elongate, linear, functionality axis, and a cardiography component assembly supported by said support structure and distributed along said axis, including a pair of operatively associated, functionally exposed, anatomy-coupling electrodes designed to collect subject-specific ECG information, and spaced from one another along said axis in positions that are fixed relative to one another so as to move as an electrode unit with subject manipulation of the device during cardiography use of the device, one of said electrodes formed as a ring exposed on the outside of the support structure, said one electrode being configured and disposed for operative, electrical anatomical coupling with a finger of the subject during subject holding of the support structure like a writing implement, use of the device, and the other electrode formed as an elongate, slender probe projecting axially from said tip end, said other electrode being configured and disposed for operative, electrical anatomical coupling with a subject-selected non-finger-site surface region on the subject's anatomy during subject use of the device, the component assembly including an acoustic sensor including a three axis accelerometer operatively associated with said electrodes, designed to collect subject-specific acoustic heart-sound information, said acoustic sensor disposed between said one and other electrodes so as to not make contact with the non-finger-site surface region on the subject's anatomy, said device possessing a structural organization that promotes subject use of it during the implementation of cardiography in a manner whereby said functionality axis extends along a line which angularly intersects the subject-selected surface region of the mentioned non-finger anatomical site.