| 摘要 |
Thousands of patients prone to irregular and sometimes life threatening heart rhythms have miniature heart-monitoring devices, such as defibrillators and cardioverters, implanted in their chests. These devices detect abnormal heart rhythms and automatically apply electrical therapy to restore normal heart function. Critical parts of these devices are the microprocessor and stored instructions, or algorithms, that govern how the devices interpret and react to electrical signals indicative of normal or abnormal heart rhythms. These algorithms generally use the time intervals between successive heart beats, or cardiac events, as a key factor in therapy decisions. To ensure accuracy of interval measurements, the inventor devised new methods for processing heart electrical signals, some of which ensure accurate interval measurements without unduly delaying therapy decisions or consuming significant battery power. One of these new methods detects an abnormal interval measurement and either disqualifies the abnormal interval from use in making therapy decisions or divides the abnormal interval into two or more other intervals, thereby facilitating identification and treatment of abnormal rhythmic conditions both efficiently and accurately.
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