Icg/ecg monitoring apparatus

Abstract

An ICG/ECG electrode includes a first electrode and a second electrode, wherein at least one of the first or second electrode senses both an ICG signal and an ECG voltage signal. A physiologic parameter monitoring apparatus includes a set of electrodes, including an electrode for sensing both an ICG voltage signal and an ECG voltage signal corresponding to a patient. The apparatus further includes an ICG monitor for processing the ICG voltage signal sensed by the electrode and an ECG monitor for processing the ECG voltage signal sensed by the same electrode.

1 . An ICG/ECG electrode, comprising:
 a first electrode contact; and   a second electrode contact;   wherein one of the first or the second electrode contacts senses both an ICG voltage signal and an ECG voltage signal.   
     
     
         2 . The ICG/ECG electrode of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a substrate, wherein the first and second electrode contacts are affixed to the substrate; and   a barrier disposed on the substrate between the first and second electrode contacts.   
     
     
         3 . The ICG/ECG electrode of  claim 2 , wherein the barrier includes an adhesive material for affixing the electrode contacts to a patient. 
     
     
         4 . The ICG/ECG electrode of  claim 2 , wherein the barrier mitigates cross-coupling of an ICG electrical current signal applied to one of the first or second electrode contacts and the other of the first or second electrode contacts sensing the ECG voltage signal. 
     
     
         5 . The ICG/ECG electrode of  claim 2 , wherein the first and second electrode contacts are affixed to wells of the substrate. 
     
     
         6 . The ICG/ECG electrode ( 128 ) of  claim 1 , further comprising: first and second barriers, wherein the first and second electrode contacts are surrounded by the first barrier and second barriers ( 212 ,  214 ). 
     
     
         7 . The ICG/ECG electrode of  claim 6 , wherein the first barrier is a non-adhesive barrier and the second barrier is an adhesive barrier. 
     
     
         8 . The ICG/ECG electrode of  claim 7 , wherein the first and second barriers mitigate cross-coupling of an electrical current signal applied to one of the first or second electrode contacts and the other of the first or second electrode contacts sensing the ECG voltage signal. 
     
     
         9 . The ICG/ECG electrode of  claim 1 , wherein no more than three ICG/ECG electrodes are used for ICG/ECG monitoring. 
     
     
         10 . The ICG/ECG electrode of  claim 1 , wherein the ICG/ECG electrode is part of a carrier that includes no more than three ICG/ECG shared electrodes. 
     
     
         11 . A physiologic parameter monitoring apparatus, comprising:
 a set of electrodes, including an electrode for sensing both an ICG voltage signal and an ECG voltage signal corresponding to a patient;   an ICG monitor for processing the ICG voltage signal sensed by the electrode; and   an ECG monitor for processing the ECG voltage signal sensed by the same electrode.   
     
     
         12 . The physiologic parameter monitoring apparatus of  claim 11 , further comprising: a synchronizer that time-synchronizes the sensed ICG and ECG voltage signals. 
     
     
         13 . The physiologic parameter monitoring apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the ICG and ECG voltage signals are acquired based on a common acquisition clock. 
     
     
         14 . The physiologic parameter monitoring apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the ICG and ECG voltage signals are acquired based on different acquisition clocks, and the synchronizer time-synchronizes the clocks, thereby time-synchronizing the sensed ICG and ECG voltage signals. 
     
     
         15 . The physiologic parameter monitoring apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the ICG and ECG voltage signals are concurrently sensed. 
     
     
         16 . The physiologic parameter monitoring apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the ICG and ECG voltage signals are individually sensed. 
     
     
         17 . The physiologic parameter monitoring apparatus of  claim 11 , further comprising: a substrate, wherein the set of electrodes are affixed to the substrate. 
     
     
         18 . The physiologic parameter monitoring apparatus of  claim 17 , further comprising: at least one barrier disposed on the substrate, separating the electrodes. 
     
     
         19 . The physiologic parameter monitoring apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the at least one barrier electrically isolates the electrodes from each other. 
     
     
         20 . The physiologic parameter monitoring apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein at least a second one of the electrodes is configured for applying an ICG electrical current signal to the patient. 
     
     
         21 . The physiologic parameter monitoring apparatus of  claim 20 , further comprising a signal generator, wherein the signal generator generates a biphasic ICG electrical current signal, which is supplied to the at least the second one of the electrodes. 
     
     
         22 . The physiologic parameter monitoring apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the biphasic ICG electrical current signal has a zero time-average value. 
     
     
         23 . The physiologic parameter monitoring apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the biphasic ICG electrical current signal has a polarization value equal to about a polarization of the electrodes. 
     
     
         24 . A method, comprising:
 supplying an ICG electrical current signal to one electrode of a pair of electrodes of at least one of no more than three sets of pairs of electrodes affixed to a patient about the heart of the patient;   sensing an ICG voltage signal by the other electrode of the pair of electrodes; and   generating at least one cardiac parameter based on the sensed ICG voltage signal and the supplied ICG electrical current signal.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising computing a bio-impedance based on the ICG current signal and the ICG voltage signal, identifying a variation in the bio-impedance over time, and determining a cardiac parameter based on the identified variation. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising: sensing an ECG voltage signal by the other of the pair of electrodes. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising: time-synchronizing the ICG voltage signal and the ECG voltage signal. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising computing a bio-impedance based on the ICG current signal and the ICG voltage signal, wherein the bio-impedance is indicative of an impedance of blood flow from the heart during a heart cycle. 
     
     
         29 . A method, comprising:
 supplying a first ICG signal to one electrode of a pair of electrodes affixed to a patient about the heart of the patient;   sensing a second ICG signal by the other electrode of the pair of electrodes;   generating a cardiac parameter based on the second ICG signal;   sensing a signal indicative of electrical activity of the heart of the patient by the same electrode that senses the second ICG signal;   generating an ECG signal based on the sensed signal indicative of the electrical activity of the heart; and   presenting the cardiac parameter and the ECG signal.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the pair of electrodes is one of no more than three pairs of electrodes affixed to the patient.