Method and apparatus for detection of atrial fibrillation

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for Atrial Fibrillation detection that includes monitoring consecutive patient heartbeats, analyzing heart beat intervals from the monitored heartbeats, performing a calculation of the randomness the heart beat intervals, performing a calculation of the variability of consecutive heart beat intervals of the heart beat intervals, and performing a calculation of the complexity of the heart beat intervals.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An Atrial Fibrillation detection method comprising:
 monitoring consecutive patient heartbeats;   analyzing a plurality of heart beat intervals from the monitored heartbeats;   performing a calculation of randomness the plurality of heart beat intervals;   performing a calculation of variability of consecutive heart beat intervals of the plurality of heart beat intervals; and   performing a calculation of complexity of the plurality of heart beat intervals.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the calculation of the randomness comprises a Turning Points Ratio analysis. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the calculation of the variability comprises deriving a root mean square of the consecutive heart beat intervals of the plurality of heart beat intervals. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the calculation of the complexity comprises calculating Shannon Entropy of the plurality of heart beat intervals. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein an ectopic beat is identified by detecting a short-long sequence in an interbeat interval of the monitored heartbeats. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the signature short-long sequence comprises an ectopic coupling interval followed by a compensatory pause between RR intervals. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein ectopic beats and an associated compensatory pause are excluded from the obtained consecutive patient heartbeats to provide a clean time series. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the compensatory pause is longer than the ectopic coupling interval.