Rescuer Protection from Electrical Shock During Defibrillation

Abstract

This document relates to cardiac resuscitation, and in particular to systems and techniques for protecting rescuers from electrical shock during defibrillation of a patient.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 .- 24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . A system comprising:
 a sensor placed in contact with the skin of a rescuer;   a set of ECG leads configured to be placed in contact with the skin of a patient; and   a computing device connected to the sensor and the ECG leads and configured to:
 determine whether a defibrillating shock to the patient's heart is suitable therapy based on one or more electrocardiogram signals of the patient received from the set of ECG leads; and 
 determine a gating signal configured to prohibit administration of the defibrillating shock to the patient's heart during one or more portions of a cardiac cycle of the rescuer, the gating signal determined based on one or more physiologic signals of the rescuer received from the sensor. 
   
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the sensor comprises an SpO2 sensor. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the configurations to determine the gating signal comprise configurations to determine the gating signal such that the gating signal prohibits administration of the defibrillating shock to the patient's heart during a time period surrounding a T wave in the patient's cardiac cycle based on the SpO2 signal of the rescuer. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the configurations to determine the gating signal comprise configurations to determine the gating signal such that the gating signal prohibits administration of the defibrillating shock to the patient's heart during one or more vulnerable periods of the cardiac cycle of the rescuer. 
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the configurations to determine the gating signal comprise configurations to:
 receive an SpO2 signal from the sensor;   determine a location of a peak in the SpO2 signal of the rescuer;   determine a location in the SpO2 signal of the rescuer corresponding to a location of a T wave in the patient's cardiac cycle;   determine a time period measured from the peak in the SpO2 signal during which administration of the defibrillating shock to the patient's heart is prohibited, the time period including at least a portion of the T wave.   
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the one or more portions of the cardiac cycle of the rescuer include at least an interval from about 20% of a peak T wave voltage on a rising edge of a T wave in the cardiac cycle of the rescuer to about 20% of a peak T wave voltage on a falling edge of the T wave in the cardiac cycle of the rescuer. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the one or more portions of the cardiac cycle of the rescuer include an entire duration of a T wave. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the one or more portions of the cardiac cycle of the rescuer include a relative refractory period. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the sensor is placed in contact with one or both of an ear and a finger of the rescuer. 
     
     
         34 . A computer readable medium storing instructions for causing a computer system to:
 determine whether a defibrillating shock to a patient's heart is suitable therapy based on one or more electrocardiogram signals of the patient received from a set of ECG leads in contact with the skin of the patient; and   determine a gating signal configured to prohibit administration of the defibrillating shock to the patient's heart during one or more portions of a cardiac cycle of a rescuer, the gating signal determined based on one or more physiologic signals of the rescuer received from a sensor in contact with the skin of the rescuer.   
     
     
         35 . The computer readable medium of  claim 34 , wherein the sensor comprises an SpO2 sensor. 
     
     
         36 . The computer readable medium of  claim 35 , wherein the gating signal is determined such that the gating signal prohibits administration of the defibrillating shock to the patient's heart during a time period surrounding a T wave in the patient's cardiac cycle based on the SpO2 signal of the rescuer 
     
     
         37 . The computer readable medium of  claim 34 , wherein the gating signal is determined such that the gating signal prohibits administration of the defibrillating shock to the patient's heart during one or more vulnerable periods of the cardiac cycle of the rescuer. 
     
     
         38 . The computer readable medium of  claim 34 , wherein determining the gating signal comprises:
 receiving an SpO2 signal from the sensor;   determining a location of a peak in the SpO2 signal of the rescuer;   determining a location in the SpO2 signal of the rescuer corresponding to a location of a T wave in the patient's cardiac cycle; and   determining a time period measured from the peak in the SpO2 signal during which administration of the defibrillating shock to the patient's heart is prohibited, the time period including at least a portion of the T wave.   
     
     
         39 . The computer readable medium of  claim 34 , wherein the one or more portions of the cardiac cycle of the rescuer include at least an interval from about 20% of a peak T wave voltage on a rising edge of a T wave in the cardiac cycle of the rescuer to about 20% of a peak T wave voltage on a falling edge of the T wave in the cardiac cycle of the rescuer. 
     
     
         40 . The computer readable medium of  claim 34 , wherein the one or more portions of the cardiac cycle of the rescuer include an entire duration of a T wave. 
     
     
         41 . The computer readable medium of  claim 34 , wherein the one or more portions of the cardiac cycle of the rescuer include a relative refractory period. 
     
     
         42 . The computer readable medium of  claim 34 , wherein the sensor is placed in contact with one or both of an ear and a finger of the rescuer.