Means and method for the detection of cardiac events

Abstract

A system for detecting cardiac events and alerting the patient of the cardiac event issued by an implanted medical device. A processor detects a cardiac event and issues an activation signal to a patient alerting mechanism which emits an alarm during a first time interval followed by an alarm-off period of time. Reminder alarms are issued periodically following the alarm-off period of time. Reminder alarms are issued during reminder on-periods of time which are shorter than the first time interval. The alarm-off period and the time between periodic reminder alarms are greater than the alarm first time interval. A disabling device permits disabling of reminder alarms.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for detecting cardiac events in a human patient, the system including: at least two electrodes for obtaining an electrical signal from the patient's heart; a processor configured to detect at an emergency cardiac event, by processing the electrical signal from the patient's heart; a patient alerting mechanism connected to the processor for receiving an activation signal from the processor dependent on said processor detection of said cardiac event, the patient alerting mechanism being activated by said activation signal, the patient alerting mechanism configured for: responsive to said activation signal, emitting an alarm signal having a first number of pulses within a first period of time defining an initial alarm on-period; the initial alarm-on period being followed by a respective alarm off-period of time devoid of pulses, the patient alerting mechanism being further configured to emit a reminder alarm signal periodically during a predetermined reminder time period following the initial alarm off-time period, wherein each of the reminder alarms occurs during a reminder alarm on-period that is shorter than said first period of time, and wherein the alarm-off period and the time between periodic reminder alarms are both greater than said first period of time, said patient alerting mechanism including a disabling mechanism for disabling said reminder alarm. 
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  where the periodic reminder time period is greater than 15 minutes. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1  where the periodic reminder time period is less than 5 hours. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1  where the alarm off-period of time is at least twice as long as the alarm on-period. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1  where the alarm on-period is less than 10 minutes. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1  where at least a portion of the system is implanted in the human patient. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1  where the cardiac events detected by the system include acute myocardial infarction. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1  where the cardiac events detected by the system include ischemia at an elevated heart rate. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1  where the cardiac events detected by the system include low heart rate. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1  where the cardiac events detected by the system include excessively high heart rate. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1  where the cardiac events detected by the system include arrhythmias.