Real-Time Heart Monitoring with a Portable Solution

Introduction

Cardiovascular diseases continue to be one of the leading causes of death worldwide, making early detection and continuous monitoring essential for improving patient outcomes. Many heart-related issues, such as arrhythmias or heart failure, often go undetected until symptoms worsen, making timely interventions more challenging. Our patented portable heart motion monitor provides an advanced, user-friendly solution that empowers healthcare providers and patients to track heart function in real-time. This compact, wearable technology delivers critical data on heart motion, offering valuable insights for early diagnosis and ongoing care management.

The Growing Need for Portable Cardiac Monitoring

Traditional cardiac monitoring systems, while effective in clinical settings, often require hospital visits and bulky equipment that is not suited for continuous, real-time monitoring. Patients at risk of heart failure, arrhythmias, or other cardiovascular conditions frequently need a system that allows for consistent observation of heart health in a more comfortable and non-invasive manner. As healthcare shifts toward more patient-centered approaches, there is increasing demand for portable, wearable devices that can offer accurate, on-the-go heart monitoring without compromising data accuracy.

Moreover, remote monitoring technologies are becoming more essential in managing chronic conditions, particularly in regions with limited access to healthcare facilities or for patients who prefer to manage their health from home.

An Innovative Solution for Continuous Heart Monitoring

Our portable heart motion monitor is designed to track heart motion with precision, capturing critical data that can be used to assess heart function in real-time. Unlike traditional monitors, this device is lightweight, non-invasive, and easy to use, making it ideal for long-term monitoring outside of a clinical setting. Whether it’s for patients recovering from surgery, managing chronic heart conditions, or those at risk of heart failure, this device provides real-time feedback that can alert both patients and healthcare providers to any irregularities.

The device’s portability also enhances patient compliance, offering peace of mind for individuals who require regular heart monitoring but want to maintain their daily routines. For clinicians, this real-time data helps in making informed decisions faster, improving treatment effectiveness and reducing emergency room visits.

Key Benefits

Continuous Real-Time Monitoring: Provides accurate heart motion data in real-time, allowing for quicker detection of irregularities.
Portable and Non-Invasive: The lightweight, wearable design ensures patient comfort and ease of use outside the hospital.
Remote Monitoring Capability: Enables telemedicine applications for patients who need ongoing care but are not in clinical settings.
Improved Patient Outcomes: Early detection and continuous monitoring support more timely interventions and better long-term cardiac care.

A New Era of Cardiac Care with Portable Monitoring

Licensing this portable heart motion monitor technology gives medical device companies and healthcare providers a game-changing tool for improving cardiac care. With its potential for real-time data collection and patient-centered design, this technology is poised to transform heart health management and enhance outcomes for patients around the world.

Please see terms and conditions

Abstract
Claims

The present disclosure describes a method and device to monitor the heart of a subject using radio signals. Availability of a portable heart monitor that can be used in a subject’s home can increase patient compliance and improve diagnosis rates of cardiac conditions. A mobile heart monitor can be especially useful to those subjects who are elderly, incapacitated, or do not have easy access to a clinic, doctor’s office, or hospital.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of detecting an irregular heartbeat of a heart in a subject, the method comprising:

a) positioning directly in front of a sternum of the subject a transmitter-containing device, wherein the device is in contact with skin or clothing of the subject, wherein the transmitter-containing device comprises a transmitter, a circuit board, an antenna, and a receiver in a common housing;

b) transmitting by the transmitter of the transmitter-containing device electromagnetic radiation through the antenna to the heart of the subject, wherein the circuit board generates the electromagnetic radiation transmitted by the antenna, wherein the electromagnetic radiation propagates to the heart of the subject and is reflected off the heart of the subject;

c) detecting by the receiver a wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation reflected off the heart of the subject; and

d) determining by a processor based on the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation reflected off the heart of the subject whether the subject has the irregular heartbeat,

wherein the determining whether the subject has the irregular heartbeat is by detecting a relative position of a portion of the heart of the subject as compared to other portions of the heart,

wherein the electromagnetic radiation transmitted to the heart of the subject is a radio wave.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the subject is undergoing an intervention for the irregular heartbeat, the method further comprising determining based on the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation reflected off the heart of the subject whether the intervention for the irregular heartbeat has modulated the irregular heartbeat.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the subject is undergoing an intervention for a non-irregular heartbeat condition, the method further comprising determining based on the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation reflected off the heart of the subject whether the intervention for the non-irregular heartbeat condition has induced the irregular heartbeat.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination whether the subject has an irregular heartbeat is determined by an analysis of a movement of a portion of the heart.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the subject is in a held-breath state.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the irregular heartbeat is associated with atrial fibrillation.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the irregular heartbeat is associated with atrial flutter.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the irregular heartbeat is associated with ventricular fibrillation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the irregular heartbeat is associated with ventricular flutter.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the irregular heartbeat is associated with cardiac arrhythmia.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the subject is human.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination whether the subject has an irregular heartbeat is determined by an analysis of a movement of an atrium of the heart.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination whether the subject has an irregular heartbeat is determined by an analysis of a movement of a ventricle of the heart.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination whether the subject has an irregular heartbeat is determined by an analysis of a change in a dimension of the heart.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination whether the subject has an irregular heartbeat is determined by an analysis of a velocity of a muscle of the heart.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitter-containing device is attached to the subject by a strap.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the irregular heartbeat is associated with supraventricular tachycardia.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the irregular heartbeat is associated with multifocal atrial tachycardia.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the irregular heartbeat is associated with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the irregular heartbeat is associated with premature atrial contraction.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the irregular heartbeat is associated with premature ventricular contraction.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the irregular heartbeat is associated with sick sinus syndrome.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the irregular heartbeat is associated with bradycardia.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein positioning of the transmitter-containing device is to the center of a chest of the subject.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiver is a Doppler radar sensor.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the Doppler radar sensor is a continuous wave Doppler radar sensor.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the subject has the irregular heartbeat is by detecting an intensity of a heartbeat of the subject.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the subject has the irregular heartbeat is by detecting a percentage of time the subject has irregular heartbeat.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the subject has the irregular heartbeat is by detecting a percentage of cardiac arrhythmia time in the subject.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic radiation reflected off the heart of the subject indicates a relative position of a portion of the heart of the subject.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic radiation reflected off the heart of the subject indicates a motion of the heart of the subject.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the subject has the irregular heartbeat is by detecting a motion of the relative position of the portion of the heart of the subject as compared to other portions of the heart.

Title

Portable heart motion monitor

Inventor(s)

Dennis MatthewsXiaoguang LiuSongjie Bi

Assignee(s)

University of California

Patent #

11116416

Patent Date

September 14, 2021