CHRONIC DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM AND PLAYBACK TO COMPUTER

CONSIDERABLE EVIDENCE EXISTS THAT ANALYSIS OF THE ELECTRO- CARDIOGRAM OVER EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME PROVIDES CLINICALLYSIGNIFICANT INFORMATION IMPORTANT IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF CARDIAN DISEASE. AVAILABLE AMBULATORY MONITOR-ING DEVICES ARE ADEQUATE FOR 24-HOUR PERIODS; LIMITATIONS ARE EVIDENT WHEN LONGER PERIODS ARE REQUIRED. THE PROJECT WILL ESTABLISH THE FEASIBILITY OF BIOLOGICAL DATA ACQUISITION AND RECORDING SYSTEM FOR CARDIAC RHYTHM (BIDARS/CR), A LONG-TERM AMBULATORY-MONITORING SYSTEM FOR SUBJECTS WITH KNOWN OR POSSIBLE RHYTHM DISTURBANCES. BIDARS/CR CAN PROVIDE PATIENT SURVEILLANCE FOR A MINIMUM OF ABOUT 18 DAYS,WITH A MAXIMUM EXCEEDING THREE MONTHS. THE SYSTEM CONSISTS OF A SMALL, LIGHTWEIGHT PATIENT-WORN MONITOR AND A BASE STATION. THE MONITOR CONTAINS A MICRO-POWERED DIGITAL RECORDER THAT RECORDS ECG COMPLEXES IMMEDIATELY BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER ARRHYTHMIC DISTURBANCES. THE MONITOR ALSORECORDS THE NUMBER OF PREMATURE COMPLEXES AND HEART RATE VERSUS TIME. THE BASE STATION IS A STANDARD PC WITH A BIDARS INTERFACE CARD AND SOFTWARE. IT PERMITS THE USER TO TEST AND PROGRAM THE MONITOR AND ANALYZE AND STORE THE COLLECTED DATA. THE SYSTEM IS MODULAR AND ADAPTABLE TO OTHER APPLICATIONS, INCLUDING ST SEGMENT ANALYSIS, MONITOR- ING OF PATIENTS UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY, AND 100-DAY MONITORING OF BONE-MARROW TRANSPLANT PATIENTS.