Twelve-lead portable heart monitor and method

Claim 1

A method of obtaining electrical heart activity of an individual in a form capable of producing a twelve-lead electrocardiogram of an individual with the use of a device including a portable electrode support having an array of six non-adhesive precordial electrodes fixed thereon at predetermined positions within the array which correspond with the Wilson precordial leads for the individual, a right arm electrode, a left arm electrode, a left leg electrode and circuitry for converting the electrical heart activity of the individual obtained by said electrodes into a form capable of producing a twelve-lead electrocardiogram, the method comprising applying the right arm electrode, the left arm electrode and the left leg electrode the skin of the individual at locations such that the circuitry can be electrically operable to obtain respective leads I, II, III, AVR, AVL, and AVF therefrom, utilizing an arm of the individual including at least the forearm and upper arm to engage the array of six precordial electrodes with the skin of the chest of the individual in an operative relation such that the circuitry can be electrically operable to obtain leads V 1 , V 2 , V 3 , V 4 , V 5 , and V 6 therefrom, and operating the circuitry of said device for a time sufficient to obtain electrical heart activity of the individual in a form capable of producing an electrocardiogram representative of leads I, II, III, AVR, AVL, AVF, V 1 , V 2 , V 3 , V 4 , V 5 , and V 6 , while said six precordial electrodes are retained in skin-engagement by applying human pressure to the support sufficient to retain said operative relation and while said left arm electrode, said right arm electrode and said left leg electrode are applied as aforesaid.

Claim 2

A method of obtaining electrical heart activity of an individual in a form capable of producing a twelve-lead electrocardiogram of an individual with the use of a device including a portable electrode support having an array of six non-adhesive precordial electrodes fixed thereon at predetermined positions within the array which correspond with the Wilson precordial leads for the individual, a right arm electrode, a left arm electrode, a left leg electrode and circuitry for converting the electrical heart activity of the individual obtained by said electrodes into a form capable of producing a twelve-lead electrocardiogram, the method comprising applying the right arm electrode, the left arm electrode and the left leg electrode the skin of the individual at locations such that the circuitry can be electrically operable to obtain respective leads I, II, III, AVR, AVL, and AVF therefrom, utilizing an arm of the individual including at least the forearm and upper arm to engage the array of six precordial electrodes with the skin of the chest of the individual in an operative relation such that the circuitry can be electrically operable to obtain leads V 1 , V 2 , V 3 , V 4 , V 5 , and V 6 therefrom, and operating the circuitry of said device for a time sufficient to obtain electrical heart activity of the individual in a form capable of producing an electrocardiogram representative of leads I, II, III, AVR, AVL, AVF, V 1 , V 2 , V 3 , V 4 , V 5 , and V 6 , while said six precordial electrodes are retained in skin-engagement by applying human pressure to the support sufficient to retain said operative relation and while said left arm electrode, said right arm electrode and said left leg electrode are applied as aforesaid.

Claim 9

A method of producing a twelve-lead electrocardiogram of an individual with the use of a device including a portable electrode support having an array of six non-adhesive precordial electrodes fixed thereon at predetermined positions within the array which correspond with the Wilson precordial leads for the individual a right arm electrode, a left arm electrode, a left leg electrode and circuitry for converting the electrical heart activity data of the individual obtained by said electrodes into a form capable of producing a twelve-lead electrocardiogram, the method comprising applying the right arm electrode, the left arm electrode and the left leg electrode to the skin of the individual at locations such that the circuitry can be electrically operable to obtain leads I, II, III, AVR, AVL, and AVF therefrom, utilizing an arm of the individual including at least the forearm and upper arm to engage the array of six precordial electrodes with the skin of the chest of the individual in an operative relation such that the circuitry can be electrically operable to obtain leads V 1 , V 2 , V 3 , V 4 , V 5 , and V 6 therefrom, operating the circuitry of said device for a time sufficient to obtain electrical heart activity of the individual in a form capable of producing an electrocardiogram representative of leads I, II, III, AVR, AVL, AVF, V 1 , V 2 , V 3 , V 4 , V 5 , and V 6 , while said six precordial electrodes are retained in skin-engagement by applying human pressure to the support sufficient to retain said operative relation and while said left arm electrode, said right arm electrode and said left leg electrode ar applied as aforesaid, and utilizing the obtained electrical heart activity of the individual to produce a twelve-lead electrocardiogram.

Claim 10

A method of producing a twelve-lead electrocardiogram of an individual with the use of a device including a portable electrode support having an array of six non-adhesive precordial electrodes fixed thereon at predetermined positions within the array which correspond with the Wilson precordial leads for the individual a right arm electrode, a left arm electrode, a left leg electrode and circuitry for converting the electrical heart activity data of the individual obtained by said electrodes into a form capable of producing a twelve-lead electrocardiogram, the method comprising applying the right arm electrode, the left arm electrode and the left leg electrode to the skin of the individual at locations such that the circuitry can be electrically operable to obtain leads I, II, III, AVR, AVL, and AVF therefrom, utilizing an arm of the individual including at least the forearm and upper arm to engage the array of six precordial electrodes with the skin of the chest of the individual in an operative relation such that the circuitry can be electrically operable to obtain leads V 1 , V 2 , V 3 , V 4 , V 5 , and V 6 therefrom, operating the circuitry of said device for a time sufficient to obtain electrical heart activity of the individual in a form capable of producing an electrocardiogram representative of leads I, II, III, AVR, AVL, AVF, V 1 , V 2 , V 3 , V 4 , V 5 , and V 6 , while said six precordial electrodes are retained in skin-engagement by applying human pressure to the support sufficient to retain said operative relation and while said left arm electrode, said right arm electrode and said left leg electrode ar applied as aforesaid, and utilizing the obtained electrical heart activity of the individual to produce a twelve-lead electrocardiogram.

Claim 15

An apparatus for obtaining electrical heart activity of an individual in a form capable of producing a twelve-lead electrocardiogram of an individual, said apparatus including an array of six non-adhesive precordial electrodes, support means for supporting said array of six non-adhesive precordial electrodes at predetermined positions within the array which correspond with Wilson precordial leads for the individual, said precordial electrodes each having an operative surface thereof generally facing in a first direction with respect to said supporting means, a right arm electrode, a left arm electrode, a left leg electrode, and circuitry means carried by said supporting means in electrically connected relation to said electrodes for converting the electrical heart activity of the individual obtained by said electrodes into a form capable of producing a twelve-lead electrocardiogram, said right arm electrode, said left arm electrode, and said left leg electrode being constructed so as to be operable to be applied to the skin of the individual at locations such that the circuitry means can be electrically operable to obtain leads I, II, III, AVR, AVL, and AVF therefrom, said supporting means presenting an exterior surface generally facing in a direction opposite to said first direction and adapted to have human pressure applied thereto, said supporting means being constructed and arranged in a manner which enables it to be manually held and moved towards the chest of the individual to engage said operative surface of said precordial electrodes with the skin of the chest, said apparatus requiring application of human pressure to said exterior surface transmitted through said supporting means to said precordial electrodes to retain said precordial electrodes in operative relation with the skin of the chest, and control means for operating said circuitry means while said six precordial electrodes are retained in said operative relation as aforesaid and said left arm electrode, said right arm electrode and said left leg electrode are applied as aforesaid, for a time sufficient to obtain electrical heart activity of the individual in a form capable of producing an electrocardiogram representative of leads I, II, III, AVR, AVL, AVF, V 1 , V 2 , V 3 , V 4 , V 5 , and V 6 .

Claim 16

An apparatus for obtaining electrical heart activity of an individual in a form capable of producing a twelve-lead electrocardiogram of an individual, said apparatus including an array of six non-adhesive precordial electrodes, support means for supporting said array of six non-adhesive precordial electrodes at predetermined positions within the array which correspond with Wilson precordial leads for the individual, said precordial electrodes each having an operative surface thereof generally facing in a first direction with respect to said supporting means, a right arm electrode, a left arm electrode, a left leg electrode, and circuitry means carried by said supporting means in electrically connected relation to said electrodes for converting the electrical heart activity of the individual obtained by said electrodes into a form capable of producing a twelve-lead electrocardiogram, said right arm electrode, said left arm electrode, and said left leg electrode being constructed so as to be operable to be applied to the skin of the individual at locations such that the circuitry means can be electrically operable to obtain leads I, II, III, AVR, AVL, and AVF therefrom, said supporting means presenting an exterior surface generally facing in a direction opposite to said first direction and adapted to have human pressure applied thereto, said supporting means being constructed and arranged in a manner which enables it to be manually held and moved towards the chest of the individual to engage said operative surface of said precordial electrodes with the skin of the chest, said apparatus requiring application of human pressure to said exterior surface transmitted through said supporting means to said precordial electrodes to retain said precordial electrodes in operative relation with the skin of the chest, and control means for operating said circuitry means while said six precordial electrodes are retained in said operative relation as aforesaid and said left arm electrode, said right arm electrode and said left leg electrode are applied as aforesaid, for a time sufficient to obtain electrical heart activity of the individual in a form capable of producing an electrocardiogram representative of leads I, II, III, AVR, AVL, AVF, V 1 , V 2 , V 3 , V 4 , V 5 , and V 6 .