Importance

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Abstract

The invented cardiac monitor is in a flexible, nominally flat planar form having integral gel electrodes, a sticky-back rear surface, an internal flex circuit capable of sensing, recording and playing out several minutes of the most recently acquired ECG waveform data and a front surface that includes an outplay port preferably having one or more snap connectors compatible with a lead harness from an n-lead recorder. The monitor has a relatively short battery life, as it is intended for limited-term use and, after a single recording and outplay session it may be disposed of, e.g. discarded or recycled. Preferably, the monitor uses one or more zinc-air batteries the air inlet ports of which may be selectively configured, as by folding or otherwise manipulating the monitor's expanse, to either activate or deactivate particular recording or outplay modes of operation of the monitor. The circuitry within the flex circuit inner layer of the monitor's expanse may preferably be implemented by very large scale integration (VLSI) techniques by use of a custom integrated circuit (IC) that performs any necessary sensing, recording and outplay functions. The circuitry may be digital, and may include an analogue-to-digital (A/D) converter, a microprocessor with associated memory and a digital-to-analogue (D/A) converter. Alternatively, the circuitry may take the form of a direct analogue storage device between the electrodes and an outplay port that is compatible with existing or custom output and hard-copy devices. In a suggested alternative embodiment, the monitor further may be remotely controlled by telemetry to deliver pacer or defibrillation pulses to the patient.

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First Claim