TODAY’S PATENT – CARDIOVASCULAR MONITOR

The CARDIOVASCULAR MONITOR H. Herbert Peel (San Antonio, TX), Merle E. Converse (Helotes, TX), William H. McGinnis (San Antonio, TX), Donald J. Shirley (Boerne, TX), John P. Prudhomme (Converse, TX) on 14^th February 1989, bearing the patent number US4803996A.

The present invention generally relates to devices for monitoring the heart and surrounding blood vessels, and more particularly to such a device which provides improved signal conditioning.

A cardiovascular monitor having improved safety features and data transmission ability. Sensing devices placed on a patient’s body, such as electrocardiogram electrodes and phonocardiogram microphones, are electrically isolated from the data recorder and AC powerline, thereby protecting the patient from dangerously high voltages existing in the recorder and the external power source. Isolation amplifiers are employed in the signal conditioning circuitry at the front end of the recorder. Special isolation transformers are also used to prevent ground loop currents between the signal conditioner and the recorder thus minimizing noise due to powerline leakage. Similarly, isolation amplifiers are used during the playback mode between the recorder and a data processor to avoid ground loop currents between the recorder and the processor.