Stryker
Intelligent Mode Selection for Synchronized Cardioversion
Project Name:
Intelligent Mode Selection for Synchronized Cardioversion
Students:
Megana Boddam
Kendall Escene
Ifrah Javed
Alexandra Sestero
About the Project:
Synchronized cardioversion (sync cardio) is a frequently used therapy for the treatment of potentially life-threatening arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation and pulsatile ventricular tachycardia. Sync cardio is a therapeutic electrical shock delivered at a precisely controlled time point in the cardiac cycle. Incorrect shock timing can lead to ventricular fibrillation (VF)—a lethal arrhythmia. Devices that perform sync cardio can also deliver unsynchronized defibrillation shocks and have different operational modes for defibrillation and sync cardio. Being in the wrong device mode for the intended therapy can have major adverse consequences leading to patient death. For example, applying a defibrillation shock to a patient who should have received sync cardio can lead to VF. On the other hand, being in sync cardio mode when a patient is in VF can prevent the device from delivering a lifesaving defibrillation shock. Decades of post-market device surveillance indicates that such adverse events are rare but continue to occur. The student team worked to develop a novel monitor/defibrillator feature that intelligently selects the appropriate device operating mode, and either advises the operator or automatically switches to that mode. The greatest lifesaving impact is expected where healthcare providers are either inexperienced or need to use a variety of device models.