Training Opportunities

Occasionally, Mindware Technologies, LTD. holds seminars for training and demonstrations of our products. This is the information regarding those training and demonstration times. For more information, please contact us at by phone at (614) 626-4888 or email at info@mindwaretech.com.

Contents

Impedance Cardiography Seminar

HRV Science Training Seminar

Dates: JUNE 12 – 13, 2010

Location: Hilton Columbus at Easton Town Center,  Columbus, OH

Download the Registration Contract form:

Registration contact:  susanberntson@columbus.rr.com

Impedance Cardiography Session Outline

Science of Impedance Cardiography

I. Introduction- Historical Overview
    1)  Approaches to measuring cardiovascular function
    2)  Noninvasive methods (phono-, echo-, and impedance cardiography)
    3)  Why should I care about cardiovascular function?

II. The Cardiovascular System 
    1) Heart – electrical and mechanical events in the cardiac cycle
    2) Vasculature 
    3) Circulation & Regulation 
    4) Autonomic Control

III. Quantifying Cardiovascular Function
    1) ECG- Origins/Einthoven’s triangle
    2) Heart Rate & Systolic Time Intervals (chronotropic and dromotropic functions) 
    3) Volumetric Measures (stroke volume & Cardiac output—inotropic measures)

IV. Impedance Cardiography
    1) Bioelectric Basis of Impedance Cardiography
            a. What is impedance, anyway?
            b. Rationale (ohms law and resistive and capacitive components)
            c. Thoracic Impedance Z(t) = Zo + Zr(t) + Zh(t)
            d. Thoracic impedance changes in the cardiac cycle
    2) Thoracic Impedance Signals and Cardiac Estimates
            a. Zo, dZ/dt
            b. dZ/dt(max) (min), the B point and the X point
            c. Systolic Time intervals (X point & B point)
                    i . Pre-Ejection Period (PEP) 
                    ii. Left Ventricular Ejection Time (LVET) 
            d. Volumetric measures
                    i. Stroke Volume (Kubicek equation)
                        SV = rhob (L/Zo)2 • LVET • dZ/dt(max) 
                    ii.   Cardiac output  (SV • HR)
    3) Validity

V. Impedance Methodology
    1) Electrodes: Bands vs. Spots
    2) Impedance Devices
    3) Scoring
            a. dZ/dt(max)
            b. Time to dZ/dt(max)  T(max)

            c. B-point 
                    i.   incisura (notch)
                    ii.  inflection points, derivates, etc
                    iii.   Lozano equation: B = .53T(max) + 2.65 (tentative)
            d. X-point
            e. Starting Point: S vs. R (PEP vs. PEPr)
    4) Ensemble Averaging

VI. Significance and Interpretation of Impedance Measures
    1) Metrics of sympathetic cardiac control: myocardial contractility
                a. PEP/PEPr
                    i. Caveats: preload and afterload
                    ii. Caveats: blood pressure
                b.   Heather index, others
    2) Volumetric measures
                a. Stroke Volume (SV) / Cardiac Output (CO)
                b. Total Peripheral Resistance (TPR = 80 • MAP/CO )
    3) Cardiovascular dynamics and patterns

VII. New perspectives and applications

Impedance Practicum & Applications Session

I.   Signal Acqusition
    1) Electrodes and their attachments
                a. Impedance electrodes
                b. ECG electrodes
    2) The impedance Cardiograph
    3) Posture
    4) Zo (basal impedance)
    5) Recording signals (sample rate, resolution, Nyquist frequency)

II. Signal Processing
    1)  Signal waveforms and cursors
    2)  Artifact processing
    3) Locating dZ/dt(max) (min) 
    4) Locating T(max) – plateaus
    5)   Locating the B point 
    6)   Locating the X point
 
III. Sample analysis
    1) Deriving Systolic Time Intervals (PEP/PEPr; LVET)
    2) Deriving Volumetric Metrics (SV; CO; TPR)
    3) Other metrics: Heather index, etc

Dates: September 11 – 12, 2010

Location: Hilton Columbus at Easton Town Center,  Columbus, OH

Download the Registration Contract form:

Registration contact:  susanberntson@columbus.rr.com

HRV Science and Technology Session Outline

I. Introduction- Historical Overview
    1) What is HRV and why is it of interest
    2) What is RSA  (HF) and why is it of interest

II. Origins and Mechanisms of HRV
    1) What are the physiological mechanisms of HRV
            a. Physiological (nonautonomic) contributions
            b. Autonomic contributions
            c. Hormonal and other contributions
    2) Which of these are important in RSA?
            a. Sources of respiratory modulation
            b. Kinetcis of sympathetic and parasympathetic sinoatrial innervation 
    3) What about non-respiratory frequencies (ultra-low, very low, and low frequency

III. Quantification of HRV
    1) Time domain vs. frequency domain approaches to measurement
    2) Signal Processing considerations
    3) Time domain measures, Peak Valley, Moving Polynomial
    4) Frequency Domain approaches 
            a. Methodological considerations with time series statistics
            b. Sample rate – Nyquist Frequency and aliasing
            c. Epoch length – Stationarity
            d. Fourier Theorem and FFT
            e. Autoregressive (AR) methods
            f. Other approaches

IV. Significance and Interpretation of HRV
    1) HF HR variability
    2) LF, VLF, ULF HR variability 
    3) HF/LF ratio
    4) Polyvagal Theory
    5) Autonomic flexibility
    6) Psychosomatic considerations

V. New perspectives and applications

HRV Practicum & Applications Session

I,   Signal Acquisition
    1) ECG
            a. Origins
            b. Einthoven’s triangle
            c. Leads and electrode considerations in monitoring
            d. Recording considerations, amplification, filters, etc
    2)  Other approaches and limitations
            a. Acoustic or optical approaches
            b. Echo, etc

II. Signal Processing
    1)  Sample rate revisited—aliasing
    2)  Stationarity revisited
            a. testing for stationarity
            b. dealing with non stationarites

    3) Selection of epoch lengths
    4)  Artifacts and artifact processing
            a. missing beats, spurious beats
            b. abnormal rhythms—considerations for HRV analyses
            c. Correcting versus interpolation

III. Sample analysis
    1) Typical FFT analysis
            d.  Generation of a time series—and how not to!
            e.  Detrending
            f.  Tapering
            g. FFT analysis
    2) Results of FFT
            a.  FFT plots
            b   Integration – frequency bands
            c    Reals and imaginaries—digital filtering
            d. Reverse FFT
    3) Analyzing the FFT
            a. Basic Data- Frequency bands and scientific question
            b. Epoch length & aggregation across epochs
            c. Analysis of variance (covariates)
            d. Regression approaches

IV. Interpretive Issues
    1) Respiratory confounds
            a. Amplitude and frequency variations
            b. Bandwidth boundaries and frequency artifacts
            c. RSA-frequency functions
    2) Significance of HRV components
    3) Parasympathetic (Vagal) tone – what is it
    4) Respiratory Sinus arrhythmia vs. vagal tone
    5) Assessing Sympathetic/parasympathetic balance
    6) Reliability
    7) Validity & Gold Standard