Algorithm and Device to Detect and Differentiate AF from Other Arrythmias

In an embodiment, an apparatus for detecting arrhythmias within a body, the apparatus includes: an input stage to receive an electrocardiogram signal from a body connected thereto through a detection electrode input, wherein the input stage is a real-time dynamically adjustable signal transformation stage configured to condition the electrocardiogram signal; an analysis stage coupled to the input stage to receive the conditioned electrocardiogram signal from the input stage, wherein the analysis stage comprises, a transformation stage wherein a frequency and/or phase domain representation of the conditioned electrocardiogram signal is formed from the conditioned time-domain electrocardiogram signal, and an evaluation stage, wherein time, frequency and/or phase domain features related to the arrhythmias are extracted from the time, frequency and/or phase domain representation. Wherein one possible instantiation of the evaluation stage comprises a Spectral Dispersion Metric (SDM) evaluation stage configured to determine, for example, the dispersion of frequency energy over a predetermined range of frequencies relative to the frequency with the highest energy Spectral Frequency Dispersion Metric (SFDM), and/or Spectral Time Domain Dispersion metric (STDM) and/or Spectral Phase Domain Dispersion Metric (SPDM) representations and configured to normalize the energy to form a dispersion metric over the predetermined range of frequencies, time intervals and/or phases; and a classification stage coupled to the evaluation stage to receive the total normalized power and determine whether the body is experiencing the arrhythmias.