BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The drawings illustrate the best mode presently contemplated of carrying out the invention. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the integration between an ultrasound system and a physiology workstation;
FIG. 2 is an alternate embodiment illustrating the communication between the physiology workstations and a central data storage device such that the ultrasound images and patient data can be accessed by remote, review stations;
FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of the communication between the ultrasound system and the physiology workstation to provide time synchronization between the patient data and ultrasound images; and
FIG. 4 is a screen shot of a representative display from either the physiology workstation or one of the remote review stations showing the simultaneous, time synchronized display of the ultrasound images and patient data.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 illustrates a physiology workstation 10 that is typically located in the control room or procedural room of a catheter lab, hemodynamic (HD) lab or electrophysiology (EP) lab and is utilized in connection with HD, EP and ablation procedures, among other things. The physiology workstation 10 may integrate, among other things, real-time hemodynamic information, real-time intracardiac echography, fluoroscopic images, mapping data and pre-case planning CT and MR images. The physiology workstation 10 offers integrated collection and review of hemodynamic, EP, patient and mapping information as well as stored and real-time diagnostic images, ECG signals and IC signals.
The physiology workstation 10 is operable to acquire patient data, whether it be hemodynamic or electrophysiological data from the patient, such as during the performance of a catheterization procedure. In a networked system, the physiology workstation 10 communicates the patient data to a central data storage device or server 12 that stores the patient data for access and review by a physician from a remote review station 14. In such prior physiology workstations, the review station 14 allows a physician to review the patient data from a location remote to the physiology workstation 10 and analyze the data as required.
As an example, the physiology workstation 10 can receive signals from various different devices, such as intracardiac signals from EP catheters, patient signals, (e.g. from a blood pressure cuff, SPO2 monitor, temperature monitor, CO2 levels and the like), ECG signals from surface ECG leads, pressure signals from catheters and intracardiac signals. Further, the physiology workstation 10 can also receive fluoroscopic imaging data from a fluoroscopic system and ablation data from an ablation source and controller.
Due to the rapid advancements of ultrasound systems, procedures carried out in a catheter or EP lab often incorporate an ultrasound system 16 that provides the treating physician with additional information regarding the procedure being carried out in the catheter or EP lab. The ultrasound system 16 obtains ultrasound images from the patient, which are shown on a display screen 18 incorporated within the ultrasound system 16. During a procedure within the catheter or EP lab, the ultrasound images shown on the display 18 could only be compared with the patient data shown on the display screen 20 of the physiology workstation 10 by the physician either placing the two screens near each other and shifting focus between the two different data set displayed on the displays 18, 20. Once the procedure was complete, re-synchronization of the stored ultrasound images and the patient data was impossible.
In accordance with one embodiment, the ultrasound system 16 is in communication with the physiology workstation 10 such that ultrasound images from the ultrasound system 16 are received at the physiology workstation 10, as shown by the image transfer line 22.
Upon receiving the ultrasound images from the ultrasound system 16, the physiology workstation 10 initially stores the ultrasound images within a storage location within the physiology workstation 10. Specifically, each time an ultrasound image or loop is saved on the ultrasound system 16, the ultrasound image will automatically be sent to the physiology workstation 10 and stored therein.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a time-base synchronization signal 24 is provided between the ultrasound system 16 and the physiology workstation 10 to synchronize the internal clocks of each system. The synchronization signal 24 allows the ultrasound images and the patient data from each of the systems 10, 16 to be stored with the same time-based synchronization data either within the physiology workstation 10 or at a separate, remote location. The synchronization of the ultrasound images from the ultrasound system 16 and the patient data from the physiology workstation 10 allows the two sets of information to be retrieved and displayed at a later time such that the information is time-synchronized and can be reviewed by a clinician as such. The ability of a clinician to review the ultrasound images and the patient data in synchronization allows the clinician to be presented with a complete picture of the procedure, which otherwise would have been unavailable.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasound images created by the ultrasound system 16 and the patient data from the physiology workstation 10 are synchronized with each other and stored within the physiology workstation 10 for later viewing. In addition to storing both the patient data and the ultrasound images within the physiology workstation 10, the physiology workstation 10 communicates the ultrasound images and the patient data to the central data storage device 12, which is part of the networked system. The central data storage device 12 can then be accessed by one of several review stations 14 such that a clinician located remotely from the physiology workstation can review the ultrasound images and patient data in synchronization to provide a better overall summary of the patient condition.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the central data storage device 12 can be any type of storage media. The remote review stations 14 can be in communication with the central data storage device 12 to retrieve and display the images from the ultrasound system 16 and the physiology workstation 10. The patient data and ultrasound images can be simultaneously displayed on the review station 14 for analysis by the clinician.
Referring now to FIG. 2, thereshown is yet another embodiment in which the ultrasound system 16 communicates ultrasound images 22 to the physiology workstation 10 and receives a synchronization signal 24. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the physiology workstations 10 communicate to the central data storage device 12 through a network 26, such as a WAN or LAN interface. Each of the remote review stations 14 also communicates to the central data storage device 12 through the network 26. Since the physiology workstation 10 uploads both the patient data and the ultrasound images to the central data storage device 12, a clinician at the remote review stations 14 can view both the patient data and the ultrasound images that were obtained using the ultrasound system 16. Further, since both the patient data and the ultrasound images are stored with the time-based synchronization data, a reviewer at any one of the review stations 14 can review the ultrasound images and patient data in time-synchronization with each other. In this manner, the clinician is able to view the entire situation that occurred at the patient during the completed procedure.
As can be understood in the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2, the ultrasound system 16 and the physiology workstation 10 include a communication interface that allow the two systems 10, 16 to communicate with each other. Typically, when either of the systems 10, 16 is used with a patient, patient demographic information needs to be entered into the workstation or uploaded from the hospital information system (HIS). Since the ultrasound system 16 and physiology workstation 10 are in communication with each other, patient demographic data can be shared between the ultrasound system 16 and the physiology workstation 10. The shared patient demographic information eliminates the requirement that the clinician/physician enter duplicate information into each of the two systems 10, 16. Additionally, the communication between the two systems 10, 16 requires that only one of the ultrasound systems 16 and the physiology workstation 10 be connected to the hospital information system.
Referring now to FIG. 3, in a catheter or EP lab that is not part of a connected network, the physiology workstation 10, such as a hemodynamic or electrophysical workstation, acquires patient data from the patient during the performance of the procedure. The data obtained from the patient is typically shown on a display 28 for review by the treating clinician/physician. In accordance with the embodiment of the invention shown, the ultrasound system 16 is in communication with the physiology workstation 10 such that images from the ultrasound system 16 can be received and stored at the physiology workstation 10. The display 28 can take the form of many different embodiments, such as a single display or a panel of displays connected to the same physiology workstation 10. In either case, since the physiology workstation 10 receives and stores the ultrasound images, both the patient data and the ultrasound images can be shown on the display 28. Preferably, the ultrasound images and the patient data can be displayed simultaneously on the display 28 and are time-synchronized based upon the synchronization signal 24 that is communicated between the ultrasound system 16 and the physiology workstation 10.
As described above, both the review station 14 and the physiology workstation 10 include a display that allows for the display of both the ultrasound images and the patient data. FIG. 4 illustrates the typical screen shot from the display screen 20 of the physiology workstation. The display screen 30 includes a patient physiology data display section 32 and an ultrasound display section 34. In the embodiment shown, the physiology data display section 32 illustrates various leads from an ECG monitor, while the ultrasound display section 34 illustrates ultrasound images taken during the performance of a procedure. As discussed previously, the synchronization signal used when recording both the patient data and the ultrasound images allows for the physiology data display section 32 and the ultrasound display section 34 to show time-synchronized data in each of the two separate sections 32, 34. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the display screen 30 also includes an expanded timeline section 36 that shows a greater range of the hemodynamic patient data, part of which is magnified and shown in the physiology data display section 32. The timeline section 36 allows the clinician to view a greater range of patient data, while the indicator tabs 38 illustrate the current time being viewed in both of the physiology data display section 32 and the ultrasound display section 34.
As discussed previously, the combined display screen 30 that illustrates both the patient data and the ultrasound images can be shown on both the review station 14 and/or the physiology workstation 10. Thus, a clinician present at either the physiology workstation 10 or the review station 14 can review the ultrasound images and patient data in a time-synchronized manner to conduct an analysis of the patient being monitored.
As shown in FIG. 4, the physiology data display section 32 and the ultrasound display section 34 are shown as being incorporated into a single screen. However, it should be understood that the physiology workstation could include multiple monitors and the physiology data display section 32 and the ultrasound display section 34 could be displayed on separate monitors connected to the same physiology workstation. Alternatively, the physiology workstation 10 could be connected to a large display panel such as used in an operating room environment such that the hemodynamic or EP measurements and the ultrasound images could be simultaneously displayed and synchronized together for analysis by a treating physician. The use of the time-synchronization signal between the physiology workstation and the ultrasound system allows the patient data and ultrasound images to be time-correlated with each other for synchronous display at a later time. The time synchronization of the two different measurements allows a clinician to analyze the different types of measurements and come to a diagnosis/result based upon the combined information.
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
Patent Application
20080009723
