Patent Grant
10765873
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to emergency medical services information management, and more particularly to collection, organization, and communication of information gathered from a device used in emergency medical services.
Devices that are used to gather patient monitoring information in emergency medical services (“EMS”) applications, for example defibrillator devices, are often complex and expensive devices, primarily because they serve a very important purpose in an EMS setting, and must be durable, accurate, and reliable. The communications capabilities of such devices are often limited by their hardware, such that users must choose between buying a new defibrillator or continuing to use the same, often slower, communications interfaces available with an older defibrillator. A retrofit solution that involves changing the existing hardware or software of the device may be almost as costly and time-consuming to implement as device replacement itself.
Existing patient monitoring devices store various kinds of information during use. Users wishing to upload or download such information, typically after an incident or after a certain period of time (e.g. at the end of the day or end of the week), are often limited to retrieving only the entire content of the device's memory card, regardless of whether the user is interested in only a specific subset of the entire card's contents. This increases the time necessary for data transfer, as well as the time necessary to sort the data and/or identify the desired subset of the data.
A system for supplementing communications capabilities of a patient monitoring device configured to monitor a patient and to make available patient monitoring information according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an interface device configured to communicably couple with and to receive the patient monitoring information from the patient monitoring device, a memory device hosted by the interface device and configured to store at least a portion of the patient monitoring information, a wireless transceiver hosted by the interface device, an asset management database hosted by the interface device, and a processor communicably coupled to the wireless transceiver and the asset management database, the processor configured to format the patient monitoring information into one or more data objects, each of the one or more data objects associated with an EMS incident during which the patient monitoring information was gathered, the processor further configured to store the one or more data objects to the asset management database and to transmit the one or more data objects with the wireless transceiver.
Such a system may include an implementation wherein the processor is further configured to receive, via the wireless transceiver, a request for data objects associated with a specific EMS incident, query the asset management database to retrieve all data objects associated with the specific EMS incident, and to transmit the data objects associated with the specific EMS incident with the wireless transceiver.
Such a system may include an implementation wherein the patient monitoring device is a defibrillator, and wherein the one or more data objects comprises one or more ECG waveforms. The one or more data objects may also comprise patient waveforms, which may include up to eight ECG waveforms, invasive blood pressure waveforms, SpO2 waveforms, EtCO2 waveforms, CPR waveforms, and/or impedance respiration waveforms. A number of parameters may represent patient Vital information, such as for example heart rate, NIBP measurements, temperature measurements, and others.
Such a system may include an implementation wherein the patient monitoring device comprises an audio device configured to generate a heart sound signal from a patient, and wherein the processor is further configured to format the heart sound signal into the one or more heart sound data objects.
Such a system may include an implementation comprising an electronic stethoscope configured to connect with the processor and receive the one or more heart sound data objects.
A method for streaming patient information from a clinical device according to embodiments of the present invention includes establishing a wireless data connection with the clinical device, receiving patient information from the clinical device via the wireless data connection at least once every five seconds, displaying at least a portion of the patient information in an emergency medical services mobile environment.
Such a method may include an implementation wherein the clinical device is a defibrillator.
Such a method may include an implementation wherein receiving the patient information comprises receiving the patient information from the clinical device via the wireless data connection at least once every second.
Such a method may include an implementation wherein the wireless data connection is a secure WiFi connection.
Such a method may include an implementation wherein the patient information is clinical information, the method further comprising receiving non-clinical information and displaying the clinical information and the non-clinical information simultaneously in the emergency medical services mobile environment.
Such a method may include an implementation wherein the patient information comprises an ECG waveform.
Such a method may include an implementation wherein the patient information comprises a heart rate.
Such a method may include an implementation wherein the patient information comprises an ECG waveform.
Such a method may include an implementation including receiving full disclosure data from the clinical device, formatting the full disclosure data into one or more data elements, wherein the one or more data elements comprise a full disclosure record XML object, wherein the full disclosure record XML object, and/or each element within the full disclosure XML object, comprises a time identifier, an incident identifier, and clinical information associated with a time identified by the time identifier and an incident identified by the incident identifier, and sending the full disclosure record XML object over the wireless data connection as the patient information.
Such a method may include an implementation comprising storing the one or more data objects in a computer readable medium.
Such a method may include an implementation including sending a request over the wireless data connection, the request including a particular incident identifier, retrieving from the computer readable medium and adding to a response set each of the one or more data objects for which the incident identifier corresponds to the particular incident identifier of the request, and sending the response set over the wireless data connection.
Such a method may include an implementation comprising displaying at least a portion of the response set in the emergency medical services mobile environment.
A method for supplementing communications capabilities of a patient monitoring device configured to monitor a patient and to make available patient monitoring information according to an embodiment of the present invention includes receiving the patient monitoring information from the patient monitoring device to an EMS communication interface device, storing the patient monitoring information to a memory hosted by the EMS communication interface device, formatting the patient monitoring information into a stream of one or more data objects, each of the one or more data objects associated with an EMS incident during which the patient monitoring information was gathered, storing the one or more data objects to a database, or an asset management database, hosted by the EMS communication interface device, and transmitting the stream of one or more data objects via a wireless transceiver of the EMS communication interface device.
A method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes transmitting clinical data about a patient from a defibrillator device to an external device via a wireless network connection while the defibrillator device is actively monitoring the patient during an emergency medical treatment or transport.
Such a method may include an implementation wherein the clinical data comprises a plurality of ECG waveforms, the method further comprising displaying one or more historical snapshots of the plurality of ECG waveforms on a display device, wherein the display device is independent of the defibrillator device.
Such a method may include an implementation wherein displaying the one or more historical snapshots of the plurality of ECG waveforms comprises displaying a most recent ECG waveform of the plurality of ECG waveforms simultaneously with another of the one or more historical snapshots of the plurality of ECG waveforms.
Such a method may include an implementation wherein the external device is a display device located within an emergency response vehicle.
Such a method may include an implementation wherein the emergency response vehicle is an ambulance.
Such a method may include an implementation comprising transmitting the clinical data to a remote server (e.g. an enterprise server) to enable web browser access to the clinical data while the defibrillator device is actively monitoring the patient during the emergency medical treatment or transport.
While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which shows and describes illustrative embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.
While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail below. The intention, however, is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
As illustrated in
As used herein, the phrase “communicably coupled” is used in its broadest sense to refer to any coupling whereby information may be passed. Thus, for example, communicably coupled includes electrically coupled by, for example, a wire; optically coupled by, for example, an optical cable; and/or wirelessly coupled by, for example, a radio frequency or other transmission media. “Communicably coupled” also includes, for example, indirect coupling, such as through a network, or direct coupling.
The network 120 may also take the form of an ad hoc, self-configuring, self-healing network 2400 such as a MESH network, as illustrated in
In contrast, wireless mesh networks 2400 are multihop systems in which devices assist each other in transmitting packets through the network, especially in adverse conditions. Such ad hoc networks may be implemented with minimal preparation, and they provide a reliable, flexible system that can be extended to thousands of devices, according to embodiments of the present invention.
The wireless mesh network topology developed at MIT for industrial control and sensing is a point-to-point-to-point, or peer-to-peer, system called an ad hoc, multihop network. A node can send and receive messages, and in a mesh network, a node also functions as a router and can relay messages for its neighbors. Through the relaying process, a packet of wireless data will find its way to its destination, passing through intermediate nodes with reliable communication links, as illustrated in
In a wireless mesh network 2400, multiple nodes cooperate to relay a message to its destination. The mesh topology enhances the overall reliability of the network, which is particularly important when operating in harsh industrial environments. Like the Internet and other peer-to-peer router-based networks, a mesh network offers multiple redundant communications paths throughout the network. If one link fails for any reason (including the introduction of strong RF interference), the network automatically routes messages through alternate paths. In a mesh network 2400, the distance between nodes can be shortened, which dramatically increases the link quality. Reducing the distance by a factor of two, the resulting signal is at least four times more powerful at the receiver. This makes links more reliable without increasing transmitter power in individual nodes. The reach of a mesh network may be extended, redundancy added, and general reliability improved simply by adding more notes.
Network 2400 may be a self-configuring and self-healing network, according to embodiments of the present invention. According to embodiments of the present invention, a network 2400 does not require a system administrator to tell it how to get a message to its destination. A mesh network 2400 is self-organizing and does not require manual configuration. Because of this, adding new gear or relocating existing gear is as simple as plugging it in and turning it on, according to embodiments of the present invention. The network discovers the new node and automatically incorporates it into the existing system, according to embodiments of the present invention.
A mesh network 2400 is not only inherently reliable, it is also highly adaptable, according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, if a tank-level sensor and data logger are placed too far apart for a robust RF communications link, one or more repeater nodes may be added to fill the gaps in the network 2400.
On the Internet, if one router goes down, messages are sent through an alternate path by other routers. Similarly, if a device or its link in a mesh network fails, messages are sent around it via other devices. Loss of one or more nodes does not necessarily affect the network's operation. A mesh network is self-healing because human intervention is not necessary for re-routing of messages. Such networks 2400 provide redundancy and scalability, according to embodiments of the present invention.
In a mesh network, the degree of redundancy is essentially a function of node density. A network can be deliberately over-designed for reliability simply by adding extra nodes, so each device has two or more paths for sending data. This is a simpler way of obtaining redundancy than is possible in most other types of systems. A mesh network is also scalable and can handle hundreds or thousands of nodes. Because the operation of network 2400 does not depend on a central control point, adding multiple data collection points or gateways may be convenient.
Reliability, adaptability, and scalability are notable attributes of a wireless network for industrial control and sensing applications, according to embodiments of the present invention. Point-to-point networks provide reliability, but they are often challenging to scale to handle more than one pair of end points. Point-to-multipoint networks can handle more end points, but their reliability may depend on placement of the access point and end points. Mesh networks are inherently reliable, adapt easily to environmental or architectural constraints, and can scale to handle thousands of end points.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the mobile environment 101 is an ambulance or other EMS vehicle—for example a vehicular mobile environment (VME). The mobile environment may also be the local network of data entry devices as well as diagnostic and therapeutic devices established at time of treatment of a patient or patients in the field environment—the “At Scene Patient Mobile Environment” (ASPME). The mobile environment may also be a combination of one or more of VMEs and/or ASPMEs. The mobile environment may include a navigation device 110 used by the driver 112 to track the mobile environment's position 101, locate the mobile environment 101 and/or the emergency location, and locate the transport destination, according to embodiments of the present invention. The navigation device 110 may include a Global Positioning System (“GPS”), for example. The navigation device 110 may also be configured to perform calculations about vehicle speed, the travel time between locations, and estimated times of arrival. According to embodiments of the present invention, the navigation device 110 is located at the front of the ambulance to assist the driver 112 in navigating the vehicle. The navigation device 110 may be, for example, a RescueNet® Navigator onboard electronic data communication system available from Zoll Data Systems of Broomfield, Colo.
Therefore, additional locator base stations may be deployed on-scene outdoors, or within buildings, that may augment or replace the conventional GPS-based geolocator systems, according to embodiments of the present invention. Similar to the cellular geolocation system, the architecture of indoor geolocation systems may fall within one of two main categories: mobile-based architecture and network-based architecture. Most conventional indoor geolocation applications have been focused on network-based system architecture as shown in
As illustrated in
The patient charting device 108 is a device used by the EMS technician 114 to generate records and/or notes about the patient's 116 condition and/or treatments applied to the patient, according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, the patient charting device 108 may be used to note a dosage of medicine given to the patient 116 at a particular time. The patient charting device 108 and/or patient monitoring device 106 may have a clock, which may be synchronized with an external time source such as a network or a satellite to prevent the EMS technician from having to manually enter a time of treatment or observation (or having to attempt to estimate the time of treatment for charting purposes long after the treatment was administered), according to embodiments of the present invention. The patient charting device 108 may also be used to record biographic and/or demographic and/or historical information about a patient, for example the patient's name, identification number, height, weight, and/or medical history, according to embodiments of the present invention. According to embodiments of the present invention, the patient charting device 108 is a tablet PC, such as for example the TabletPCR component of the RescueNet® ePCR Suite available from Zoll Data Systems of Broomfield, Colo. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the patient charting device 108 is a wristband or smart-phone such as an Apple iPhone or iPad with interactive data entry interface such as a touch screen or voice recognition data entry that may be communicably connected to the BOA device 104 and tapped to indicate what was done with the patient 116 and when it was done.
The navigation device 110, the charting device 108, and the monitoring device 106 are each separately very useful to the EMS drivers 112 and technicians 114 before, during, and after the patient transport. A “back of ambulance” (“BOA”) device 104 receives, organizes, stores, and displays data from each device 108, 110, 112 to further enhance the usefulness of each device 108, 110, 112 and to make it much easier for the EMS technician 114 to perform certain tasks that would normally require the EMS technician 114 to divert visual and manual attention to each device 108, 110, 112 separately, according to embodiments of the present invention. In other words, the BOA device centralizes and organizes information that would normally be de-centralized and disorganized, according to embodiments of the present invention.
Although device 104 is referred to herein as a “back of ambulance” device because the EMS technician 114 would normally benefit the most from having such a display device mounted in the back 152 of an ambulance, one of ordinary skill in the art, based on the disclosure provided herein, will recognize that some or all of the BOA device 104 may be located in any part of a mobile environment 101, EMS vehicle, and/or anywhere else useful to an EMS technician 114. For example, the BOA device 104 may be located in the front 150 of an ambulance, and/or may include components that are portable and can be carried into a patient residence, according to embodiments of the present invention.
The BOA device 104 is communicably coupled to the patient monitoring device 106, the patient charting device 108, and the navigation device 110, according to embodiments of the present invention. The BOA device 104 is also communicably coupled to a storage medium 118. The BOA device 104 may be a touch-screen, flat panel PC, and the storage medium 118 may be located within or external to the BOA device 104, according to embodiments of the present invention. The BOA device 104 may include a display template serving as a graphical user interface, which permits the user (e.g. EMS tech 114) to select different subsets and/or display modes of the information gathered from and/or sent to devices 106, 108, 110, according to embodiments of the present invention.
The map section 304 may display street information along with the origin, destination, route identification, and/or progress information, according to embodiments of the present invention. The navigation device 110 may also supply vehicle status information for display, which may also be useful when a transport has not yet begun. A user may select a Cycle Feeds button 318 in order to continuously transition the display between one or more of the various displays of
A horizontal vital signs summary section 404 indicates, for example, the numerical values represented simultaneously in the vertical vital signs section 402, according to embodiments of the present invention. The graphical section 406 includes a visual representation of an electrocardiograph, such as that acquired from a twelve-lead sensor placement on the patient 116, according to embodiments of the present invention. Just above the ECG is an indication of when the ECG was acquired. As new vital signs information and/or new ECG information becomes available, the display of
The vital signs section 506 includes a historical listing of certain vital signs data observed by the EMS technician 114 and recorded in the patient charting device 108, and stored in the patient charting device 108 and/or the database 118, according to embodiments of the present invention. The historical listing of vital signs data in the vital signs section 506 includes a time stamp, heart rate, blood pressure, respiration rate, blood oxygen level, end-tidal carbon dioxide level, blood glucose level, Glasgow Coma Scale rating (“GCS”), and the name of the technician or device that observed or recorded the vital sign, according to embodiments of the present invention.
The BOA device 104, on the other hand, automatically creates a display of several different fields that would typically comprise patch notes, according to embodiments of the present invention. The display of
For example, without the BOA device 104, if a patient's heart rate rose from 75 to 115 over the course of three minutes, and if an EMS technician 114 wrote “HR 75” on his glove before consulting his patient chart for name and background information and the driver 112 for location information before calling the hospital three minutes later, the EMS technician 114 might report a heart rate of 75 to the hospital. With the BOA device 104, however, the patch notes are generated automatically and displayed as in
In addition to one or more of a Hospital field 602 identifying the name and phone number of the hospital to which the patient 116 is en route and an age field 604 identifying the patient's age, the display of
Each of the fields may be configured to display either past or current or derived content from one or more of the EMS devices (e.g. devices 106, 108, 110) which are communicably coupled with the BOA device 104, according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, the Hospital, Unit, and ETA fields may be based on information received from the navigation unit 110. The Age, Gender, Chief Complaint, History Present Illness, Past Medical History, and Interventions fields may be based on information received from the patient charting unit 108. The patient charting device vital signs field may be based on information received from the patient charting unit 108 (e.g. GCS score), and the patient monitoring device vital signs field may be based on information received from the patient monitoring device 106 (e.g. ECG), according to embodiments of the present invention. According to embodiments of the present invention, a BOA device 104 may be located in the front of the ambulance to permit the driver 112 or another EMS technician to place the call to the hospital based on the real-time patch notes, thereby providing the attending EMS technician 114 more time and attention for direct patient care.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the BOA device 104 receives information from at least one patient monitoring EMS device and at least one non-patient monitoring EMS device. The patch notes screen of
Based on the disclosure provided herein, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the BOA device 104 may be configured to display additional or different subsets of information from one or more EMS devices and/or external data sources. According to embodiments of the present invention, the BOA device 104 not only seamlessly integrates information from a patient monitoring device 106, a patient charting device 108, and a navigation device 110 for display in mobile environment 101, but it also does so for display in a remote environment such as, for example, enterprise environment 102. Enterprise environment 102 may be a hospital and/or dispatch environment, for example.
Data from the BOA device 104 (and therefore data from the devices 106, 108, 110 communicably coupled with the BOA device 104) may be received by one or more enterprise storage servers 126 in an administration environment 103 and stored in an enterprise database 130, and the same information may be accessed and provided by one or more enterprise application servers 128 to a workstation 122 of an enterprise user 124, according to embodiments of the present invention. According to embodiments of the present invention, the BOA device 104 is communicably coupled to the storage server 126 which is communicably coupled to the database 130, and the application server 128 is communicably coupled to the database and to the enterprise workstation 122. Such devices may be communicably coupled via a network 120 such as, for example, the Internet.
When the BOA device 104 receives updated information from one or more of the devices (e.g. devices 106, 108, 110) to which it is communicably coupled, the BOA device 104 sends the updated information to the enterprise storage server 126, which stores the updated information in a database which may be contained on a storage medium 130, according to embodiments of the present invention. Hence, information from one or more devices (e.g. devices 106, 108, 110) may be stored in mobile database 118, remote enterprise database 130, or both, according to embodiments of the present invention. An enterprise user 124, who may be an emergency room nurse monitoring and/or preparing for ambulance arrivals, an emergency room physician, and/or a medical director at home, for example, may access information similar to information displayed by the BOA device 104 by requesting the information via an enterprise workstation 122. For example, the enterprise workstation 122 accesses a web interface and/or thin client web browser application which requests the information over the network 120 from application server 128. Application server 128 queries the database 130 for the information, and returns a display to enterprise workstation 122 that looks the same as or similar to what the EMS technician 114 is currently seeing on the BOA device 104 display, according to embodiments of the present invention.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the website display in the enterprise environment 102 is accessed via a generic internet browser by a doctor waiting in the emergency room for the patient to arrive by ambulance. The website may be secured by logon username and password, for example. Each ambulance may be identified by a vehicle name; the doctor chooses from a list of incoming vehicle, after which the data for that patient is displayed. The data may be shown just as it appears on the mobile screen, also in “clinical time.” According to embodiments of the present invention, the enterprise environment 102 website displays data only for those patients whose destination is the same as the destination logged on the user's facility.
When the user 124 clicks on the navigator button 808, the screen display of
When the user 124 clicks on the patient charting button 810, the screen display of
Although
Also, the enterprise storage server 130 may securely store the information received from one or more BOA devices 104 for longer periods of time to permit later use of the information. For example, the BOA device 104 may receive patient-identifying information such as name, address, and/or social security number via the patient charting device 108 or directly through the BOA device 104, and then may convey some or all of the patient-identifying information to enterprise storage server 126 with a request for the enterprise storage server 126 to query the database 130 for past records involving the same patient 116. The enterprise storage server 126 may then forward any such records or portions of such records back to the BOA device 104 (e.g. for display in the patient charting screen or the Past Medical History in the patch notes screen) to assist the EMS technician 114 with the current emergency. Similarly, such past EMS encounter record information may also be accessed by the enterprise user 124, according to embodiments of the present invention. A system administrator 134 may access and/or monitor the data in database 130 and/or modify the instructions of the servers 126, 128 via administration workstation 132, which may be communicably coupled to the servers 126, 128, according to embodiments of the present invention.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the BOA device 104 may connect with (e.g. automatically or manually or selectively) a wearable medical device, such as, for example, a Lifevest® wearable defibrillator, to receive and display patient monitoring information therefrom. The BOA device 104 may also be configured to receive patient-identifying information from such a wearable device, to permit the BOA device 104 to query an external database, for example across network 120, to retrieve additional information about the patient. The BOA device 104 may also be configured to connect with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (“ICD”) in a similar fashion, according to embodiments of the present invention.
The mobile domain modules 1126 includes the device adapter 1104, a mobile asset management module 1106 which may access a mobile database 1108, a BOA module 1110, a patient charting module 1112, a navigation module 1114, and a network adapter 1116, according to embodiments of the present invention. The remote/enterprise modules 1128 include the network adapter 1116, an enterprise asset management module 1118 which may access an enterprise database 1120, and an enterprise application server module 1122, according to embodiments of the present invention.
The patient monitoring device module 1102 operates the patient monitoring device 106 and generates one or more data pipes containing information about a patient 116 condition. The device adapter/communication interface module 1104 manages data communications between a computing device and one or more medical devices such as, for example, between the patient monitoring device module 1102 and the mobile asset management module 1106 and/or BOA module 1110. The device adapter module 1104 includes one or more of the following attributes, according to embodiments of the present invention:
A transport plug-in may be a .NET assembly that is dynamically loaded by the communications engine 1104 and which provides data communications support for a specific transport (e.g. Serial Port, Bluetooth, TCP/IP, and File System). The communications engine 1104 may be configured for auto-pairing (e.g. for transports that support pairing, the engine 1104 uses rules specific to the transport to automatically create and maintain pairings with medical devices depending on configuration and user preference) and/or for auto-discovery (e.g. for transports that support discovery, the engine 1104 may be configured to automatically find new medical devices and enter them into the known device list), according to embodiments of the present invention.
A medical device plug-in may be a .NET assembly that is dynamically loaded by the communications engine 1104 which provides transport independent data communications services for a particular type of medical device, for example ZOLL M/E-Series ZOLLModem or ZOLL E-Series DUN. A storage plug-in may be a .NET assembly that is dynamically loaded by the communications engine 1104 which provides storage services to the engine.
As shown in
As yet another example, a pipe may specify Transport Bluetooth (Baud=115200, Auto-Pair), Medical Device E/M Series ZOLLModem (Any Device). This configuration would cause Bluetooth to automatically pair with any medical device found during periodic discovery and accept any data assets from any paired device and store them via all loaded and enabled storage plug-ins. As yet another example, a pipe may specify Transport TCP/IP (LocalIP=192.168.1.20, Port=7743), Medical Device E/M Series DUN (Any Device), Storage (Asset Management). This configuration would cause the engine 1104 to start listening on the specified IP address and port for DUN traffic and store it via Asset Management (e.g. by sending it to mobile asset management module 1106 and/or enterprise asset management module 1118), according to embodiments of the present invention.
For each “pipe” of device adapter 1104 that uses Discovery Supporting Transport, the adapter 1104 performs the method outlined in
As described above, the mobile asset management module 1106 receives medical device data from the device adapter and communications interface 1104, according to embodiments of the present invention. The mobile asset management module 1106 performs the secure storage, retrieval and management of medical device data together with asynchronous events informing other applications of the storage or modification of these data assets. The mobile asset management module 1106 supports local or remote service oriented API to store, retrieve and modify medical device data, and provides local or remote asynchronous message-based notification of events to applications which subscribe for them, according to embodiments of the present invention. These events may include notification of the arrival of medical device data.
The BOA module manages data feeds from multiple data providers (including but not limited to, the device adapter 1104, the patient charting module 1112, and the navigation module 1114) and presents these feeds on a touch-screen flat panel, according to embodiments of the present invention. The BOA module 1110 also communicates these aggregated data elements to a back-office module (e.g. the enterprise asset management module 1118). The patient charting module 1112 controls the patient charting device 108 and the information sent and received by it, and the navigation module 1114 controls the navigation device 110 and the information sent and received by it, according to embodiments of the present invention. The BOA module 1110 includes one or more of the following attributes, according to embodiments of the present invention:
The BOA module 1110 queries the mobile asset management module 1106 to determine whether new navigation data is available (block 1616) and, if so, updates the navigation data in the data model (block 1618). The BOA module 1110 determines whether it is time to send updated information to the enterprise asset management module 1118 (block 1620) and, if so, sends the data model to the enterprise asset management module (block 1622) and generates an asynchronous message (block 1626). According to embodiments of the present invention, the asynchronous message generated at block 1626 is destined for the enterprise application server 128; according to alternative embodiments of the present invention, the asynchronous message generated at block 1626 is destined for the enterprise storage server 126 which, in turn, stores the data and notifies the enterprise application server 128 of the data's availability. The data model is then rendered (block 1624), for example in the form of a display update on the BOA device 104, according to embodiments of the present invention. According to embodiments of the present invention, the procedures indicated by blocks 1608, 1612, 1616, and 1620 are not executed as “stages” but are instead each events which trigger a different thread of execution that modifies a data model, which in turn triggers the update of the BOA device 104 display.
The network adapter/communication interface module 1116 is a communications channel that includes one or more of the following attributes, according to embodiments of the present invention:
Messages may be stored until a connection is resumed. Within certain time-limits, if the connection is restored, message transmission may continue from where it left off rather than starting anew.
The communications interface 1116 may be a MERCURY™ communication interface available from Zoll Data Systems of Broomfield, Colo., according to embodiments of the present invention.
The messaging components for the BOA module 1110 may be implemented using the communication interface module 1116 as a channel. These messaging components implement one or more of the following characteristics, according to embodiments of the present invention:
The enterprise asset management module 1118 receives an aggregated data feed from multiple BOA modules 1110 and provides presentation of those aggregated data feeds on displays remote from the originating ones. For example, such aggregated data feeds may be fetched from the database 1120 associated with the enterprise asset management module 1118 by the enterprise application server module 1122 and displayed to an enterprise user via a thin client display application module 1124 running on a web browser, according to embodiments of the present invention. Such a web page may be secured, encrypted, password-protected, and/or HIPAA compliant, according to embodiments of the present invention. The enterprise asset management module 1118 includes one or more of the following attributes, according to embodiments of the present invention:
Although
According to embodiments of the present invention, the BOA device 104 is communicably coupled to only one or two of the patient monitoring device 106, the patient charting device 108, and the navigation device 110, and is configured to organize and display EMS information from only the one or two such devices.
Although the modules and applications described with respect to
The BOA device 104 according to embodiments of the present invention may be configured to facilitate data entry via a touch screen device with software that permits rapid and easy data entry, similar to the Quicklog capability of the Zoll Data Systems RescueNet® ePCR Suite. In addition, the BOA device 104 may be configured to permit selection and display of patient monitoring data (e.g. 12-lead ECG data) from prior transports and/or other agencies retrieved from mobile database 118 and/or enterprise database 130, according to embodiments of the present invention. Such historical and/or shared patient data may also be made available to hospitals, and/or stored by hospitals or other care institutions as part of a data management program. The BOA device 104 may also be configured to display streaming ECG information similar to the “live” display of such information by a defibrillator device, for example. The BOA device 104 may also be configured to display feedback to the EMS technician 114 about cardiopulmonary resuscitation being performed, to evaluate the CPR technique during and/or after it is administered. According to embodiments of the present invention, the BOA device 104 may be configured to communicably couple with and receive information from an accelerometer and/or other CPR evaluation device, such as a device configured to detect the presence of and/or the timing of and/or the depth/displacement of and/or the velocity of and/or the acceleration of chest compressions, for example the devices and methods described or referenced in U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,996 issued on May 21, 2002, U.S. Pat. No. 6,827,695 issued on Dec. 7, 2004, U.S. Pat. No. 7,122,014 issued on Oct. 17, 2006, and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2006/0009809 published on Jan. 12, 2006, which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
Once devices have been selected, the BOA device 104 cycles through a series of different displays (block 1714). This cycling may be programmed to occur at preset intervals; for example, the BOA device 104 may be configured to cycle the display between different data models every seven seconds. For example, a navigation device data model may be displayed (block 1716), which may be similar to the data model depicted in
When a user selects one of the “feed” buttons (block 1724), an asynchronous event is generated causing the data model corresponding to that feed to displayed (block 1726) for a longer predetermined period of time, for example one minute. As an example, if the user selects the patient charting button 206 (see
When one of the EMS devices receives or generates new data, it may be configured to generate an asynchronous notification to be received by the BOA module 1110, according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, the patient charting module 1112 may generate an asynchronous message when it has new information to share (block 1736), the patient monitoring module 1102 may generate an asynchronous message when it has new information to share (block 1738), and the navigation module 1114 may generate an asynchronous message when it has new information to share (block 1740), according to embodiments of the present invention. These asynchronous messages may include within them the new or updated data itself. When the BOA module 1110 receives one or more of these notifications, it updates the data model or data models that correspond to the particular device and/or information received (block 1742). For example, if new patient charting information is received from the patient charting module 1112 (which may be running on the patient charting device 108), the BOA module 1110 will update the patient charting data model to reflect the most recent data. The BOA module 1110 then refreshes its display (block 1744), which results in the currently displayed data model being replaced with the new data model immediately if any data in the data model was updated in block 1742. The data model update may then be sent to the BOA enterprise module which may reside on enterprise application server 128 (block 1746), which may result in an asynchronous message being generated to the BOA enterprise module (block 1748), according to embodiments of the present invention.
Some embodiments of the present invention include various steps, some of which may be performed by hardware components or may be embodied in machine-executable instructions. These machine-executable instructions may be used to cause a general-purpose or a special-purpose processor programmed with the instructions to perform the steps. Alternatively, the steps may be performed by a combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. In addition, some embodiments of the present invention may be performed or implemented, at least in part (e.g., one or more modules), on one or more computer systems, mainframes (e.g., IBM mainframes such as the IBM zSeries, Unisys ClearPath Mainframes, HP Integrity NonStop servers, NEC Express series, and others), or client-server type systems. In addition, specific hardware aspects of embodiments of the present invention may incorporate one or more of these systems, or portions thereof.
As such,
Processor(s) 1802 can be any known processor, such as, but not limited to, an Intel® Itanium® or Itanium 2® processor(s), or AMD® Opteron® or Athlon MP® processor(s), or Motorola® lines of processors. Communication port(s) 1803 can be any of an RS-232 port for use with a modem based dialup connection, a 10/100 Ethernet port, or a Gigabit port using copper or fiber, for example. Communication port(s) 1803 may be chosen depending on a network such a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), or any network to which the computer system 1800 connects. Main memory 1804 can be Random Access Memory (RAM), or any other dynamic storage device(s) commonly known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Read only memory 1806 can be any static storage device(s) such as Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM) chips for storing static information such as instructions for processor 1802, for example.
Mass storage 1807 can be used to store information and instructions. For example, hard disks such as the Adaptec® family of SCSI drives, an optical disc, an array of disks such as RAID (e.g. the Adaptec family of RAID drives), or any other mass storage devices may be used, for example. Bus 1801 communicably couples processor(s) 1802 with the other memory, storage and communication blocks. Bus 1801 can be a PCI/PCI-X or SCSI based system bus depending on the storage devices used, for example. Removable storage media 1805 can be any kind of external hard-drives, floppy drives, flash drives, IOMEGA® Zip Drives, Compact Disc-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), Compact Disc-Re-Writable (CD-RW), or Digital Video Disk-Read Only Memory (DVD-ROM), for example. The components described above are meant to exemplify some types of possibilities. In no way should the aforementioned examples limit the scope of the invention, as they are only exemplary embodiments.
Embodiments of the present invention may be configured to achieve various other solutions in an emergency medical services environment. For example, the BOA device 104, in communication with the navigation device 110, may be configured to provide additional mapping and/or navigation information. The BOA device 104 may display status information about a hospital destination, and may indicate diversion or alternative destinations to direct the ambulance 101 to an appropriate destination, according to embodiments of the present invention. The BOA device 104 may also display characteristics about hospitals and/or other destinations, such as the hospital's capabilities (e.g. heart specialty, burn specialty), insurance accepted, patient capacity and current patient capacity status, according to embodiments of the present invention. The BOA device 104 may also be in communication with the enterprise workstation 122 of the hospital or other destination to permit preregistration or partial preregistration of the patient 116. According to embodiments of the present invention, a hospital without availability shows up for the ambulance driver 112 as not available. The BOA device 104 may be configured to display such information simultaneously with a map and/or during navigation, to facilitate destination selection. This information may be obtained over the network 120 from an enterprise server 126 or 128 and/or from an enterprise workstation 122 and/or from the navigation device 110, according to embodiments of the present invention.
The BOA device 104 may also be configured to communicate in various ways with the user, including with the EMS driver 112 and/or the EMS technician 114, according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, the BOA device 104 may be configured to provide audio prompts, alarms, scheduling, timing, and/or audio streams to EMS users. The BOA device 104 may be configured with Bluetooth® connectivity or capability, such that a user may connect or pair a unique Bluetooth® device with BOA 104 to receive audio information and/or to communicate voice prompts. An alarm may be configured to sound or to display visually upon a triggering event, for example upon receipt by the BOA device 104 of an asynchronous event signal from a sensor indicating that a detected parameter is outside an acceptable range or value, according to embodiments of the present invention. Audio and/or visual cues may be used to alert a user to a particular dosage schedule, for example beeping when a certain amount of time has elapsed since a first administration of a drug. Such alarms and/or schedules may be set or customized by the users, or may be selected from a predetermined set of alarm and scheduling options, according to embodiments of the present invention.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the BOA device 104 may provide role-based data and/or audio streams; for example, a technician administering CPR may receive audio and/or visual information about the patient's cardiac condition, but the BOA device 104 may filter out other information such as mapping and/or routing information for that user. Private, customized feedback and/or information may be provided to EMS users based on their roles, according to embodiments of the present invention.
The BOA device 104 may further provide decision support for an EMS technician, according to embodiments of the present invention. Based on information entered by the technician 114 (e.g. via a patient charting device 108) and/or information received from a patient monitoring device 106, BOA device 104 may compare the information with internal or external databases to display or otherwise convey a differential diagnosis, and/or predictive diagnosis (e.g. based on vectors or EKG information), according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, the BOA device 104 may present the EMS technician 114 with a decision matrix based on symptoms and/or responses to treatments to help the EMS technician 114 determine, for example in an interactive format, a potential diagnosis. The BOA device 104 may provide protocols or links to protocols based on the information received, either from the technician 114 or from one of the devices with which it is in communication.
In one embodiment, the data for the patient's history may be entered via the BOA device 104 with patient physiological measures via the monitor of BOA device 104. As the differential diagnosis requires both patient history, patient examination findings, and measures of the patient's physiological state via such monitoring as ECG, capnography and pulse oximetry, these data elements are integrated into a user interface that automatically or semi-automatically integrates the various data elements on a single differential diagnosis screen within the application on the BOA device 104, according to embodiments of the present invention. The interface of BOA 104 begins by asking the rescuer to choose from a list of common presenting symptoms or complaints by the patient, e.g. dyspnea or respiratory distress. The information such as on the screens illustrated in
In one embodiment, rescuers may be able to simply touch the cursor to the history or physical exam findings listed as possible from the screen-displayed lists of
In much the same way that twelve-lead data and other BOA 104 device data may be sent to an enterprise environment 102 and displayed and/or retrieved on an enterprise workstation 122 or web-based environment, the BOA device 104 may also be configured to receive, display, and/or store similar information from an enterprise environment 102, according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, in a situation in which a patient is being transported from one hospital to another to receive specialized care, the hospital may send to the BOA device 104 information about the patient's vitals and/or health history and/or physician recommendations. Alternatively, the hospital may grant electronic authorization for the remote EMS technician to query its database or databases where such information is kept, to enable the EMS technician 114 to select, using the BOA device 104 interface, which and how much information he would like to receive. In this way, technicians in an ambulance 101 can see what is happening to a patient at the hospital, for example.
The BOA device 104 may also include speech recognition software and/or text-to-speech software, according to embodiments of the present invention. As such, the BOA device 104 may provide an audio signal that reads text or numeric data received from one or more devices, to convey the data to the EMS technician 114 audibly, such that the EMS technician 114 need not divert visual attention from the patient or from another task, according to embodiments of the present invention. The BOA device 104 may also recognize voice command prompts, to enable the user to operate the BOA device 104 by voice instead of having to divert manual attention from the patient or the task at hand, according to embodiments of the present invention.
The BOA device 104 also be configured to retrieve audio data stored on a device, such as a patient monitoring device 106, to help the EMS technician 114 in treatment or diagnosis, and/or for storage, technician evaluation, quality control, or later playback. For example, the patient monitoring device 114 may be a defibrillator that records a continuous audio stream; the BOA device 104 may access the continuous audio stream and permit selective play back of certain portions and/or transmit the audio stream or audio file for remote access or storage, according to embodiments of the present invention. The BOA device 104 may also be configured to receive audio information from a patient monitoring device 106 or other device even before the EMS technician 114 has reached the patient, to help the EMS technician 114 to prepare for the scene.
The BOA device 104 may be configured to connect with a video monitoring device, for example a webcam, or a standalone video camera, and/or a video capture device that is mounted on or part of another device to which the BOA device 104 connects, according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, a video or still camera mounted in the back of an ambulance 101 may provide visual data to BOA 104 for storage and/or transmission and/or retransmission to the enterprise environment 102 and/or the administration environment 103. Such a video feed may permit a physician waiting at a hospital to view the patient's status before the patient arrives, for example.
With an ability to connect with and interface multiple EMS-related devices, both clinical and non-clinical, and aggregate such EMS-information (both clinical and non-clinical) from multiple devices, the BOA device 104 may also be configured for inventory monitoring and control. For example, the BOA device 104 may be communicably coupled with a bar code scanner, a radio frequency identification (“RFID”) receiver or transceiver, or other inventory monitoring device. The BOA device 104 may maintain or communicate with a database that tracks a particular set of inventoried items, whether they be medical devices, supplies, drugs, personnel, or the like.
For example, the BOA device 104 may include a database that tracks the inventory of devices, supplies, and drugs on board a particular ambulance 101. When a new device is placed on the ambulance 101, the new device is equipped with a tag or bar code or some other unique identifier, and the BOA device 104 may be configured to automatically sense, or to be instructed to sense (e.g. by scanning a bar code with the bar code scanner), the presence of a new inventory item. The BOA device 104 may also prompt the user with a status update request, for example: new item, item being removed, item being dispensed, item destroyed, item transferred. Hence, at the beginning of an ambulance 101 shift, the crew may query the BOA device 104 to display the inventory of devices, supplies, and/or drugs on board, and may supplement the inventory for any deficient item. When a drug is administered, it may be scanned into the BOA device 104 system with an indication that it has been dispensed and should be replaced. At the end of a shift, the crew may check the inventory via the BOA device 104 and restock necessary supplies and/or transmit the inventory situation to a third party for any appropriate restocking, monitoring, and/or verification activity.
Such inventory information may also be conveyed by BOA 104 for remote use and/or storage. For example, a defibrillator patient monitoring device 106 may be checked out to each crew of each ambulance 101, and this information may be sent by BOA device 104 through network 120 to the enterprise storage server 126, which may aggregate such information across multiple ambulances 101. A shift supervisor using a remote enterprise workstation 122 may query such database to determine which defibrillators are out in the field on which ambulances 101, according to embodiments of the present invention. In this way, the BOA device 104 may auto-upload inventory information to a central system.
The BOA device 104 may also be configured to connect with devices (clinical and/or non-clinical) that track EMS technician 114 and patient 116 safety, according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, the BOA device 104 may be configured to connect with accelerometer and/or tire pressure sensors, and/or other vehicle-relate sensors to track driving conditions, driving behavior, safety level, and/or event occurrences, according to embodiments of the present invention. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the BOA device 104 may be configured to connect with a breathalyzer device, which may be used to sense and/or estimate the blood alcohol content of the driver and/or patient. The BOA device 104 may collect such data and display it to the user in a feedback format, and/or may send such data through the network 120 for storage and/or remote evaluation, according to embodiments of the present invention. The BOA device 104 may also monitor a vehicle's maintenance schedule and alert the user when maintenance is needed or recommended, according to embodiments of the present invention.
Due to its connection with the network 120 and also with other devices 106, 108, 110, the BOA device 104 may also serve as an ambulance headquarters and/or a type of “repeater” in a trauma or disaster situation, according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, the BOA device 104 may be configured to connect with multiple devices including devices outside the ambulance 101 and/or in a different ambulance 101, to permit the BOA device 104 user to view and manage response treatments, for example. Such a configuration also permits data from multiple devices (e.g. multiple defibrillators or other patient monitoring devices) to be conveyed through the network 120 to an enterprise environment 102 and/or administration environment 103, according to embodiments of the present invention. In another example, a single ambulance 101 equipped with a BOA device 104 system as described above may be deployed to a disaster or trauma situation, and the BOA device 104 may be connected to and aggregating information from multiple patient monitoring devices 106. A supervisor or situation manager may use the BOA device 104 to monitor treatment status, prioritize patient medical needs, transmit relevant information to selected outside caregivers, hospitals, and/or treatment centers, and to distribute resources accordingly.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the BOA device 104 is configured to perform diagnostics on and/or to initiate self-diagnostics for devices with which it is connected. The BOA device 104 may also be used for training and/or education of EMS technicians 114, by making downloaded protocols available for display, and/or by simulating a medical emergency (e.g. simulating the device feeds from multiple clinical and non-clinical devices during a medical emergency or transport).
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the BOA device 104 provides a visual indication of whether its connection with the navigation device 110 (or other predetermined device) is online or offline. According to some embodiments, the user can select to view historical rather than current patient information; for example, the user may select to view thumbnails of previous twelve-leads, and can send a collection of twelve-lead data snapshots to an enterprise environment 102 (e.g. a hospital), each with a unique serial number, for example. The enterprise user 124 may also view the patch notes from the BOA device 104, so that the EMS technician 114 need not convey them telephonically, according to embodiments of the present invention.
The BOA device 104 may also include a drop-down menu interface, listing each device to which the BOA device 104 is connected and its connection status, according to embodiments of the present invention. The BOA device 104 may also be connected with a biometric device such as a fingerprint reader or a retinal scanner, or a non-biometric device such as a keypad, to assist in verifying the identity of a patient and/or in authorizing access to patient medical records. Such records may be stored in remote databases and/or stored by different entities, for example.
The EMS communication interface device 2000 may be configured to interface with the patient monitoring device 106 via an existing hardware interface, such as, for example, via a PCMCIA card slot, a USB slot, or the like, according to embodiments of the present invention. The following example illustrates an EMS communication interface device 2000 that interfaces with a patient monitoring device 106 via a PCMCIA card slot in the device 106, according to embodiments of the present invention.
The carrier board 2010 may also include a SOM coprocessor subsystem 2040 such as, for example, a Gumstix Overo Air SOM or a LogicPD Torpedo SOM. SOM 2040 may include a Bluetooth (“BT”) radio and/or antenna and/or a WiFi (e.g. 802.11a/b/g/n) radio and/or antenna 2042. The 802.11a/g subsystem may be initialized and configured during boot, and may also be configured via terminal session, according to embodiments of the present invention. SOM 2040 may also include a storage device 2044, such as, for example, a removable micro SD storage/memory slot. A micro SD card may be used in such a slot as random access storage as well as a source of the boot strap code to initialize the co-processor subsystem 2040. SOM 2040 may also include a power management integrated circuit (“IC”) 2048, such as, for example, a Texas Instruments TPS65950 integrated power management IC. SOM 2040 may also include a processor 2046 such as, for example, a TI Open Multimedia Applications Platform (“OMAP”) 3503 processor with 256 MB of random access memory (“RAM”) and 256 MB of non-volatile RAM (“NVRAM”) in a package-on-package (“POP”) package. The coprocessor subsystem 2040 may be communicably coupled to the carrier board 2010 via dual 70-pin headers, according to embodiments of the present invention. The carrier board 2010 may also include a Joint Test Action Group (“JTAG”) interface for programming, according to embodiments of the present invention.
The device 2000 may include CPLD firmware, such as, for example, Actel Igloo Nano AGL250V2-VQG100_0. Such CPLD firmware may govern linear flash (“LF”) control signals for read/write operations, may govern FIFO control signals for write and read operations in a manner of a FIFO dual-ported implementation, and may employ level shifted address and data buses for LF, FIFO, and the OMAP, according to embodiments of the present invention. The device 2000 may include an operating system, such as, for example, OE 2.6.x Open Embedded Linux. The device 2000 may employ the C# Common Language Runtime (2.6.2), for example the Mono common language runtime (“CLR”), according to embodiments of the present invention. The device 2000 may include persistent data storage using SQLite software library, according to embodiments of the present invention. The device 2000 may perform asset management patterned data storage for framed data, and/or asset management patterned services for parameterized frame retrieval, according to embodiments of the present invention. The device 2000 may accomplish WiFi communications using User Datagram Protocol/Internet Protocol (“UDP/IP”) for streaming data output, a .NET remoting service bus, and/or a .NET remoting eventing bus, according to embodiments of the present invention.
A WiFi wireless connection has a much higher bandwidth for the transfer of information than a BT wireless connection. However, in some cases, the patient monitoring device 106 on which the patient monitoring module 1102 runs may not include WiFi capabilities, but it may include a personal computer memory card international association (“PCMCIA”) card slot with a PCMCIA interface 2114. A PCMCIA card may also be referred to as a PC card. The EMS communication interface device 2000 may be plugged in to the PCMCIA card slot 2114. The device 2000 may include a linear flash memory card 2122 or other memory element for recording full disclosure data from the patient monitoring device 106, according to embodiments of the present invention. The memory card 2122 may be used to replicate all existing memory card functionality of the patient monitoring device 106, by storing in linear flash memory 2122 all data written to the patient monitoring device 106 data slot, by permitting a utility mode user-initiated retrieval of stored data from linear flash memory 2122, and/or by permitting a utility mode user-initiated erasure of the linear flash memory 2122, according to embodiments of the present invention.
The full disclosure data stream from the patient monitoring module 1102 may also be received through the PCMCIA slot 2114 by an EMS communication interface module 2116, which transforms the full disclosure data into incident data, and provides the incident data over a WiFi connection 2118 to a WiFi plug-in 2120 that is part of the communication interface 1104, according to embodiments of the present invention.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the flash analog memory 2122 is designed to resemble the linear flash card that is normally associated with, and which may be embedded within, the patient monitoring device 106. Certain information may be stored in a non-volatile memory area, for example in the attribute memory plane, and certain other information may be stored in the first series of bytes of the common memory plane, to make the memory 2122 resemble the internal memory of the patient monitoring device 106. The communications interface 2116 may be a FIFO buffer 2202, which may receive full disclosure data from the patient monitoring module 1102 via the PCMCIA interface 2114, and pass the full disclosure data to a microprocessor 2204. The FIFO 2202 is uni-directional from the patient monitoring module 106 to the microprocessor 2204, according to embodiments of the present invention. Incident data sent may also be persisted in the asset management database 2314.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the FIFO buffer 2202 and/or the flash analog memory module 2122 are hardware-only solutions that function even when the SOM 2040 is non-operational. This functionality permits data protection in the case in which the SOM 2040 is not functional, and permits data buffering for the SOM 2040 to initialize (e.g. to boot and start the EMS communication interface services), according to embodiments of the present invention. During therapy mode data capture to the card 2122, if the SOM 2040 were to be disabled, device 106 data would not be lost, according to embodiments of the present invention. This also permits users who have been trained on utility modes of a patient monitoring device 106 related to the storage of data on a memory module to continue using such utility modes, even with the data being stored on memory module 2122 instead of a memory module internal to device 106, according to embodiments of the present invention.
Using a plug-in 2120 that is part of the communication interface 1104, incident data (“ID”) may be streamed from the microprocessor 2204 over a WiFi connection 2118. Such information may be received and displayed by BOA device 104, for example, and may be displayed in real time and/or in clinically significant time (e.g. with a delay not larger than that which permits a medically accurate and timely observation, diagnosis, and/or treatment decision to be made). According to embodiments of the present invention, the incident data may be streamed on a BOA device 104 with no more than a one-second delay. For example, twelve-lead data generated by a defibrillator patient monitoring device 106 may be updated at least once each second, according to embodiments of the present invention.
The microprocessor 2204 may also be programmed to generate asynchronous (e.g. event based) notifications via an eventing bus, over the WiFi connection 2118, according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, if a patient vital sign falls outside of present parameters, the microprocessor 2204 may be programmed to send an alarm event via eventing bus across the communication interface 1104.
In addition, the microprocessor 2204 may be programmed to permit a two-way service bus/service interface, to permit the requesting of incident data related specific incidents, according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, after a treatment incident, the user may request, via a service bus, from microprocessor 2204 all information associated with the particular incident (using a unique incident identifier, such as a case number, patient name, or the like). The microprocessor 2204 would then query the asset management module 2314 and retrieve any records associated with the particular incident, and send them back out through service bus, according to embodiments of the present invention. In this way, users may retrieve specific incident data rather than having to download all of the card file data (which in many cases will relate to multiple incidents, or information beyond the specific subset of information sought). This is made possible by the conversion of full disclosure data into incident data by the microprocessor 2204 prior to storage and/or forwarding. In some cases, users may wish to request all data stored by asset management module 2314, which would be a similar operation to the request for the card file directly from the patient monitoring module 1102.
Bytes read from the FIFO by the byte stream driver 2308 are re-assembled as blocks similar to those delivered by the patient monitoring device 106 and framed in the data formatter 2310, according to embodiments of the present invention. This results in a frame event stream 2303 from the data formatter 2310. The frame event stream is then sent to an asset management module 2312, which saves the frames to the database 2314 and forwards them out the WiFi channel to the TCP/IP module 2306 of the Linux Kernel 2302. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the frame event stream 2303 is sent over the WiFi connection via an encrypted UDP broadcast, so that it may be received by a wide range of clients (e.g. an iPhone may be configured to receive the UDP broadcast). The frame event stream 2303 may also be received by a clinical time feed plug-in 2316 of the communications interface module 1104, according to embodiments of the present invention.
Asynchronous requests for incident data stored in the database 2314 may be made by authorized external clients, such as via an incident plug-in 2318 of the communications interface module 1104, according to embodiments of the present invention. Such incident service calls are shown in dashed lines in
According to embodiments of the present invention, the byte stream is formatted by data formatter 2310 into blocks of data resembling device 106 data blocks, and these full data blocks are broadcast in a WiFi format upon construction (e.g. as a block is made, it is sent over the WiFi interface). According to embodiments of the present invention, the asset management module 2312 frames the byte stream into consistent blocks of time, for example one second per frame, and each frame is saved into the asset management patterned data storage (e.g. database 2314).
Although
A user may query the device 2000 to request health information, for example, running time, exceptions detected, and other information from the patient monitoring device 106, according to embodiments of the present invention. A user may also request specific incident-based data from the device 2000; for example, a user may send a query that says “send all of the cases,” or “send data relating to a specific case” or “send all twelve-lead data from a specific case.” The device 2000 may also stream delivery of case data so as to permit multiple authorized receivers (e.g. multiple BOA devices 104) to obtain the data simultaneously, according to embodiments of the present invention. According to some embodiments of the present invention, device 2000 facilitates data sharing between the patient monitoring device 106 and the enterprise environment 103.
On power up, the device 106 interrogates the occupant of the PCMCIA slot 2114 to ascertain if a valid linear flash card 2122 is present. The validity test may consist of reading a series of bytes from the LF AMP and validating the values against sets of acceptable cards or an acceptable card. If a valid card is found, the device 106 reads a series of bytes from the CMP to test for validity and to determine if the card has been “formatted” according to the requirements of the device 106. In the absence of such a series of bytes, the device 106 may write such information to the card 2122, according to embodiments of the present invention. Once the card 2122 is validated, the device 106 begins to write the device data to the LF card 2122 as byte streams that are formatted into blocks as described, above.
Although the device 2000 is depicted as interacting with device 106 in a one-way fashion, the device 2000 may also be configured to interact bi-directionally with device 2000. For example, the device 2000 may be configured to provide a WiFi user interface similar to the user interface observed directly on the patient monitoring device 106, to permit total or partial remote control of the patient monitoring device 106, according to embodiments of the present invention.
Packaged in a PCMCIA type x housing, each card 2010 contains a connector 2030, an array of flash memories packaged in thin small outline packages (“TSOP”) and card control logic. The card control logic provides the system interface and controls the internal flash memories as well as the input FIFO to the SOM, according to embodiments of the present invention. Level shifters are present to adapt PCMCIA logic voltages to card logic voltages.
Card logic voltages of 3.3V, 1.8V, and 1.5V may be derived from the PCMCIA VCC voltage (TTL, +5V, possibly +12V). A single stage for 3.3V and 5V conversions is built using three discrete transceivers. A CPLD is used to perform 3.3V and 1.8V conversions.
Data enters FIFO at 3.3V from the PCMCIA byte stream. Reading the FIFO is clocked an 8 bit byte at a time on the read clock shifted between 3.3 and 1.8 to OMAP, through the CPLD. OMAP control and status interface bits may be converted in a similar fashion. Each carrier card 2010 may have a USB2.0 port. OMAP UART signals are connected to a USB to UART serial bridge 2024, according to embodiments of the present invention.
A JTAG interface for programming the CPLD may be provided. A 2×34, A and B sided PCMCIA Connector (J1) may be used, that inter-connects I/O, status and power signals between the device and the card, according to embodiments of the present invention. For the device signals that the card interface is interested in, there is a group of three transceivers (U5, U6, and U7) that inter-convert PCMCIA voltage (VCC) and board voltage (3V3), according to embodiments of the present invention. Device 2000 is interested in 26 address bits, 8 data bits, and 6 control signals that are intended to be level-shifted, according to embodiments of the present invention. U5 and U6 are uni-directional 16b input shifters from device to card for address and control information, according to embodiments of the present invention. U7 is a bi-directional 8b level shifter for 8 bits of data.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the device 2000 reads and writes data through this interface to LF memory. U5 shifting 16 address bits [PCA0:PCA15] to [A0:A15]. U6 shifting 10 address bits [PC16:PC25] to [A16:A25], and 6 control signals {PC_REGn, PC_RESET, PC_CE1n, PC_CE2n, PC_OEn, PC_BWEn} to {REGn, RESET, CE1n, CE2n, OEn, BWEn}.
[PCD0:PCD7] 8 data bits (U2). Address shifters may be input only, in which case the card does not generate address information to the device 2000, only outbound addressing (device to card) is exposed, according to embodiments of the present invention. The data shifter is bi-directional as the device can read and write data to and from the card, according to embodiments of the present invention. U5 shifts 16 bits of address and U6 shifts 8 control signals and the upper 8 bits of the address and control signals from PCMCIA VCC to 3V3.
Device 2000 is configured to permit streaming data transmission via WiFi during therapy mode operations of the device 106, as well as post-case upload of device data. The device 2000 has hardware components as well as programmable elements using both firmware and embedded software, including an embedded operating system as described, above. According to some embodiments, the EMS communication interface device 2000 is thicker than a standard Type III PCMCIA card.
An embodiment of the present invention may include one of more of the following features and/or characteristics:
A device 2000 according to an embodiment of the present invention may permit individual screens for different receiving devices (e.g. different receiving devices using the communications interface 1104) to permit different users to obtain different data. For example, one user's settings could be configured to receive and display the frame event stream data relating to a patient's twelve-lead data, while an administrative technician user's settings could be configured to periodically request only frames associated with error codes generated by the patient monitoring device 106, according to embodiments of the present invention. Similarly, the same data may be received by and/or displayed by multiple users simultaneously over a WiFi connection, according to embodiments of the present invention.
In this way, the data from a patient monitoring device 106 may be streamed, e.g. over a wireless WiFi connection, from a patient's house to or from an ambulance, and/or from an ambulance to or from a hospital. Various frames in the event stream may be filtered and/or requested, such that a specific subset of data may be obtained. For example, respiration data may be included in a frame event stream generated by device 2000, according to embodiments of the present invention.
A device 2000 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be combined with other types of patient monitoring devices 106, for example an automatic external defibrillator (“AED”). The device 2000 may thus be configured to send status information from the AED, to facilitate software updates for the AED, and/or to remotely test the AED, according to embodiments of the present invention. Such a device 2000 may also be used with a patient charting device, for example to combine the patient charting device 108 information from one vendor/platform with the patient monitoring device 106 information from another vendor/platform, according to embodiments of the present invention. The device 2000 may also function as a data aggregator, to parse, organize, and place streams of information into discrete frames information that are more easily sorted, queried, and supplied at a later, post-incident time frame, according to embodiments of the present invention.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the patient monitoring device 106 (e.g. defibrillator) sends data to the device 2000 in data blocks, for example ECG data, or patient's current heart rate. A collection of data blocks corresponding to one incident may be referred to as incident data. Full disclosure data is the concatenation of data associated with all incidents, and may be broken into sequences of data blocks corresponding to each individual/patient. When a service request is received for an incident, all of the frames stored on device 2000 for that incident are collected and put together in sequence. According to embodiments of the present invention, each ECG block corresponds to 100 ms of ECG data, which provides ten data blocks per second. The defibrillator may add to each data block an incident identifier, time information about when the data block was recorded, and/or a computing hash for data integrity purposes, according to embodiments of the present invention.
Device 2000 (which is referred to in some figures as a “Zango” device) and BOA device 104 (which is referred to in some figures as a RescueNet Link, or RNL, device) work together, according to embodiments of the present invention. Device 2000, by virtue of its embedded computer, embodies a powerful processing engine. This processing engine is used to manage sophisticated data, communications, and applications operations on behalf of BOA device 104 users, according to embodiments of the present invention. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the device 2000 does not have input/output user interfaces (e.g., no keyboard, or display), so it works in conjunction with BOA device 104 to provide users access to the communications and data management services it supports, according to embodiments of the present invention.
The “EMS communications interface channel” (1a, 1b, 1c) provides a means to transmit patient monitoring data (e.g. E Series data) to the BOA device 104. This channel uses the device 2000 to connect to BOA 104.
The RNL Zango Client (1c) can be configured to perform a number of functions:
The following table lists and describes various elements of
Examples of episodic messages are the vital sign messages. The E Series sends a particular vital sign message when a particular vital sign parameter value has changed; asynchronous messages are sent with no particular frequency, according to embodiments of the present invention.
The byte stream is bifurcated at the input to the Zango card. One branch stores data into an on board (16 MB) linear flash, replicating all of the E Series linear flash operations. All data written is stored in the linear flash subsystem. The interface is hardware level, instant on prepared to receive and save the E Series byte stream to flash subsystem.
The second byte stream branch goes into the processor side of the Zango card. The processor side of the Zango card functions to process the byte stream performing the logical operations illustrated in
Blocks are then framed into a configurable time interval's worth of data blocks. For example, frames of one second in size might have on the order of 15 data blocks in the one second frame. Frames are collected into constructs of cases or incidents. Frames are stored in the Zango database. Complete incidents are marked (collection of all incident frames) and managed as incidents as they are completed. Frames are also streamed on WiFi where they can be received by authorized client applications, such as the RNL Zango Client described, below, with respect to
The upper row of boxes in
These are the control measures and behaviors that trace directly to the hazard analysis for data compromised faults, in one embodiment of the present invention.
The upper row of boxes in
Service responses are validated and invalid service responses are notified to the user and invalid data is not displayed, according to embodiments of the present invention. Connectivity status between Zango and the Zango Stream Channel Receiver is monitored and reported to users on the Mobile Link Display. Lost connectivity between Zango and RNL does not result in lost data as Zango stores data in the Zango database regardless of connection status. Service channel connectivity is not continuously monitored, service requests will fail (response invalid) if service connectivity is not present.
For example, when a patient's airway is checked, the EMS technician activates (e.g. pushes or touches) the “patient airway” button on the intervention button console. The button activates and displays a timer, which counts down to the next time when the patient's airways should be checked. This amount of time may be customized by the user and/or preprogrammed into the BOA module operating the BOA device 104 based on established treatment protocols for the locale in which the patient is treated. Color may also be used; for example, the buttons of the intervention button console may be normally gray, and the “patient airway” button may turn yellow as soon as the button is pushed and the timer activated. The button may turn red within a predetermined amount of time before expiry of the timer, for example one minute before the expiration of the time period being timed. For example, a user may look at the intervention button console of
Different EMS technicians may have different roles to play in an EMS scenario, based on their training or qualifications, the number of available technicians, and the status of the patient. In the same way, a single EMS technician may need to play multiple roles in an EMS encounter. Such EMS technicians may more effectively and efficiently perform their corresponding tasks if they are presented only with the information related to their particular role, such that they do not see extraneous information which they must mentally process and filter, and such that they are not presented with decision-making or data input options that do not apply to their role. One way in which such role-based information delivery may be accomplished is by providing each EMS technician with a mobile device with software configured to permit an interface with a BOA device 104 based on the user's role.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the patient monitoring device 106 and/or EMS communications interface device 2000 and/or the BOA device 104 includes a filtering mechanism (e.g. a circuit or processing instructions) that filters or removes chest compression interference from ECG signal data. Embodiments of the present invention may include a device or utilize a method similar to those described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,295,871, issued Nov. 13, 2007, which is incorporated by reference herein. Embodiments of the present invention may also employ Real CPR Help® technology available from Zoll Medical Corporation.
The use of role-based information delivery and intervention tracking permits a more efficient EMS treatment scenario by filtering data based on role, according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, the drug medic, airway medic, and CPR medic do not have menu tab selections available for patient data entry or for chief complaint entry, while the lead medic has those options.
Although only four mobile devices 620, 622, 624, and 626 are shown in
According to embodiments of the present invention, the software modules and hardware contained within the BOA device 104 for feeding the data to and from the mobile devices 620 may be consolidated into an EMS communications interface device 2000, and/or directly into a patient monitoring device 106.
The EMS communications interface device 631 thus is communicably coupled with the processor 640 of the defibrillator, so that it can receive clinical data from the processor as the clinical data is generated, and/or as the patient monitoring progresses. The EMS communications interface device 631 includes a processor 633, which may be a SOM processor, which is communicably coupled with processor 640 via one or more connections or types of information exchange, for example a general purpose input/output (GPIO) line 635, a universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter (UART) line 636, and/or a serial peripheral interface (SPI) line 637, according to embodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments, GPIO line 635 does not convey data, but only conveys state information for the synchronization with SOM processor 633. The EMS communications interface device 631 may include a flash memory storage element 645, and also includes or is communicably coupled with a GPS and antenna assembly 634. The SOM processor 633 may also include a USB Host line 638 which may connect to an external USB hub 639 and/or to devices such as a USB to Ethernet Adapter 642, a cellular modem 643, and/or an external flash drive 644, according to embodiments of the present invention. The SOM processor 633 may also include a USB connection to a docking connection station 641 to permit docking of another device with the USB ports of the two devices. A debugging assembly 646 is shown as an optional assembly for testing purposes.
The monitor domain 650 illustrates modules operating with respect to defibrillator and/or patient monitoring device functionality, according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, the user interface module 649 includes various modules that permit the defibrillator and/or patient monitoring device user, interacting via the defibrillator interface screen and/or buttons, to view data and/or make selections. The operations configuration module 653 permits a user to configure the operational setting of the data transmission; for example, module 653 permits the user to configure the settings for WiFi operations, blue tooth operations, cellular operations, and connections to enterprise storage servers 126, among other configuration settings. This setting information is sent to a communications operation manager 666 which sends the information via network interface 667 to the CP operation controller 675. The CP operation controller 675 works with the external client services manager 676 and the communication session manager 673 to enable the transmission modes for use by other managers in the EMS communications interface device 631.
The streaming data sender module 665 receives input from a logger module 661, a trend manager module 662, a snapshot manager 663, and a twelve lead manager 664, according to embodiments of the present invention. The logger module receives patient events such as vital measurement readings, changes in alarm state, defibrillation actions, and logs them in local persistent memory and sends them to the streaming data sender. The trend manager module captures all patient vital sign information on a configured periodic basis, and records them in local persistent memory as well as sending them to the streaming data sender. The snapshot manager collects wave data associated with an event for a window of time around the event. It also records the vital signs at the time of the event. It stores all this data in local persistent memory as well as sends it to the streaming data sender. The 12 Lead Manager captures the ECG waveforms clinically known as a “12 Lead” along with analysis data of the waveforms. It stores all this data in local persistent memory as well as sends it to the streaming data sender. The streaming data sender transmits the data it receives from each of these managers to the Streaming Data Distributor 668 on the communications interface device 631.
As clinical data is generated by processor 640, a logger module 680 pulls out data according to certain criteria and parses and/or saves the data in partitions via flash interface 672, according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, portions of the clinical data may be stored, including a case index list, a disclosure log, a set of twelve leads gathered, a system log, and a trace log.
The communication status indicator module 655 displays to the user the communication status received from the communications operation manager module 666. The report transmit control module 656 provides a Graphical User Interface (GUI) so the user can select reports, such as 12 lead data reports, and initiate the transmission of such reports to an external receiver. This is accomplished by sending a control message to the comm operation manager 666 which sends it through the serial network interface 667 to the comm operation controller 675. The comm operation controller 675 then invokes the report sender which reads the stored 12 lead data from the database and transmits it to the requested external destination. The device data management module provides a GUI control menu so a user can select patient full disclosure records or log records for transmission to external devices, and initiate such transmissions. This is accomplished by sending a control message to the comm operation manager 666 which sends it through the serial network interface 667 to the comm operation controller 675. The comm operation controller 675 then invokes the case upload manager which reads the case data from the database and formats and transmits the data through the network interface to the requested external device. A device image management control module 658 permits the user to manage various images captured by the defibrillator device. A case viewer module 659 permits a user to retrieve and display various logged clinical data via flash interface 672, according to embodiments of the present invention.
Once the clinical data is received by the streaming data distributor 668 in the carrier processor domain 651, the streaming data distributor 668 sends the patient data to a full disclosure manager 669 and creates a patient case record in the master table manager 674, according to embodiments of the present invention. These three modules 668, 669, 674 may be referred to as the streaming data handler 684. The streaming data handler 684 processes the raw clinical data from the defibrillator processor 640, and stores the data for later retrieval, and/or for concurrent or snapshot retrieval, according to embodiments of the present invention. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the streaming data handler 684 causes the clinical data arriving from the defibrillator to be stored in flash memory substantially in the same form as it arrives. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the streaming data handler 684 frames the streaming data, for example in a manner similar to that described above with respect to
The various software modules and hardware components permit the EMS communications interface device 631 to send data via an Internet Protocol (IP) to a backend server module 670 in the external client domain 652 (e.g. servers 126 or 128), and/or to a subscribing device module 671 (e.g. BOA system 104 and/or patient charting device 108), according to embodiments of the present invention.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the backend server 126, 128 and/or BOA device 104 permit a user to view and display, in a remote environment such as the back of an ambulance and/or at an enterprise workstation 122, historical snapshots of patient clinical data. This historical snapshot data may be viewed and/or accessed during the same clinical encounter in which it was collected. Such data may be retrieved and/or displayed according to certain criteria, including for example a period of time.
The backend server module 670 may for example include a twelve lead and/or trend view module 686 which permits accessing of patient twelve-lead data, according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, if an EMS technician 114 is looking at a display of a patient's 12-lead ECG from ten seconds ago, the technician 114 may request to view each 12-lead ECG taken within the last ten minutes, or one 12-lead for each minute of the last ten minutes, in order to better understand how the patient's 12-lead portrayal has changed over that ten-minute period.
This display may be displayed on BOA device 104, for example. The most recently acquired 12-lead portrayal is displayed in the main position 692, while previous 12-leads acquired in the past appear as smaller graphics or thumbnails along the bottom of the display, as illustrated in
The buttons 694 and 702 may be pushed or selected in order to advance the line of thumbnails forward or backward in time, for example one by one, according to embodiments of the present invention. The double arrows button 696 may be pushed or activated in order to advance the line of thumbnails to show the most recently acquired 12-lead in the right-most position of the thumbnails, and the double arrows button 698 may be pushed or activated in order to advance the line of thumbnails to show the oldest acquired 12-lead (in the left-most position of the thumbnails), according to embodiments of the present invention. The double arrows 696, 698 may alternatively operate to transition data in a paged manner, such that pressing the double arrow buttons 696, 698 shifts the view to the next set of thumbnails (e.g. if four thumbnails are shown, the next page includes the next chronological set of four thumbnails). The thumbnails may also be arranged chronologically in the opposite direction.
The user interface may also include an input area permitting the user to specify the time frame over which the 12-lead thumbnails are displayed, or to otherwise sort or narrow the thumbnail display, according to embodiments of the present invention. For example, slider bar 690 may be adjusted left or right to augment or shrink the time period over which 12-lead thumbnails are displayed at the bottom of the screen. If the time period is increased, then the display may be refreshed to include additional 12-lead thumbnails corresponding to the time period (e.g. by shrinking the size of each thumbnail to fit more on the screen, and/or by adding additional rows of thumbnails), or the size of each thumbnail may remain the same but the system selects a representative thumbnail from periodic subsets of the total set of 12-leads satisfying the time criteria, according to embodiments of the present invention. Other filters for the 12-lead dataset may include a clinical event filter, or a user-requested filter. And although 12-lead snapshot datasets are illustrated, a similar display and user interface process may be employed for other sets of clinical and/or non-clinical data, according to embodiments of the present invention. The SOM processor 633 may further be configured to receive, store, and transmit audio and video data, such as, for example, audio and video stream data, to external subscribed devices such as BOA system 104, according to embodiments of the present invention.
The display may also include a bookmark button 706 which permits a particular 12-lead representation to be flagged for later easy retrieval. In some embodiments, a thumbnail may be selected and dragged over to the bookmark button in order to bookmark the particular thumbnail. Another button (not shown) may permit the display to be filtered to show only bookmarked 12-lead images. According to some embodiments of the present invention, each 12-lead thumbnail display includes the date and time when it was recorded.
The display and user interface of
In some embodiments, the BOA device 104 or other external device may query any 12-lead snapshot data set contained on the communications interface device 631 and subsequently process, sort, and/or filter the data; in other embodiments, the SOM processor 633 has already sorted, filtered, and/or selected the appropriate or most relevant 12-lead images and/or sets of data, which the BOA device 104 or other external device may access and display more rapidly, without having to do its own processing on the data.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the SOM processor 633 formats the raw data received from the defibrillator according to an XML schema, which may be requested by subscribed devices and supplied as an XML object over internet protocol connections.
Devices can connect with system 630, and particularly system 631, in several ways. For example, a device (e.g. BOA device 104) can connect to system 631 via a “back office” enterprise server, such as server 126 or 128 (see
As another example, an external device (e.g. BOA 104 and/or patient charting device 108) can use a discovery protocol, for example mDNS/DNS-SD, to probe a local system 631 to determine which data services it provides. The external device would then form a TCP/IP connection to that service on the communication interface system 631. According to embodiments of the present invention, each communication interface system 631 has a unique IP socket address. Both the communication interface system 631 and the external device would then authenticate each other to permit bi-directional commands, responses, and data flow. This data flow may occur in XML format over a TCP/IP protocol, for example. This discovery protocol could also operate in reverse, such that the communications interface device 631 could probe external devices (e.g. BOA 104) and connect to services on those devices, according to embodiments of the present invention. In these ways, external devices may be connected to and receive streaming data from device 631 over a wireless local area network (e.g. a Wi-Fi network).
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the 12 lead data is sent by the streaming data sender 665 as it occurs to the streaming data handler 684 where it is stored. The BOA device 104 may perform a discover operation to determine that the CP device 631 supports 12 lead updates. The BOA may then connect to that service supplied by the device 631, and specifically by the report sender, and a persistent connection is formed, according to embodiments of the present invention. Any time the report sender is notified that a new 12 lead has been stored, the report sender will use the established connection to the BOA to send the latest report in the appropriate XML format, according to embodiments of the present invention.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the patient monitoring device 106 is a defibrillator, or some other device which includes an audio sensor or acoustic cardiograph sensor for recording and/or monitoring and/or retransmitting heart sounds of a patient. Such device may be, for example, an Audicor® acoustic cardiography monitor. In such cases, the audio signal or other acoustic information may be transmitted from the defibrillator monitor board assembly 632 to the SOM processor 633 of the EMS communications interface device 631, for example in streaming fashion, which may then be streamed to another device via Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth® and/or some other protocol. An electronic stethoscope device may subscribe to and/or connect with EMS communications interface device 631 and be configured to query and/or receive the patient's streaming audio or acoustic information. This may permit a clinician to listen to heart sounds of a patient wirelessly, and even remotely, via a Bluetooth® or other IP information stream. The sound data may be transmitted to remote users for online consultation or case review, according to embodiments of the present invention. Such a device may be a 3M™ Littmann® Electronic Stethoscope, which may be used in this way for real time, or clinical time, tele-auscultation.
The EMS device communications interface 631 may also be used to exchange non-clinical data with the patient monitoring device. According to other embodiments of the present invention, an external device may connect with communications interface device 631 to run a diagnostic test or to install a software update on the underlying patient monitoring device 632. According to yet other embodiments of the present invention, an external device may broadcast the availability of a software update to all subscribing communications interface devices 631, for example those associated with defibrillator devices, which will then alert a user of the devices that an update is available and guide the user through installation. An external device may also connect with communications interface device 631 in order to update the settings or user configuration parameters of the underlying device; for example, BOA device 104 may connect with a defibrillator device 106 at the beginning of each shift in order to change the user configuration settings to match the preferred settings of the active crew member who most recently logged into the system.
Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, while the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the scope of the claims, together with all equivalents thereof.
This application is a continuation of Patent Cooperation Treaty Application No. PCT/US2011/031868, filed on Apr. 9, 2011, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/322,675, filed Apr. 9, 2010, and of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/434,812, filed Jan. 20, 2011, all of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/US2011/031868 | Apr 2011 | US |
| Child | 13647744 | US |
