Wireless diagnostic system for indirect flow measurement in artificial heart pumps

• US 10,130,743 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2016
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dale J. Yeatts
• Original Assignee: Dale J. Yeatts
• Inventors: Yeatts, Dale J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bloss, Stephanie
• Assistant Examiner(s): PETERS, LISA E
• Application Number:
  US15/353,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20170136164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3515 using magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3523 using telemetric means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3553 remote, e.g. between patient's home and doctor's office
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/70 with testing or calibration facilities
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/148 in line with a blood vessel using resection or like techniques, e.g. permanent endovascular heart assist devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/178 drawing blood from a ventricle and returning the blood to the arterial system via a cannula external to the ventricle, e.g. left or right ventricular assist devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/216 including a rotating member acting on the blood, e.g. impeller
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/411 generated by an electromotor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/508 Electronic control means, e.g. for feedback regulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/585 User interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/592 Communication of patient or blood pump data to distant operators for treatment purposes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/876 Implantable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/88 Percutaneous cables
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, and methods are disclosed for optimizing management of one or more implanted artificial heart pumps. An example method includes wirelessly retrieving, via one or more portable diagnostic devices, data regarding the one or more implanted artificial heart pumps. The example method further includes analyzing, by a server device, performance characteristics of the one or more implanted artificial heart pumps based on the retrieved data. The example method further includes causing rendering of the performance characteristics. Corresponding apparatuses and computer program products are contemplated.

Claims

1. A portable diagnostic device for optimizing management of an implanted artificial heart pump that indirectly measures flow, the portable diagnostic device comprising:

a connector port configured to directly physically attach the portable diagnostic device to an external heart pump controller that is incapable of wireless data transmission,

wherein the external heart pump controller is connected to the implanted artificial heart pump, and

wherein the physical attachment facilitates transmission of data between the external heart pump controller and the portable diagnostic device; and

a wireless transmitter configured to transmit data between the portable diagnostic device and a server device to facilitate display of performance characteristics regarding the implanted artificial heart pump.

2. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more portable diagnostic devices prevent transfer of data from the portable diagnostic device to the external heart pump controller.

3. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein the server device is disposed at a physically remote location from the portable diagnostic device.

4. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein the direct physical attachment of the portable diagnostic device to the external heart pump controller comprises a removable direct physical attachment.

5. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to transmit data between the portable diagnostic device and the server device via radio frequencies allocated for exclusive medical usage.

6. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein physical attachment of the portable diagnostic device to the external heart pump controller facilitates continuous transmission of data between the portable diagnostic device and the external heart pump controller.

7. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to continuously transmit data between the portable diagnostic device and the server device.

8. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to transmit data between the portable diagnostic device and the server device on a periodic basis.

9. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to transmit data between the portable diagnostic device and the server device on a scheduled basis.

10. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to transmit data between the portable diagnostic device and the server device in response to an ad hoc request initiated from the server device.

11. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein data transmitted between the external heart pump controller and the portable diagnostic device is representative of at least one of speed setting input, estimated instantaneous and average blood flow rate over a specified time interval, variable power consumption, or proprietary preprogrammed alarm notifications of the implanted artificial heart pump.

12. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein the portable diagnostic device prevents transfer of data from the portable diagnostic device to the external heart pump controller.

13. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to transmit data between the portable diagnostic device and the server device in an instance in which the server device is disposed at a physically remote location from the portable diagnostic device.

14. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein a direct physical attachment of the portable diagnostic device to the external heart pump controller comprises a removable direct physical attachment.

15. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, wherein the portable diagnostic device is configured to receive power from the external heart pump controller.

16. The portable diagnostic device of claim 1, further comprising a faceplate having one or more display sensor data lights.

17. The portable diagnostic device of claim 16, wherein the one or more display sensor data lights indicate (i) whether functioning contact exists between the external heart pump controller and the portable diagnostic device, (ii) whether there is active communication between the portable diagnostic device and a remote network, or (iii) whether a recent alarm has been received from the external heart pump controller.

18. The portable diagnostic device of claim 16, wherein one of the one or more display sensor data lights indicate whether an alarm has been received from the server device.

19. The portable diagnostic device of claim 16, wherein one of the one or more display sensor data lights is configured to indicate a communication disruption or an alarm by producing a colored light.

20. The portable diagnostic device of claim 19, wherein one of the one or more display sensor data lights is configured to indicate a normal communication connection or absence of an alarm by producing a colored light that is colored differently than a light indicating a communication disruption or an alarm.