System and method for network monitoring of multiple medical devices

• US 20050137653A1
• Filed: 12/06/2004
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carefusion 303 Incorporated (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Carefusion 303 Incorporated (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Friedman, Gregory S., Ferch, Kraldon
• Granted Patent: US 8,038,593 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1456 with a replaceable reservoir comprising a piston rod to be moved into the reservoir, e.g. the piston rod is part of the removable reservoir
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

The present invention provides for a system an method of monitoring the status of a plurality of medical devices connected to a central computer or server using a wired or wireless network, and displaying information representative of the status of the medical devices to a user on a display screen using both graphics and text. The system is also capable of determining when a condition or alarm warranting notification of the care giver to correct the condition exists, and displaying information about the condition or alarm on the display, including associating a warning graphic or icon representative of the condition or alarm with an icon representing a specific medical device or portion of a medical device. The system includes a rules data base and decision engine that may be used to determine the existence of conditions that require notification to the care giver.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring multiple medical devices comprising:

a server to which the multiple medical devices are in communication;

a program running on the server configured to obtain status from each medical device and make the status available to users of the program, the program providing a listing of all medical devices identified to the server, the program being responsive to a selection of a medical device that is identified, and the program providing status and other information about the selected medical device in graphic and text forms.

2. A medical monitoring system, comprising:

at least one medical device;

a server in communication with the medical device;

a display screen in communication with server; and

a program running on a processor in communication with the server to control the processor to monitor information communicated by the at least one medical device representative of a status of the at least one medical device, the program also controlling the processor to generate a graphical display for communicating the information to a user.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the graphical display includes a plurality of portions, with at least one portion including an icon representative of the medical device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the graphical display includes at least one portion providing a textual description of the status of the medical device.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the graphical display includes at least one portion providing a status of all channels of the medical device.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is controlled to generate a warning symbol and associate the symbol with the icon representative of the medical device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor compares a value of a parameter associated with the status of the at least one medical device with a database of rules to determine if the value of the parameter is within a range of values defined by a rule in the database of rules, and if the value of the parameter is not within the range of values, generates the warning symbol.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein the icon is representative of a fluid level in a fluid source.

9. A medical device monitoring system, comprising:

a medical device, the medical device including a wireless communication means for communicating information to and from the medical device; and

a central computer including a wireless communication means for communicating information to and from the central computer, the central computer also including a program running on the central computer for communicating with the medical device, including querying the medical device about the status of the medical device, and for receiving information from the medical device representative of the status of the medical device, and for generating a visual display of the received information to a user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the central computer is a mobile server capable of moving about a facility wherein the medical device is located.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the visual display includes a plurality of portions providing information representative of the medical device to the user.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the central computer further includes means for accessing rules stored in a data base of rules, the rules including ranges of values for operating parameters of the medical device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the program running on the central computer also compares values of the information received from the medical device to the rules stored in the data base of rules and generates a warning graphic if a value of a selected operating parameter of the received information is not within the range of values contained in a selected rule.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the visual display includes a plurality of portions, with at least one portion including an icon representative of the medical device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the central computer further includes means for accessing rules stored in a data base of rules, the rules including ranges of values for operating parameters of the medical device and wherein the program running on the central computer also compares values of the information received from the medical device to the rules stored in the data base of rules and generates a warning graphic and associates the warning graphic with the icon representative of the medical device if a value of a selected operating parameter of the received information is not within the range of values contained in a selected rule.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one other portion of the plurality of portions provides a textual description of the status of the medical device.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one portion including the icon includes a textual description of the status of the medical device.

18. A method of displaying information related to the status of medical devices operating in an institution, comprising:

establishing communications between the medical devices and a server;

receiving information representative of a status of the medical devices;

displaying an icon representing each medical device communicating with the server in one portion of a visual display;

selecting an icon representing a selected medical device;

displaying an enlarged graphic depicting the selected medical device in another portion of the visual display;

displaying selected information representative of the status of the medical device in another portion of the visual display.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein displaying selected information representative of the status of the medical device includes displaying at least one icon and also displaying text descriptive of the selected information.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining if the information received from the medical device includes information indicative of a condition requiring an alarm to be provided; and

displaying an icon representative of the alarm in at least one portion of the visual display.