System for point of care diagnosis and/or analysis

• US 20050214929A1
• Filed: 05/05/2003
• Published: 09/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare Nederland B.V. (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Boit, Christopher Sprague, Pross, Gerhard, Seher, Jens-Peter
• Granted Patent: US 7,509,232 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/287.200
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis

Abstract

This invention relates to a system (1) for point of care diagnosis and/or analysis of a body fluid of a patient, comprising at least one cartridge (2), at least one handheld diagnosis and/or analysis device (3) and at least one data processing device (4). Each cartridge (2) comprises a sample receiving room (5) for receiving a sample of the body fluid to be diagnosed and/or analyzed, a diagnosing and/or analyzing arrangement (6) for measuring at least one physiological parameter of the sample, and a first interface (7) for connecting the cartridge (2) to the handheld device (3). Each handheld device (3) comprises one second interface (8) for connecting one of said cartridges (2) to the handheld device (3), a measurement arrangement (9) co-operating with the connected cartridge (2) for measuring the parameter and generating measurement data thereof, and one third interface (13) for connecting the handheld device (3) to the data processing device (4). Each data processing device (4) comprises one fourth interface (14) for connecting one of said handheld devices (3) to the data processing device (3), and a data processing unit (15) cooperating with the connected handheld device (3) for further processing the measurement data.

Claims

1. System for point of care diagnosis and/or analysis of a body fluid of a patient, comprising:

at least one cartridge, having;

a sample receiving room for receiving a sample of the body fluid to be diagnosed and/or analyzed,

a diagnosing and/or analyzing arrangement for measuring at least one physiological parameter of the sample,

a first interface for connecting the cartridge to a diagnosis and/or analysis device,

at least one handheld diagnosis and/or analysis device, having;

at least one second interface for connecting one of said cartridges to the handheld device,

a measurement arrangement co-operating with the connected cartridge for measuring the parameter and generating measurement data thereof,

at least one third interface for connecting the handheld device to a data processing device,

at least one data processing device, having;

at least one fourth interface for connecting one of said handheld devices to the data processing device,

a data processing unit co-operating with the connected handheld device for further processing the measurement data.

2. System according to claim 1, wherein

at least one of said handheld devices comprises a memory for unambiguously storing the measurement data together with sample-specific data, and wherein

the data processing unit of the data processing device co-operates with this memory of the connected handheld device.

3. System according to claim 2, wherein the sample-specific data is at least a patient identification code and/or an operator identification code and/or time and date of the sample.

4. System according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said handheld devices is provided for storing the measurement data and sample-specific data of at least two cartridges.

5. System according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said handheld devices has at least two second interfaces for connecting two different types of said cartridges.

6. System according to claim 1, wherein

at least one of said handheld devices comprises a rechargeable battery, and, wherein

the data processing device comprises a power supply for charging the battery of the handheld device, since the handheld device is connected to the data processing device.

7. System according to claim 6, wherein the power supply of the data processing device is provided for charging the battery of the handheld devices via the coupled third interface and fourth interface.

8. System according to claim 1, wherein

the first interface and the complementary second interface, and/or

the third interface and the complementary fourth interface are provided for wired and/or wireless data transfer.

9. System according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the handheld devices has an ergonomic casing.

10. System according to claim 1, wherein

at least two of the handheld devices are provided with complementary interfaces for connecting the two handheld devices together, wherein

the coupled handheld devices are provided for being connected to the data processing device via the third interface of one of the coupled handheld device,

wherein all coupled handheld devices communicate via this one third interface with the data processing unit of the data processing device.

11. System according to claim 10, wherein the handheld devices are configured in such a way, that the coupled handheld devices automatically create a master-slave-configuration.

12. System according to claim 11, wherein in a stack of coupled handheld devices data input units and data output units of all handheld devices are automatically or manually by user request transferred to the master handheld device.

13. System according to claim 1, wherein the data processing device and the handheld device are configured in such a way, that a wireless data transfer is only provided as long as the handheld device is in a predetermined close proximity to the respective data processing device.

14. System according to claim 1, wherein

the system comprises at least one adapter, wherein

the data processing device is connectable to the adapter, and wherein

the adapter is connectable to at least one peripheral device.

15. System according to claim 1, wherein the data processing device is or comprises a personal computer and/or a database.

16. System according to claim 1, wherein the handheld device and the data processing device are configured in such a way, that they automatically or manually by user request create a master-slave-configuration.

17. System according to claim 16, wherein:

the data processing device comprises a data input unit and/or a data output unit,

the handheld device comprises a data input unit and/or a data output unit, since the handheld device and the data processing device are coupled together the data input units and/or the data output units are automatically or manually by user request transferred to the master-member of the master-slave-configuration.

18. Handheld device of a system according to claim 1, comprising:

at least one second interface for connecting a cartridge to the handheld device,

a measurement arrangement co-operating with the connected cartridge for measuring the parameter and generating measurement data thereof,

at least one third interface for connecting the handheld device to a data processing device of the system.

19. Data processing device of a system according to claim 1, comprising:

at least one fourth interface for connecting a handheld device to the data processing device,

a data processing unit co-operating with the connected handheld device for further processing measurement data of the handheld device.