Patient management device for portably interfacing with a plurality of implantable medical devices and method thereof

• US 20070135855A1
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Johnson, David, Fenske, Matthew, Cardinal, Ralph, Foshee, Phillip, Robey, Brian, McCulloch, Danielle, Buchanan, Bryan
• Application Number:
  US11/301,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20070135855A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/31
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/045 with a separable interface unit, e.g. for communication
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/08 Sensors provided with means for identification, e.g. barcodes or memory chips
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37252 Details of algorithms or data aspects of communication system, e.g. handshaking, transmitting specific data or segmenting data
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37254 Pacemaker or defibrillator security, e.g. to prevent or inhibit programming alterations by hackers or unauthorised individuals
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A patient management device for portably interfacing with a plurality of implantable medical devices and method thereof is presented. Permission to interrogate one or more implantable medical devices is authenticated. Patient device data is individually exchanged through interrogation of at least one authenticated implantable medical device through short range telemetry. External device data is exchanged via communication with at least one external device through long range telemetry. At least one of the patient device and external device data is maintained contemporaneously to execution of operations to perform one or more of relay, processing, and outputting of the patient device and external device data subsequent to the interrogation of the implantable medical device.

Claims

1. A patient management device for portably interfacing with a plurality of implantable medical devices, comprising:

stored credentials to authenticate permission to interrogate one or more implantable medical devices;

a short range telemetry interface to individually exchange patient device data through interrogation of at least one authenticated implantable medical device;

a long range telemetry interface to exchange external device data via communication with at least one external device; and

storage to maintain at least one of the patient device and external device data contemporaneously to execution of operations to perform one or more of relay, processing, and outputting of the patient device and external device data subsequent to the interrogation of the implantable medical device.

2. A patient management device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a processor to perform at least one of processing at least one of the patient device and external device data to determine a tangible result and converting at least one of the patient device and external device data to effect a change in form or structure.

3. A patient management device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a database manager to perform at least one of converting and formatting at least one of the patient device and external device data into database records.

4. A patient management device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a data analyzer to perform at least one of statistical analysis, threshold evaluation, derivation, reduction, and extrapolation of at least one of the patient device and external device data.

5. A patient management device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an output manager to perform at least one of transformation, translation, and formatting of at least one of the patient device and external device data.

6. A patient management device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a programmer to program operation of at least one such implantable device.

7. A patient management device according to claim 1, further comprising:

security to perform at least one of encryption, decryption, certification, compression, and decompression in concert with the exchange of at least one of the patient device and external device data.

8. A patient management device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface facilitating user configuration, operation, and programming of the exchange of at least one of the patient device and external device data.

9. A patient management device according to claim 1, further comprising:

further stored credentials to authenticate permission to communicate with the at least one external device.

10. A patient management device according to claim 1, wherein the short range telemetry interface is selected from the group comprising inductive, radio frequency, and wireless telemetry.

11. A patient management device according to claim 1, wherein the long range telemetry interface is selected from the group comprising wired, wireless, cellular, and telephonic network telemetric access.

12. A patient management device according to claim 1, wherein the external device is configured to perform a function selected from the group comprising programming, recording, data analysis, hard copy output, electronic output, database management, data relay, computation, and communication.

13. A patient management device according to claim 1, wherein at least one such implantable device is configured to perform a function selected from the group comprising pacing, cardiac resynchronization, defibrillation, neural stimulation and drug delivery, and physiological data monitoring.

14. A method for portably interfacing with a plurality of implantable medical devices, comprising:

authenticating permission to interrogate one or more implantable medical devices using stored credentials;

individually exchanging patient device data through interrogation of at least one authenticated implantable medical device through short range telemetry;

exchanging external device data via communication with at least one external device through long range telemetry; and

maintaining at least one of the patient device and external device data contemporaneously to execution of operations to perform one or more of relay, processing, and outputting of the patient device and external device data subsequent to the interrogation of the implantable medical device.

15. A method according to claim 14, further comprising:

performing at least one of;

processing at least one of the patient device and external device data to determine a tangible result; and

converting at least one of the patient device and external device data to effect a change in form or structure.

16. A method according to claim 14, further comprising:

performing at least one of converting and formatting at least one of the patient device and external device data into database records.

17. A method according to claim 14, further comprising:

performing at least one of statistical analysis, threshold evaluation, derivation, reduction, and extrapolation of at least one of the patient device and external device data.

18. A method according to claim 14, further comprising:

performing at least one of transformation, translation, and formatting of at least one of the patient device and external device data.

19. A method according to claim 14, further comprising:

programming operation of at least one such implantable device.

20. A method according to claim 14, further comprising:

performing at least one of encryption, decryption, certification, compression, and decompression in concert with the exchange of at least one of the patient device and external device data.

21. A method according to claim 14, further comprising:

facilitating user configuration, operation, and programming of the exchange of at least one of the patient device and external device data.

22. A method according to claim 14, further comprising:

authenticating permission to communicate with the at least one external device using further stored credentials.

23. A method according to claim 14, wherein the short range telemetry interface is selected from the group comprising inductive, radio frequency, and wireless telemetry.

24. A method according to claim 14, wherein the long range telemetry interface is selected from the group comprising wired, wireless, cellular, and telephonic network telemetric access.

25. A method according to claim 14, wherein the external device is configured to perform a function selected from the group comprising programming, recording, data analysis, hard copy output, electronic output, database management, data relay, computation, and communication.

26. A method according to claim 14, wherein at least one such implantable device is configured to perform a function selected from the group comprising pacing, cardiac resynchronization, defibrillation, neural stimulation and drug delivery, and physiological data monitoring.

27. A computer-readable storage medium holding code for performing the method according to claim 14.

28. An apparatus portably interfacing with a plurality of implantable medical devices, comprising:

means for authenticating permission to interrogate one or more implantable medical devices;

means for individually exchanging patient device data through interrogation of at least one implantable medical device through short range telemetry;

means for exchanging external device data via communication with at least one external device through long range telemetry; and

means for maintaining at least one of the patient device and external device data contemporaneously to execution of means for performing one or more of relay, processing, and outputting of the patient device and external device data subsequent to the interrogation of the implantable medical device.

29. A system for portably interrogating a plurality of implantable medical devices, comprising:

stored credentials to authenticate permission to interrogate one or more implantable medical devices;

a short range telemetry interface to individually exchange patient device data through interrogation of at least one authenticated implantable medical device; and

a processor to process the patient device contemporaneously to execution of operations to perform one or more of presentation, relay, processing, and outputting of the patient device subsequent to the interrogation of the authenticated implantable medical device.

30. A system according to claim 29, further comprising:

a data analyzer to perform threshold evaluation by enumerating notifications of thresholds being exceeded.

31. A system according to claim 29, further comprising:

an interface to provide the patient data to a device selected from the group comprising a built-in user interface, stationary patient management device, programmer, database, personal computer, printer, facsimile machine, and portal to an internetwork.

32. A method for portably interrogating a plurality of implantable medical devices, comprising:

authenticating permission to interrogate one or more implantable medical devices using stored credentials;

individually exchanging patient device data through interrogation of at least one authenticated implantable medical device through short range telemetry; and

processing the patient device contemporaneously to execution of operations to perform one or more of presentation, relay, processing, and outputting of the patient device subsequent to the interrogation of the authenticated implantable medical device.

33. A method according to claim 32, further comprising:

performing threshold evaluation by enumerating notifications of thresholds being exceeded.

34. A method according to claim 32, further comprising:

providing the patient data to a device selected from the group comprising a built-in user interface, stationary patient management device, programmer, database, personal computer, printer, facsimile machine, and portal to an internetwork.

35. A computer-readable storage medium holding code for performing the method according to claim 32.

36. An apparatus for portably interrogating a plurality of implantable medical devices, comprising:

means for authenticating permission to interrogate one or more implantable medical devices using stored credentials;

means for individually exchanging patient device data through interrogation of at least one authenticated implantable medical device through short range telemetry; and

means for processing the patient device contemporaneously to execution of operations to perform one or more of presentation, relay, processing, and outputting of the patient device subsequent to the interrogation of the authenticated implantable medical device.