Automated collection of operational data from distributed medical devices

• US 20070198067A1
• Filed: 10/27/2006
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Original Assignee: Cochlear Limited
• Inventors: Van den Heuvel, Koen, Smits, Geert, Haemers, Sven, Mertens, Sfen, Smet, Philip
• Granted Patent: US 7,779,153 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/59
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36038 Cochlear stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37282 characterised by communication with experts in remote locations using a network

Abstract

A system and method for automatically collecting at a data repository operational data from remotely distributed medical apparatus via a network, is disclosed, the method comprising: automatically capturing operational data at said medical apparatus; automatically selecting a route through the network for transferring said captured operational data to said data repository; and automatically transmitting said captured operational data to said central medical location via said selected network route.

Claims

1. A method for automatically collecting at a data repository operational data from remotely distributed medical apparatus via a network, comprising:

automatically capturing said operational data at said medical apparatus;

automatically selecting a route through the network for transferring said captured operational data to said data repository; and

automatically transmitting said captured operational data to said data repository via said selected network route.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said remotely distributed medical apparatus comprises:

portable medical devices.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said remotely distributed medical apparatus further comprises:

at least one medical equipment associated with one or more of said portable medical devices.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein one or more of said portable medical devices comprises:

a prosthetic hearing implant.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of said one or more prosthetic hearing implants comprises:

a cochlear implant.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein one or more of said portable medical devices comprises a prosthetic hearing implant, and wherein said at least one medical equipment associated with one or more of said portable medical devices comprises:

medical equipment configured to perform one or more of the group consisting of implanting, maintaining, programming or otherwise servicing said prosthetic hearing implant.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said data repository comprises:

a computer-based system configured to store said captured operational data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said computer-based system is further configured to analyze said captured operational data.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

a front-end database that temporarily stores said captured operational data and transmits said operational data to said computer system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said operational data comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

usage data; and

patient data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said usage data comprises:

information about how a user operates and selects software or hardware components of said medical apparatus.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said patient data includes data specific to a patient or a group of patients, comprising one or more of the group consisting of:

user parameters for said remotely distributed medical apparatus, frequency of use of particular user parameters, the treatment success of particular user parameters implemented or changes in user parameters.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said automatically capturing said operational data comprises:

collecting said operational data from said remotely distributed medical apparatus; and

converting said collected operational data into formatted operational data suitable for transmission over the network.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said collecting said operational data comprises:

interrogating said remotely distributed medical apparatus to retrieve said operational data.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein converting said captured operational data into formatted operational data suitable for transmission over the network comprises:

converting said collected operational data into a human-readable text format.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said automatically selecting a route through the network comprises:

automatically selecting an optimal network route for said operational data from said remotely distributed medical apparatus to said central medical location based on one or more selection criteria.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein one or more intermediate nodes are connected to the network, and wherein said selecting said optimal network route for said operational data comprises:

selecting a network route utilizing one or more of said intermediate nodes to route said captured operational data to said data repository, and

each utilized intermediate node further selecting an optimal network route for said operational data from said intermediate node to said data repository based on one or more selection criteria.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said remotely distributed medical apparatus selecting an optimal network route utilizing one of said intermediate nodes comprises:

contacting one of said intermediate nodes;

retrieving properties of said contacted intermediate node;

storing said retrieved properties in said remotely distributed medical apparatus,

wherein said properties include the ability of said contacted intermediate node to transmit said operational data to said data repository;

calculating the ability of said remotely distributed medical apparatus to transmit said operational data to said data repository;

comparing the ability of said remotely distributed medical apparatus to transmit said operational data to said data repository to the ability of said contacted intermediate node to transmit said operational data to said data repository; and

selecting a network route utilizing said contacted intermediate node if the ability of said intermediate node to transmit said operational data to said central node location is greater than the ability of said remotely distributed medical apparatus to transfer said operational data to said data repository.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving any operational data stored on said contacted intermediate node to said remotely distributed medical apparatus if the ability of said intermediate node to transmit said operational data to said data repository is less than the ability of said remotely distributed medical apparatus to transfer said operational data to said data repository.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said contacting said intermediate node comprises:

performing a handshake operation with said intermediate node; and

verifying that a successful handshake operation has been completed.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said remotely distributed medical apparatus includes a friend list, and wherein said storing said properties retrieved from said contacted intermediate node comprises:

storing said properties in said friend list, said properties including;

the ability of said contacted intermediate node to transmit said operational data to said data repository;

the percentage of time said remotely distributed medical apparatus is connected to said contacted intermediate node; and

the mathematical product of the ability of said contacted intermediate node to transmit said operational data to said data repository and the percentage of time said remotely distributed medical apparatus is connected to said contacted intermediate node; and

wherein said friend list retains said properties for a certain number of intermediate nodes that said remotely distributed medical apparatus has previously contacted.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said calculating the ability of said remotely distributed medical apparatus to transmit said operational data to said data repository comprises:

calculating the percentage of time said remotely distributed medical is able to directly transfer said operational data to said data repository;

retrieving from said friend list for every intermediate node having properties stored in said friend list the mathematical product of the ability of a particular intermediate node to transmit said operational data to said data repository and the percentage of time said remotely distributed medical apparatus is connected to said particular intermediate node;

mathematically summing all of said calculated mathematical products; and

mathematically summing said calculated percentage of time said remotely distributed medical apparatus is able to directly transfer said operational data to said data repository and said sum of calculated mathematical products.

23. A system for automatically collecting operational data from remotely distributed medical apparatus via a network, comprising:

a data repository;

remotely distributed medical apparatus each configured to automatically capture said operational data and to automatically select a route through the network for transferring said captured operational data from said medical apparatus to said data repository; and

wherein said remotely distributed medical apparatus is configured to automatically transmit said captured operational data to said data repository via said selected network route.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein each said remotely distributed medical apparatus comprises:

a portable medical device.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein each said remotely distributed medical apparatus further comprises:

medical equipment associated with one or more of said portable medical devices

26. The system of claim 24, wherein said portable medical device comprises a hearing prosthesis.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein said hearing prostheses comprises a cochlear implant.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein said associated medical equipment comprises:

a device for performing one or more of the group consisting of implanting, maintaining, programming or otherwise servicing a hearing prosthesis.

29. The system of claim 23, wherein said data repository comprises:

a computer system configured to store said captured operational data.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein said computer system is further configured to analyze said captured operational data.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein said data repository further comprises:

a front-end database that temporarily stores said captured operational data and transmits said operational data to said computer system.

32. The system of claim 23, wherein said operational data comprises one or more of the group consisting of:

usage data; and

patient data.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein said usage data comprises:

information about how a user operates and selects software or hardware components of said medical apparatus.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein said patient data includes data specific to a patient or a group of patients, comprising one or more of the group consisting of:

user parameters for said remotely distributed medical apparatus, frequency of use of particular user parameters, the treatment success of particular user parameters implemented or changes in user parameters.

35. The system of claim 23, wherein said remotely distributed medical apparatus is communicably coupled to a data transfer and acquisition module configured to capture said operational data from said medical apparatus and is configured to transmit said operation data to said data repository.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein said data transfer and acquisition module comprises:

a data capture module configured to collect said operational data; and

a data routing module configured to select said optimal network route for said collected operational data to said data repository, and to transmit said collected operational data via said optimal network route.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein said data capture module is further configured to convert said collected operational data into formatted operational data suitable for transmission over the network.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein said data capture module is configured to convert said collected operational data into a human-readable text format.

39. The system of claim 36, wherein said data routing module is configured to select said optimal network route based on one or more selection criteria.

40. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

at least one intermediate node connected to the network, and wherein said selected optimal network comprises an indirect network route utilizing said intermediate node to route said operational data to said data repository, and wherein said utilized intermediate node is configured to select an optimal network route for said operational data from said intermediate node to said data repository based on or more selection criteria.

41. A system for the automatic collection at a data repository of operational data from remotely distributed medical apparatus via a network, comprising:

means for automatically capturing said operational data at said medical apparatus;

means for automatically selecting a route through the network for transferring said captured operational data from said medical apparatus to said data repository; and

means for automatically transmitting said captured operational data to said data repository location via said selected network route.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein said means for automatically capturing said operational data comprises:

means for collecting said operational data from said remotely distributed medical apparatus; and

means for converting said collected operational data into formatted operational data suitable for transmission over the network.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein said means for converting said captured operational data into formatted operational data suitable for transmission over the network comprises:

means for converting said captured operational data into a human-readable text format.

44. The system of claim 41, wherein said means for automatically selecting a route through the network comprises:

means for automatically selecting an optimal network route for said operational data from said remotely distributed medical apparatus to said data repository based on one or more selection criteria.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein one or more intermediate nodes are connected to the network, and wherein said means for selecting said optimal network route for said operational data comprises:

means for selecting a network route utilizing one or more of said intermediate nodes to route said operational data to said data repository, and wherein each utilized intermediate node includes means for further selecting an optimal network route for said operational data from said intermediate node to said data repository based on one or more selection criteria.