SYSTEM FOR THE REMOTE PROGRAMMING OF A PERSONAL MEDICAL DEVICE

• US 20090018598A1
• Filed: 07/03/2008
• Published: 01/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Biotronik SE & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Biotronik VI Patent AG (Biotronik SE & Company KG)
• Inventors: Reinke, Joachim, Doerr, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,417,339 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/30
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades

Abstract

The invention comprises a system and a method for secure remote programming of an implant. For this purpose, a TAN list is generated on the part of the programming device and both stored in the implant (10) and also provided to a physician. The TAN list is preferably indexed and the implant predefines the index of a TAN in each case, which a physician must input to have a programming instruction executed by the implant.

Claims

1. A system for the remote programming of a programmable personal medical device (10), in particular an implantable medical device such as a cardiac pacemaker, defibrillator, or the like, including:

I. a programmable personal device (10), and

II. a programming device (70),

wherein;

a. the programmable personal device (10) has;

(1) a first data communication interface (28) for at least indirect connection of the personal programmable device (10) to a service center (30), and

(2) a second data communication interface (26), separate from the first data communication interface (28), for the direct wireless connection of the programmable personal device (10) to the programming device (70), and

b. the programming device (70) has;

(1) a data communication interface (72) for the direct wireless connection of the programming device (70) to the programmable personal device (10),

(2) a TAN list generator (78) generating a TAN list and transmitting it to;

(a) the programmable personal device (10), and

(b) one or more of;

i. a TAN server (80),

ii. a personal communication device (100), and

iii. a printer.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

a. the system further includes a service center (30) having;

(1) a data communication interface (36) for a data communication with the programmable personal device (10), and

(2) a service user interface (38) connected to the service center (30), the service user interface (38);

(a) accepting a programming instruction for the programmable personal device (10),

(b) accepting a manual input of a TAN for the programming instruction,

(c) appending the TAN to the programming instruction, and

(e) transmitting the programming instruction and appended TAN to the programmable personal device (10),

b. the programmable personal device (10) compares;

a. the TAN transmitted from the service center (30) appended to the programming instruction, and

b. a stored TAN received from the programming device (70), and executes the programming instruction if the TAN match.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the service user interface (38) identifies the index of the TAN appended to the programming instruction.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the service user interface (38) is remotely connected to the service center (30).

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the TAN list generator (78) of the programming device (70) generates an associated index for each generated TAN and transmits the generated index with each TAN to:

a. the programmable personal device (10), and

b. to at least one of;

(1) a TAN server (80),

(2) a personal communication device (100), and

(3) a printer.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the programmable personal device (10):

a. determines an index of a TAN for a subsequent programming instruction, and

b. transmits it to the service center (30) after;

(1) receiving a TAN list with associated indices, or

(2) execution of a programming instruction.

7. The system of claim 1:

a. further including a TAN server (80), and

b. wherein the programming device (70) includes a second data communication interface (74);

(1) providing data transmission from the programming device (70) to the TAN server (80), and

(2) transmitting a generated TAN list to the TAN server (80).

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the TAN server (80) has:

a. a databank (86) containing entries for;

(1) a user identification,

(2) a programmable personal device (10);

(3) a device identification, and

(4) a message address of an addressable communication device (100),

b. a TAN user interface;

(1) accepting user inputs,

(2) assigning the inputs to a user identification, and

(3) relaying the user identification and assigned user inputs to the TAN server (80)

c. a message interface (90) via which the TAN server (80) may transmit a message to an addressable communication device (100) which is identified by a message address, and

d. a data communication interface (82) receiving data from of the programming device (70),

wherein the TAN server;

I. provides TAN,

II. receives a TAN query assigned to a user identification, and

III. subsequently generates a message containing a TAN and transmits it via the message interface (90) to the addressable communication device (100) assigned via the databank entries to the user identification of the querying user.

9. The system of claim 3 wherein:

a. the service user interface accepts a TAN query of a user together with a user identification of this user,

b. the service center (30)

(1) has a second data communication interface (38) providing data exchange from the service center (30) to the TAN server (80), and

(2) relays a TAN query received via the service user interface to the TAN server (80).

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the programmable personal device (10) includes:

a. a programmable controller,

b. a memory for storing a TAN list,

c. at least one stimulation pulse generator,

d. a first data communication interface (10) for at least indirect connection of the programmable personal device (10) to the service center (30),

e. a second data communication interface (18) separate from the first data communication interface (10), the second data communication interface (18) providing communication between the programmable personal device (10) and the programming device (70),

wherein;

(1) the programmable personal device (10) receives;

(a) a TAN list via the second data communication interface (18), the TAN list then being stored in the memory,

(b) a programming instruction via the first data communication interface (16), the programming instruction being received with an associated TAN,

(2) after receipt of a programming instruction, the programmable personal device (10);

(a) compares the TAN received together with the programming instruction to a stored TAN, and

(b) only executes the programming instruction if both TAN are identical.

11. The personal device of claim 10 wherein the programmable personal device (10):

a. stores a list of TAN with associated TAN indices, and

b. after receiving a TAN list with associated TAN indices or after execution of a programming instruction;

(1) determines a TAN index of a TAN for a subsequent programming instruction and

(2) transmits the TAN index via the first data communication interface.

12. A system for the remote programming of a programmable personal medical device (10), in particular an implantable medical device such as a cardiac pacemaker, defibrillator, or the like, including:

a. a programmable personal device (10) having a programmable controller (12),

b. a programming device (70) having a TAN list generator (78) which generates a TAN list and transmits it to;

(1) the programmable personal device (10), and

(2) a programmer;

c. a service center (30);

(1) accepting from the programmer;

(a) a programming instruction for the programmable personal device (10);

(b) a TAN associated with the programming instruction;

(2) transmitting the programming instruction and the associated TAN to the programmable personal device (10),

wherein the programmable personal device (10);

A. defines a TAN for an acceptable programming instruction, and

B. compares;

i. the defined TAN, and

ii. the TAN associated with the programming instruction, and executes the programming instruction if the TAN match.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the TAN defined by the programmable personal device (10) is at least partially defined by the TAN list transmitted from the programming device (70).

14. A method for the secure programming of a medical implant (10) by use of a programming device (70), the method having the following steps:

a. generating a TAN list;

b. first transmitting the TAN list to the implant (10);

c. composing a programming instruction in the programming device (70);

d. appending a TAN from the TAN list to the programming instruction;

e. transmitting the programming instruction and appended TAN to the implant (10);

f. comparing the appended TAN and the TAN first transmitted to the implant (10);

g. if the appended TAN and the TAN first transmitted to the implant (10) are;

(1) identical, executing the programming instruction in the implant (10), or

(2) not identical, ignoring or erasing the programming instruction.

15. The method of claim 14:

a. wherein the TAN list is generated, and transmitted to the implant (10), with associated TAN indices;

b. further including the steps of;

(1) defining an index within the implant (10);

(2) determining, from the TAN list, the TAN having the index defined by the implant (10), this TAN being the TAN appended to the programming instruction.

16. The method of claim 14 further including the step of indicating whether the programming instruction has been executed.