DEFIBRILLATOR DELIVERING AUDIBLE PROMPTS TO EARPIECE

• US 20120105238A1
• Filed: 01/28/2011
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Physio-Control Incorporated (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Physio-Control Incorporated (Stryker Corporation)
• Inventors: Nova, Richard C., Daynes, John, Caby, Glen, Landon, Ryan F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,890,702 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/635
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3904 External heart defibrillators [EHD]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/39044 in combination with cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR] therapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3925 Monitoring; Protecting
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3993 User interfaces for automatic external defibrillators

Abstract

Defibrillators, software and methods are provided, for transmitting inaudible audio information to one or more external personal sound devices. The audio information may encode an audible indication, which can thus be played by an external personal sound device to a user such as a rescuer.

Claims

1. A defibrillator for caring for a person, the defibrillator for use with at least one external personal sound device configured to receive inaudible audio information corresponding to an audible indication and deliver the audible indication to a user caring for the person responsive to receiving the audio information, the defibrillator comprising:

an energy storage module for storing an electrical charge;

a defibrillation port for guiding via electrodes the stored electrical charge to the person;

a processor configured to determine whether the audible indication is to be issued to the user; and

a communication module configured to, responsive to the processor determining that the audible indication is to be issued, transmit the inaudible audio information corresponding to the audible indication to the at least one external personal sound device, the transmitted audio information being inaudible to the user.

2. The defibrillator of claim 1, in which

the at least one external personal sound device comprises an earpiece.

3. The defibrillator of claim 2, in which

the earpiece is configured to be coupled with a helmet configured to be worn by the user.

4. The defibrillator of claim 2, in which

the earpiece is configured to be coupled with a wearable display unit.

5. The defibrillator of claim 1, in which

the user is a rescuer located no more than 10 feet away from the person.

6. The defibrillator of claim 1, in which

the user is a person located at least 300 feet away from the person.

7. The defibrillator of claim 1, in which

the at least one external personal sound device is configured to receive the inaudible audio information from the communication module through a wireless connection.

8. The defibrillator of claim 7, in which

the at least one external personal sound device is located remotely from the defibrillator.

9. The defibrillator of claim 7, in which

the wireless connection is a telephone connection to a telephone number.

10. The defibrillator of claim 1, in which

the at least one external personal sound device is configured to receive the inaudible audio information from the communication module through a wired connection.

11. The defibrillator of claim 10, further comprising:

a housing that includes the energy storage module, and

a socket in the housing, and in which the at least one external personal sound device includes a plug configured to be received matingly in the socket.

12. The defibrillator of claim 11, further comprising:

an other socket in the housing, and

in which the communication module is configured to transmit different inaudible audio information to the socket and to the other socket.

13. The defibrillator of claim 1, in which

the communication module is configured to transmit the inaudible audio information corresponding to the audible indication to a plurality of external personal sound devices.

14. The defibrillator of claim 13, in which

at least one of the plurality of external personal sound devices is located remotely from the defibrillator.

15. The defibrillator of claim 13, in which

different inaudible audio information is transmitted to at least two of the plurality of external personal sound devices.

16. The defibrillator of claim 13, further comprising:

at least one external microphone configured to;

capture a voice from an other user, and in which the communication module is further configured to transmit the captured voice as additional audio information to at least one of the plurality of external sound devices.

17. The defibrillator of claim 16, in which

the communication module is configured to transmit the additional audio information to only the at least one external personal sound device.

18. The defibrillator of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory storing prompt data that correspond to prompts in at least two different human languages, and

in which prompt data that corresponds to one of the languages is transmitted as the inaudible audio information to the at least one external personal sound device according to a received language selection input.

19. The defibrillator of claim 18, in which

prompt data that corresponds to the other one of the languages is transmitted as the inaudible audio information to a second external personal sound device according to an other received language selection input.

20. The defibrillator of claim 1, in which

the at least one external personal sound device is further configured to:

deliver a connection signal indicating that the at least one external personal sound device is maintaining a connection to the communication module.

21. The defibrillator of claim 20, in which

the connection signal is one of an audible signal, a visual signal, and a tactile signal.

22. The defibrillator of claim 20, in which

the connection signal is delivered via a user interface of the defibrillator.

23. The defibrillator of claim 20, in which

the connection signal is delivered to the at least one external personal sound device as audio information supplementary to the audio information.

24. The defibrillator of claim 1, further comprising:

a speaker for optionally delivering the audible indication to the user, and

in which the processor is further configured to;

monitor for connections to the communication module, and

responsive to the at least one external personal sound device establishing a connection to the communication module, causing the audible indication to not be delivered via the speaker.

25. The defibrillator of claim 1, in which

the audible indication comprises one of an alert pertaining to the defibrillator, a prompt directing a rescuer to perform a particular action with respect to the patient, and a characteristic sound indicating that a capacitor of the defibrillator is gradually being charged for delivering a shock.