REMOTE MEDICAL DEVICE ALARM

• US 20120112903A1
• Filed: 11/01/2011
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zoll Medical Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Zoll Medical Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaib, Thomas E., Volpe, Shane S., Rattanni, Richard A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,937,355 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.12
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14542 for measuring blood gases A61B5/14551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7405 using sound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7455 characterised by tactile indication, e.g. vibration or electrical stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3993 User interfaces for automatic external defibrillators
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission

Abstract

A remote alarm for use with a wearable medical device. The remote alarm is configured to receive alarms, voice messages and prompts issued by the wearable medical device and to repeat those alarms, voice messages and prompts in a manner that can more easily be perceived by a patient wearing the wearable medical device or a bystander. The remote alarm can be configured to receive a communication from the wearable medical device, and in response, to identify one or more messages to be provided to the patient or a bystander. The messages may be provided audibly, visually, tactilely or combinations thereof. The remote alarm may further be configured to take certain actions depending upon the content of the communication, such as sending a telephone message to alert emergency personnel to the identity, location and medical condition of the patient, or sending an email.

Claims

1. A remote alarm for use with a wearable medical device, comprising:

an RF receiver to receive an RF signal indicative of a message to be provided by the wearable medical device;

an audio circuit, electrically coupled to the receiver, to convert the message to an audio signal; and

an audio display device, electrically coupled to the audio circuit, to receive the audio signal and reproduce the message to be provided by the wearable medical device.

2. The remote alarm of claim 1, wherein the receiver receives the RF signal using one of a Bluetooth, Wireless USB, and a ZigBee communication standard.

3. The remote alarm of claim 1, wherein the message is a voice message, siren, or tone.

4. The remote alarm of claim 1, wherein the wearable medical device is a wearable defibrillator.

5. The remote alarm of claim 1, wherein the message is reproduced at a greater volume than can be provided by the wearable medical device.

6. The remote alarm of claim 1, wherein the wearable medical device is a wearable defibrillator, and wherein the message is reproduced at a greater volume than can be provided by the wearable medical device.

7. The remote alarm of claim 1, wherein the remote alarm includes a high intensity light bulb that illuminates in response to receipt of the message.

8. The remote alarm of claim 7, wherein the RF receiver, the audio circuit, the audio display device, and the light bulb are integrated into a first device configured to be directly plugged into an AC power receptacle.

9. The remote alarm of claim 8, further comprising a second device, distinct from the first device, the second device including a response button by which a response to the message can be provided and an RF transmitter to transmit the response to the wearable medical device.

10. The remote alarm of claim 9, further comprising a third device, distinct from the first device and the second device, the third device including an RF receiver to receive the RF signal indicative of the message to be provided by the wearable medical device, and an electromechanical vibrator configured to vibrate in response to receipt of the message.

11. A remote alarm for use with a wearable medical device, comprising:

an RF transceiver to receive an RF communication from the wearable medical device;

a processor, electrically coupled to the RF transceiver to process the communication and to identify a message based upon a content of the communication;

an audio circuit, electrically coupled to the processor, to convert the message to an audio signal; and

an audio display device, electrically coupled to the audio circuit, to audibly reproduce the message.

12. The remote alarm of claim 11, wherein the message is a text message, and wherein the audio circuit includes a voice synthesizer that converts the text message to an audio signal, that when reproduced by the audio display device, corresponds to a speech version of the text message.

13. The remote alarm of claim 11, wherein the message is a first message, the remote alarm further comprising at least one communication interface that is electrically coupled to the processor and communicatively coupled to a network, the at least one communication interface being configured to communicate a second message over the network in response to receipt of the communication.

14. The remote alarm of claim 13, wherein the at least one communication interface includes at least one of a telephone network interface, a computer network interface, and a cellular network interface.

15. The remote alarm of claim 13, wherein responsive to the content of the communication indicating that a patient wearing the wearable medical device is experiencing a medical emergency, the processor instructs the at least one communication interface to communicate the second message over the network to emergency personnel.

16. The remote alarm of claim 15, wherein the second message identifies the patient, a physical location of the patient, and the medical emergency.

17. The remote alarm of claim 16, wherein responsive to the content of the communication indicating that the patient wearing the wearable medical device is experiencing the medical emergency, the processor further instructs the at least one communication interface to communicate a third message over the network to at least one of a caregiver of the patient and a relative of the patient.

18. The remote alarm of claim 16, wherein the wearable medical device is a wearable defibrillator.

19. The remote alarm of claim 18, further comprising a charging bay configured to receive and recharge an auxiliary battery of the wearable medical device.

20. The remote alarm of claim 11, further comprising:

a user interface, electrically coupled to the processor, the user interface being configured to receive a response to the message;

wherein responsive to receipt of the response to the message, the processor sends the response to the wearable medical device via the RF transceiver.

21. The remote alarm of claim 20, wherein the message is a first message, the remote alarm further comprising at least one communication interface that is electrically coupled to the processor and communicatively coupled to a network, the at least one communication interface being configured to communicate a second message over the network in response to receipt of the communication.

22. The remote alarm of claim 21, wherein responsive to the content of the communication indicating that a patient wearing the wearable medical device is experiencing a medical emergency, and responsive to the remote alarm not receiving any response to the message, the processor instructs the at least one communication interface to communicate the second message over the network to emergency personnel, the second message identifying at least one of the patient, a physical location of the patient, and the medical emergency.

23. The remote alarm of claim 11, wherein the remote alarm includes a clip configured to secure the remote alarm to an ear of a patient wearing the wearable medical device.

24. The remote alarm of claim 11, wherein the remote alarm includes a strap configured to secure the remote alarm to a wrist of a patient wearing the wearable medical device.

25. A method of remotely alerting a patient wearing a wearable medical device to a medical condition, comprising acts of:

receiving, on a first device that is distinct from the wearable medical device, a communication from the wearable medical device;

processing, on the first device, the communication to identify a message to be communicated to the patient based upon a content of the communication;

determining, on the first device, whether the message is to be immediately communicated to the patient; and

converting the message to an audio signal and audibly reproducing the message on the first device to alert the patient to the medical condition in response to a determination that the message is to be immediately communicated to the patient.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the message is a first message, the method further comprising acts of:

waiting, responsive to the act of converting and audibly reproducing the first message, a predetermined period of time for a response to the first message; and

communicating, over a communication network to which the first device is communicatively coupled, a second message to at least one of emergency medical personnel, a caregiver of the patient, and a relative of the patient to alert them to the medical condition in response to not receiving the response to the first message within the predetermined period of time.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising acts of:

converting the message to a text message in response to a determination that the message is not to be immediately communicated to the patient;

storing the text message in a memory of the first device; and

setting an indicator on the first device to alert the patient to the stored text message.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the message is a first message, the method further comprising an act of:

sending a second message from the first device to a second device that is distinct from the first device and the wearable medical device, the second message instructing the second device to vibrate in response to receipt of the second message to alert the patient to the medical condition.