MANUALLY INITIATING WIRELESS TRANSMISSION OF RESUSCITATION EVENT DATA TO MEDICAL DEVICE

• US 20120123490A1
• Filed: 07/26/2011
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Physio-Control Incorporated (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Physio-Control Incorporated (Stryker Corporation)
• Inventors: Daynes, John Carlton, Daynes, Nathan Woodruff
• Granted Patent: US 9,514,276 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/5
• 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: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

An external defibrillator can include a bump sensor for generating motion information and a bump detector for determining whether the external defibrillator has been subjected to a local bump event. The external defibrillator can transmit wirelessly a data signal encoding resuscitation event data to a second external defibrillator over a wireless communication link between the two devices.

Claims

1. A transmitting external defibrillator for transmitting resuscitation event data to a receiving external defibrillator distinct from the transmitting external defibrillator, the receiving external defibrillator including a first housing, a first energy storage module in the first housing for storing a first electrical charge, a first defibrillation port for guiding via electrodes the first electrical charge to a person, and a first wireless communication module, the transmitting external defibrillator comprising:

a second housing;

a second energy storage module in an interior of the second housing that stored a second electrical charge;

a second defibrillation port adapted to be coupled to electrodes, and via which the second electrical charge was guided to the person;

a memory adapted to store event data about when the second electrical charge was guided to the person;

a bump sensor in the interior of the second housing, for generating motion information of the second housing;

a bump detector configured to determine whether the second housing has been subjected to a local bump event based on the generated motion information;

a second wireless communication module; and

a processor configured to, responsive to a determination that a local bump event has occurred, cause the second communication module to establish a wireless communication link with the first communication module,

in which the second communication module is further adapted to transmit a data signal that encodes the resuscitation event data over the communication link.

2. The transmitting external defibrillator of claim 1, in which

a local bump event is determined to have occurred if the motion information is interpreted as a deceleration event with a value larger than a preset threshold.

3. The transmitting external defibrillator of claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface, and in which

a confirmation request is caused to be output via the user interface responsive to the determination that the local bump event has occurred, and

the communication link is caused to be established responsive to receiving by a user a user confirmation in response to the confirmation request.

4. The transmitting external defibrillator of claim 1, in which

establishing the communication link includes causing the second communication module to transmit an availability signal, and

the data signal is transmitted by the second communication module responsive to the first communication module receiving the availability signal.

5. The transmitting external defibrillator of claim 4, in which

the availability signal communicates identification information about the transmitting external defibrillator.

6. The transmitting external defibrillator of claim 1, in which

establishing the communication link includes receiving a readiness signal that is generated by the receiving external defibrillator.

7. The transmitting external defibrillator of claim 6, in which

the readiness signal communicates identification information about the receiving external defibrillator.

8. The transmitting external defibrillator of claim 1, in which

establishing the communication link includes establishing a bump confirmation that the local bump event also involved the receiving external defibrillator, and

the data signal is transmitted only if the local bump confirmation is established.

9. The transmitting external defibrillator of claim 8, in which

establishing the communication link further includes causing the second communication module to transmit an availability signal, and

the availability signal is output with a preset time delay after a time of the local bump event.

10. The transmitting external defibrillator of claim 8, in which

establishing the communication link further includes causing the second communication module to transmit an availability signal, and

the availability signal encodes a time indication associated with the occurrence of the local bump event.

11. The transmitting external defibrillator of claim 8, in which

establishing the communication link further includes causing the second communication module to transmit an availability signal, and

the availability signal is output with a randomized time delay within a preset time after the local bump event.

12. The transmitting external defibrillator of claim 8, in which

establishing the communication link further includes receiving a readiness signal that is generated by the receiving external defibrillator,

a time of a remote bump event of the receiving external defibrillator is determined from the readiness signal, and

the bump confirmation is established by comparing the time of the remote bump event with a time of the local bump event.

13. The transmitting external defibrillator of claim 12, in which

for the time comparison, the readiness signal is presumed output with a preset time delay after a time of the remote bump event.

14. The transmitting external defibrillator of claim 12, in which

for the time comparison, the readiness signal encodes the time indication of the remote bump event.

15. The transmitting external defibrillator of claim 1, further comprising:

a global positioning system (GPS) unit configured to determine GPS coordinates corresponding to the transmitting external defibrillator, and in which

the processor is further configured to cause the second communication module to not establish a wireless communication link with the first communication module based on the GPS coordinates.

16. A method, comprising:

storing resuscitation event data in a memory of a transmitting external defibrillator;

the transmitting external defibrillator determining whether a local bump event has occurred;

responsive to determining that the local bump event has occurred, the transmitting external defibrillator establishing a communication link with a receiving external defibrillator; and

the transmitting external defibrillator causing a data signal to be transmitted over the communication link to the receiving external defibrillator, the data signal including the resuscitation event data.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

the transmitting external defibrillator causing a user confirmation request to be output to a user interface of the transmitting external defibrillator.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a user confirmation from a user responsive to the user confirmation request being output to the user interface, wherein the transmitting external defibrillator causes the communication link to be established responsive to receiving the user confirmation.

19. The method of claim 16, in which

causing the communication link to be established comprises the transmitting external defibrillator determining whether a readiness signal has been received from the receiving external defibrillator.

20. The method of claim 19, in which

causing the communication link to be established further comprises the transmitting external defibrillator causing an availability signal to be transmitted to the receiving external defibrillator responsive to a determination that the readiness signal has been received.

21. The method of claim 19, in which

causing the communication link to be established further comprises the transmitting external defibrillator validating the readiness signal.

22. The method of claim 16, in which

causing the communication link to be established comprises the transmitting external defibrillator determining whether a predetermined time delay has passed.

23. The method of claim 16, in which

causing the communication link to be established comprises the transmitting external defibrillator determining whether the receiving external defibrillator is located no more than a predetermined distance away from the transmitting external defibrillator based on first and second sets of global positional system (GPS) coordinates that correspond to the receiving external defibrillator and the transmitting external defibrillator, respectively.

24. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

responsive to the determination that the local bump event has occurred, the transmitting external defibrillator recording a time of the local bump event.