Medical Communication Hub and Associated Methods

• US 20140152467A1
• Filed: 02/10/2014
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volcano Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Volcano Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Spencer, Jason, Litzza, Gerald L., Lindsay, Craig A., Glover, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 9,606,601 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.07
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0204 of power management
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0066 Optical coherence imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/565 involving data transmission via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4081 Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/00 Electric signal transmission systems G08C17/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/16 in which transmission is by pulses

Abstract

A patient communication system having a medical sensing device operable to collect medical data, a network communication module operable to transmit the medical data onto a data network, a controller operable route the first medical sensing data to the network communication module, and a power source operable to provide power to the first medical sensing device, the controller, and the network communication module.

Claims

1. A patient communication system comprising:

a first medical sensing device operable to collect first medical data associated with a first modality;

an analog to digital converter communicatively coupled to the first medical sensing device and operable to digitize the first medical data;

a network communication module communicatively coupled to the first medical sensing device and a data network, the network communication module operable to transmit the digitized first medical data onto the data network;

a controller communicatively coupled to the analog to digital converter and the network communication module and operable route the first medical sensing data to the network communication module; and

a power source operable to provide power to the first medical sensing device, the controller, and the network communication module.

2. The patient communication system of claim 1,

including a hub having therein the analog to digital converter, controller, and network communication module;

and

including a first patient isolation module communicatively coupled to the first medical sensing device and the hub and operable to receive the first medical data from the first medical sensing device and transmit the first medical data to the hub, the first patient isolation module being further operable to route power from the power source to the first medical sensing device.

3. The patient communication system of claim 2,

including a second medical sensing device operable to collect second medical data associated with a second modality different from the first modality;

and

including a second patient isolation module communicatively coupled to the hub and operable to receive the second medical data from the second medical sensing device and transmit the second medical data to the hub, the second patient isolation module being further operable to route power from the power source to the second medical sensing device.

4. The patient communication system of claim 3, wherein the power source is operable to dynamically provide a first amount of power to the first patient isolation module based upon a power requirement of the first medical sensing device and dynamically provide a second amount of power to the second patient isolation module based upon a power requirement of the second medical sensing device, the first amount of power being different from the second amount of power.

5. The patient communication system of claim 3, wherein the controller is operable to process the first medical data using a first processing application associated with the first modality to produce first processed medical data and is operable to process the second medical data using a second processing application associated with the second modality to produce second processed medical data.

6. The patient communication system of claim 3, wherein the controller is operable to process the first and second medical data using a co-registration processing application to produce co-registered medical data.

7. The patient communication system of claim 1, including a patient isolation module communicatively coupled to the first medical sensing device, the patient isolation module including the analog to digital converter, controller, and network communication module.

8. The patient communication system of claim 1, wherein the power source is operable to dynamically provide an amount of power to the first medical device, the amount of power being based upon power requirements of the first medical sensing device.

9. The patient communication system of claim 1,

including a graphics controller communicatively coupled to the controller;

wherein the controller is operable to process the first medical data using a processing application associated with the first modality to produce first processed medical data; and

wherein the graphics controller is operable to drive the first processed medical data to a display.

10. The patient communication system of claim 9, wherein the processing application is one of a plurality of processing applications executable by the controller, the plurality of processing applications including processing applications associated with modalities different from the first modality.

11. The patient communication system of claim 1, wherein the medical sensing device includes a catheter configured to enter into a vessel of a body.

12. The patient communication system of claim 11, wherein the catheter includes a sensor configured for at least one of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging, optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging, a fractional flow reserve (FFR) determination, forward looking IVUS (FLIVUS) imaging, and intravascular photoacoustic (IVPA) imaging.

13. The patient communication system of claim 1, wherein the network communication module is wirelessly communicatively coupled to the first medical sensing device.

14. The patient communication system of claim 1, wherein the network communication module wirelessly communicatively coupled to the data network.

15. A method of collecting medical sensing data, comprising:

collecting, with a first medical sensing device, first medical data associated with a first modality;

digitizing, with an analog to digital converter, the first medical data;

routing, with a controller communicatively coupled to the analog to digital converter, the digitized first medical data to a network communication module;

transmitting, with the network communication module communicatively coupled to a data network, the digitized first medical data onto the data network; and

providing power, with a power source, to the first medical sensing device, the controller, and the network communication module.

16. The method of collecting medical sensing data of claim 15,

wherein the digitizing with the analog to digital converter, the routing with the controller, the transmitting with the communication module, and the providing power with the power source are performed by a hub communicatively coupled to the first medical device;

and

wherein the collecting first medical data includes transmitting the first medical data through a first patient isolation module to the hub.

17. The method of collecting medical sensing data of claim 16,

including collecting, with a second medical sensing device, second medical data associated with a second modality;

including transmitting the second medical data through a second patient isolation module to the hub;

including digitizing, with the analog to digital converter, the second medical data;

including routing, with the controller, the digitized second medical data to the network communication module;

including transmitting, with the network communication module, the digitized second medical data onto the data network; and

including providing power, with the power source, to the second medical sensing device.

18. The method of collecting medical sensing data of claim 17,

wherein the providing power to the first medical sensing device includes dynamically providing a first amount of power to the first patient isolation module based upon a power requirement of the first medical sensing device;

and

wherein the providing power to the second medical sensing device includes dynamically providing a second amount of power to the second patient isolation module based upon a power requirement of the second medical sensing device, the first amount of power being different from the second amount of power.

19. The method of collecting medical sensing data of claim 17,

including processing, with the controller, the first medical data using a first processing application associated with the first modality to produce first processed medical data;

and

including processing, with the controller, the second medical data using a second processing application associated with the second modality to produce second processed medical data.

20. The method of collecting medical sensing data of claim 17, including processing, with the controller, the first and second medical data using a co-registration processing application to produce co-registered medical data.

21. The method of collecting medical sensing data of claim 15,

wherein the digitizing with the analog to digital converter, the routing with the controller, the transmitting with the communication module, and the providing power with the power source are performed by a patient isolation module communicatively coupled to the first medical device;

and

wherein the collecting first medical data includes transmitting the first medical data to the patient isolation module.

22. The method of collecting medical sensing data of claim 15, wherein the providing power to the first medical sensing device includes dynamically providing an amount of power to the first medical sensing device based upon a power requirement of the first medical sensing device.

23. The method of collecting medical sensing data of claim 15,

including processing the first medical data using a processing application associated with the first modality to produce first processed medical data;

and

including outputting, with a graphics controller, the first processed medical data to a display.

24. The method of collecting medical sensing data of claim 23, wherein the processing application is one of a plurality of processing applications executable by the controller, the plurality of processing applications including processing applications associated with modalities different from the first modality.

25. The method of collecting medical sensing data of claim 15, wherein the collecting the first medical data includes receiving medical data collected by introducing a catheter into a vessel of a body.

26. The method of collecting medical sensing data of claim 25, wherein the first medical data includes at least one of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging data, optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging data, fractional flow reserve (FFR) data, forward looking IVUS (FLIVUS) imaging data, and intravascular photoacoustic (IVPA) imaging data.