REMOTE DIAGNOSTICS OF RESPIRATORY THERAPY DEVICES

• US 20170239432A1
• Filed: 05/27/2015
• Published: 08/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ResMed Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Resmed Limited (ResMed Incorporated)
• Inventors: Delangre, Peter, Bath, Andrew Roderick, Birchall, Paul Frederick, Churchill, Dawn Rosemary, Cutcliffe, Graham Stephen, Dassos, Peter James, Kirollos, Mina Samir, Nathwani, Rehana, Somaiya, Chinmayee, Stephenson, Hayden Thomas, Templeton, Bradley Scott, Trull, Wendall Eric, Zotelo, Natalie
• Granted Patent: US 10,569,036 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0826 Detecting or evaluating apnoea events A61B5/4818 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/087 Measuring breath flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0051 with alarm devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0066 Blowers or centrifugal pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0069 the speed thereof being controlled by respiratory parameters, e.g. by inhalation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/024 including calculation means, e.g. using a processor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/06 Respiratory or anaesthetic masks
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/1055 bacterial
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/107 in the inspiratory path
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/109 the humidifying liquid or the beneficial agent
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/16 Devices to humidify the respiration air A61M16/1045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/161 with means for measuring the humidity
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2016/0027 pressure meter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/14 Detection of the presence or absence of a tube, a connector or a container in an apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/15 Detection of leaks
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3368 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3584 using modem, internet or bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/42 Reducing noise
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/505 : Touch-screens; Virtual keyboard or keypads; Virtual buttons; Soft keys; Mouse touches
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/60 : with identification means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2209/08 : Supports for equipment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/07 : Responding to the occurrence of a fault, e.g. fault tolerance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 : relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 : for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 : Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed for performing diagnostics on patient devices (720). The patient devices (720) may include respiratory therapy devices that operate in accordance with instruction sets, such as software or firmware. A server (710) may maintain a database of diagnostic data (718) indicating faults in one or more of a plurality of patient devices (720). The server (710) may transmit this diagnostic data (718) to one or more computing devices (760), including identification of faults that have occurred. The server (710) may also transmit service data to the plurality of patient devices (720) in order to address the identified faults.

Claims

1. A method for diagnostic monitoring of medical devices comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, diagnostic data from a patient device, wherein the diagnostic data identifies a presence of a fault in the patient device;

storing, by the one or more processors, the diagnostic data that has been received;

identifying, by the one or more processors, the presence of the fault based on a first portion of the diagnostic data;

transmitting, by the one or more processors, at least one of the first portion of the diagnostic data and an identified fault with the patient device to a remote computing device; and

transmitting, by the one or more processors, service data, identified based on at least one of the first portion of the diagnostic data and an identified fault, to the patient device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the one or more processors, in response to transmitting the at least one of the first portion of the diagnostic data to the remote computing device identification of the service data to be transmitted to the patient device, wherein at least a portion of the service data addresses an identified fault with the patient device.

3. The method of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the patient device comprises a respiratory pressure therapy device.

4. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the diagnostic data is received based on an occurrence of a triggering event.

5. The method of any one of claims 1-4, further comprising sending to the remote computing device data indicating whether any patient has a device with a fault.

6. The method of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the diagnostic data further comprises at least one of the following;

patient'"'"'s apnea, hypopnea or apnea-hypopnea index, therapeutic settings, comfort settings, fault data, patient usage, leak data, ambient humidity data, therapy and comfort settings, device activity, and fault logs of the patient device.

7. The method of any one of claims 1-6, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more processors, an indication from the patient device that the service data was successfully transmitted; and

updating, by the one or more processors, the diagnostic data to indicate implementation of the service data.

8. The method of any one of claims 1-7, wherein the presence of the fault is identified based on a component, sub-system, or functional area of the patient device in which the fault occurred.

9. The method of any one of claims 1-8, wherein transmitting the first portion of diagnostic data comprises a push notification to the remote computing device, and wherein the push notification is transmitted based on a determination that an identified fault is of a type for which a push notification is to be provided.

10. The method of any one of claims 1-9, wherein the service data includes a command to adjust one or more settings of the patient device.

11. The method of any one of claims 1-10, wherein the diagnostic data identifies one or more settings of the patient device at a time at which the fault occurred.

12. The method of any one of claims 1-11, wherein transmitting the identified fault comprises providing an icon for display on the remote computing device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the icon has a variable appearance that varies based on a type of fault that has occurred.

14. The method of any one of claims 1-13, wherein transmitting the identified fault further comprises providing usage icons for display on the remote computing device, wherein the usage icons indicate an extent to which the patient device was used.

15. The method of any one of claims 1-14, wherein the diagnostic data includes leak information and identification of a type of mask being used with the patient device.

16. The method of any one of claims 1-15, wherein the diagnostic data is accessible by a device identifier of the patient device.

17. The method of any one of claims 1-16, wherein transmitting the identified fault further comprises providing for display a visible indication of whether a device related fault has occurred.

18. A method for diagnostic monitoring of medical devices comprising:

collecting, by one or more processors, diagnostic data relating to operation of a patient device, wherein the diagnostic data identifies a presence of a fault in connection with the patient device;

determining, by the one or more processors, that a triggering event has occurred for which the diagnostic data is to be transmitted over a network;

transmitting, by the one or more processors, the diagnostic data over the network;

receiving, by the one or more processors, service data that addresses an identified fault; and

performing, by the one or more processors, one or more operations in accordance with the service data that has been received.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the patient device comprises a respiratory pressure therapy device.

20. The method of claim 18 or 19, wherein the triggering event is based on one or more conditions being met before the diagnostic data is transmitted.

21. The method of any one of claims 18-20, wherein the triggering event is based on a patient having finished using the patient device for a predetermined period of time or on a schedule for which diagnostic data is to be transmitted.

22. The method of any one of claims 18-21, wherein the service data comprises a first portion and a second portion, both portions being associated with different components of the patient device.

23. The method of any one of claims 18-22, further comprising sending to a remote computing device data indicating whether any patient has a device with a fault.

24. The method of any one of claims 18-23, wherein at least a portion of the diagnostic data relates to at least one of the following:

a patient'"'"'s apnea index, hypopnea index, apnea-hypopnea index, fault data, patient usage, leak data, ambient humidity data, therapy and comfort settings and order device activity and fault logs.

25. A system for diagnostic monitoring of medical devices comprising one or more computing devices, the one or more computing devices being configured to:

receive diagnostic data from a plurality of patient device, wherein the diagnostic data identifies a presence of a fault in at least one of the plurality of patient devices;

store the diagnostic data;

identify the presence of the fault in a first patient device, based on the first portion of the diagnostic data;

transmit at least one of the first portion of the diagnostic data and the identified fault; and

transmit service data, identified based on the first portion of the diagnostic data or an identified fault, to the first patient device.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the system is configured to transmit the first portion of the diagnostic data or the identified fault, in response to the query from a remote device.

27. The system of claim 25 or claim 26, wherein the system is also configured to receive identification of the service data to be transmitted to the first patient device, wherein at least a portion of the service data addresses an identified fault.

28. The system of any one of claims 25-27, wherein the first patient device comprises a respiratory pressure therapy device.

29. The system of any one of claims 25-28, wherein the diagnostic data is received based on an occurrence of a triggering event.

30. The system of any one of claims 25-29, wherein the diagnostic data comprises at least one of the following:

a patient'"'"'s apnea index, hypopnea index, apnea-hypopnea index, faults data, patient usage, leak data, ambient humidity data, therapy and comfort settings and order device activity and fault logs.

31. The system of any one of claims 25-30, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

receive an indication from the first patient device that the service data was successfully transmitted; and

update the diagnostic data to indicate implementation of the service data by the first patient device.

32. The system of any one of claims 25-31, wherein the system is configured to send to a remote computing device data indicating whether any patient has a device with a fault.

33. The system of any one of claims 25-32, wherein the diagnostic data comprises at least one of the following:

patient'"'"'s apnea, hypopnea or apnea-hypopnea index, therapeutic settings, comfort settings, fault data, patient usage, leak data, ambient humidity data, therapy and comfort settings and order device activity and fault logs of the patient device.

34. The system of any one of claims 25-33, wherein the presence of the fault is identified in a component of the first patient device, a sub-system, or a functional area.

35. The system of any one of claims 25-34, wherein transmitting the first portion of diagnostic data comprises a push notification to a remote computing device, and wherein the push notification is transmitted based on a determination that an identified fault is of a type for which a push notification is to be provided.

36. The system of any one of claims 25-35, wherein the service data includes a command to adjust one or more settings of the first patient device.

37. The system of any one of claims 25-36, wherein the diagnostic data identifies one or more settings of the first patient device at a time at which the fault occurred.

38. The system of any one of claims 25-37, wherein transmitting the identified fault comprises providing an icon for display on the remote computing device.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the icon has a variable appearance that varies based on a type of fault that has occurred.

40. The system of any one of claims 25-39, wherein transmitting the identified fault further comprises providing usage icons for display on the remote computing device, wherein the usage icons indicate an extent to which the first patient device was used.

41. The system of any one of claims 25-40, wherein the diagnostic data includes leak information and identification of a type of mask being used with the patient device.

42. The system of any one of claims 25-41, wherein the diagnostic data is accessible by a device identifier of the patient device.

43. The system of any one of claims 25-42, wherein transmitting the identified fault further comprises providing for display a visible indication of whether a device related fault has occurred.