Defibrillation system

• US 6,418,342 B1
• Filed: 08/31/2000
• Issued: 07/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Zoll Medical Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cardiac Science Operating Company (Cardica Incorporated)
• Inventors: Owen, James M., Totman, Mark H., Fincke, Randall W., OʼLeary, James P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jastrzab, Jeffrey R.
• Application Number:
  US09/652,701
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 607/4, 607/5, 607/7
• US Class Current: 607/5
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0452 Specially adapted for transcutaneous muscle stimulation [TMS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0456 Specially adapted for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation [TENS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/046 Specially adapted for shock therapy, e.g. defibrillation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0468 Specially adapted for promoting wound healing
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0472 Structure-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0476 Array electrodes (including any electrode arrangement with more than one electrode for at least one of the polarities)
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0492 Patch electrodes A61N1/0412, A61N1/0428 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0496 characterised by using specific chemical compositions, e.g. hydrogel compositions, adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3904 External heart defibrillators [EHD]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3918 characterised by shock pathway, e.g. by electrode configuration
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3925 Monitoring; Protecting
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3937 Monitoring output parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3987 characterised by the timing or triggering of the shock
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3993 User interfaces for automatic external defibrillators

Abstract

A method of treating a patient for ventricular tachycardia using a wearable defibrillator includes monitoring the patient for a predetermined condition via one or more electrodes on the defibrillator, sending a message to the patient in response to the predetermined condition, activating the defibrillator so that the defibrillator delivers defibrillation energy to the patient, and storing at least one of the results of the monitoring, sending and activating steps in a memory on the defibrillator. The method also includes downloading information stored in the memory of the defibrillator to a base station having an external interface, and transmitting the information downloaded from the memory of the base station to an external location via the external interface of the base station.

Claims

1. A defibrillation system comprising:

a wearable defibrillator for delivering defibrillation energy to a patient, the wearable defibrillator comprising;

a plurality of electrodes adapted to be connected to the patient for transmitting defibrillation energy to the patient and for receiving patient information from the patient;

a memory which stores the patient information and which stores defibrillation information, the defibrillation information relating to operation of the wearable defibrillator;

a base station interface, over which the patient information and the defibrillation information are transmitted, and over which external information is received; and

a controller for controlling when the defibrillation energy is transmitted to the patient based on the patient information and at least part of the external information; and

a base station connected to the defibrillator, the base station comprising;

a defibrillator interface which mates to the base station interface of the defibrillator and over which (i) the defibrillation information and the patient information is received from the memory of the defibrillator and (ii) the external information is transmitted to the defibrillator; and

an external interface, over which the defibrillation information and the patient information is transmitted to an external location, and over which the external information is received from the external location.

2. A defibrillation system according to claim 1, further comprising a personal computer which is capable of communication with both the wearable defibrillator and the base station;

wherein the wearable defibrillator further comprises a personal computer interface which interfaces the wearable defibrillator to the personal computer.

3. A defibrillation system according to claim 1, wherein the patient information received through the plurality of electrodes comprises an electrocardiogram of the patient;

and

wherein the electrocardiogram is transmitted to the personal computer over the personal computer interface.

4. A defibrillation system according to claim 3, wherein the personal computer interface comprises an infrared (“

IR”

) interface.

5. A defibrillation system according to claim 3, wherein the personal computer interface comprises a radio frequency (“

RF”

) interface.

6. A defibrillation system according to claim 1, wherein the base station further comprises a memory which stores defibrillation information and patient information received from the defibrillator over the defibrillator interface;

and

wherein the memory on the base station has a storage capacity which exceeds a storage capacity of the memory on the defibrillator.

7. A defibrillation system according to claim 1, further comprising a central repository corresponding to the external location, the central repository for storing defibrillation information and patient information for the patient and corresponding information for a plurality of other patients.

8. A defibrillation system according to claim 7, further comprising a personal computer in communication with the central repository which analyzes the patient information and defibrillation information for the patient and corresponding information for the plurality of other patients, and which provides, to the base station over the external interface, data based on the analysis of the patient information and the defibrillation information.

9. A defibrillation system according to claim 8, wherein the external interface of the base station comprises a network interface.

10. A defibrillation system according to claim 8, wherein the external interface of the base station comprises a modem link.

11. A defibrillation system according to claim 1, wherein the patient information comprises data relating to the patient'"'"'s heart activity and the external information comprises parameters for the patient.

12. A defibrillation system according to claim 11, wherein the patient parameters comprise at least one of patient identification (“

ID”

) number, ventricular tachycardia rate at which the defibrillation energy is to be delivered to the patient, patient thoracic impedance range, a time and a date at which the defibrillator was issued to the patient, a name of a clinic at the external location, a name of a clinician at the clinic at the external location, documentation regarding the defibrillator, and instructions on how to use the defibrillator.

13. A defibrillation system according to claim 12, wherein the defibrillator stores the patient ID number;

and

wherein the patient ID number is used during reprogramming of the defibrillator.

14. A defibrillation system according to claim 12, wherein the patient parameters include a checksum;

and

wherein the base station further comprises;

a memory which stores the patient parameters; and

a processor which receives the patient parameters over the external interface, transmits the patient parameters over the defibrillator interface to the memory in the defibrillator, issues a request for the patient parameters from the memory of the defibrillator over the defibrillator interface, receives the patient parameters from the memory of the defibrillator over the defibrillator interface, and compares the patient parameters, including the checksum, to the patient parameters stored in the memory of the base station so as to verify valid receipt of the patient parameters by the defibrillator.

15. A defibrillation system according to claim 1, wherein the base station further comprises a patient simulator which simulates patient responses in order to test the defibrillator when the defibrillator is mated to the base station.

16. A defibrillation system according to claim 1, wherein the defibrillator further comprises one or more indicators;

and

wherein the external information comprises instructions from the external location which are output to the patient via the one or more indicators on the defibrillator.

17. A defibrillation system according to claim 16, wherein the one or more indicators include an auditory indicator which provide auditory instructions to the user in response to the external information.

18. A defibrillation system according to claim 17, wherein the one or more indicators include a visual indicator.