Emergency call patient locating system for implanted automatic defibrillators

• US 6,980,112 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2002
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nee, Wright Jacken
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUNG
• Application Number:
  US10/041,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20030128121A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,449 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/539.12, 340/539.16, 340/539.13, 607/27, 607/57, 607/30, 128/843, 128/899, 600/508, 600/517, 600/500, 455/404.1, 379/40
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37282 characterised by communication with experts in remote locations using a network
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3956 Implantable devices for applying electric shocks to the heart, e.g. for cardioversion
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0211 Combination with medical sensor, e.g. for measuring heart rate, temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/001 Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

Methods and systems for placing a distress call in response to the operation of an implanted device. The implanted device may be any of a plurality of medical devices capable of monitoring and/or regulating an organ. When threshold conditions are reached, a distress signal transmitted by the implanted device activates an external communications system. The external communications system then places a distress call, which may be responded to by the appropriate medical personnel.

Claims

1. A method for selectively placing a distress call in response to activity of an implanted medical device worn by a human subject, comprising:

receiving a wireless signal from the implanted medical device; and

in response receiving the wireless signal;

generating, by an external voice synthesizer, a voice synthesized message providing information about a nature of the human subject'"'"'s condition even in the event the human subject wearing the implanted medical device is incapable of verbal communication; and

transmitting, by an external communications device, the distress call in the form of the voice synthesized message to a remote location;

wherein the distress call includes at least one of a serial number and a model number of the implanted medical device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless signal is indicative of a medical emergency experienced by the human subject wearing the implanted medical device.

3. The method of claim 1, prior to transmitting, determining that the wireless signal is indicative of a medical emergency being experienced by the human subject wearing the implanted medical device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless signal and distress call contain vital data pertaining to an organ being monitored by the implanted medical device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the distress call contains location information indicating a location of a device initiating the distress call.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the implanted medical device comprises one of a pacemaker, an implantable cardioverter defibrillator and a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the implanted medical device comprises a transmitter configured to transmit the wireless signal and a heart regulating device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the external communications device is a cell phone.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the external device, a wireless power status signal from the implanted medical device indicating a low battery power of the implanted medical device.

8. A system for selectively placing and handling a distress call, comprising:

an implanted medical device worn by a human subject and comprising a wireless transmitter for issuing a wireless signal;

a wireless external receiver configured to receive the wireless signal from the implanted medical device;

a voice synthesizer configured to generate a voice synthesized message in response to the wireless signal, the voice synthesized message providing information about a nature of the human subject'"'"'s condition; and

an external communications device communicative with the wireless external receiver and configured to transmit a distress call in the form of the voice synthesized message to a remote location in response to receiving input from the wireless external receiver even in the event the human subject wearing the implanted medical device is incapable of verbal communication;

wherein the distress call comprises at least one of the serial number and the model number of the implanted medical device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the distress call contains location information indicating a location of the external communications device.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising a locator device configured to provide location information to the external communications device, wherein the location information is included in the distress call.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the wireless signal and distress call contain vital data pertaining to an organ being monitored by the implanted medical device.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the implanted medical device comprises one of a pacemaker, an implantable cardioverter defibrillator and a combination thereof.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the implanted medical device comprises a transmitter configured to transmit the wireless signal and a heart regulating device.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the external communications device is configured to determine, prior to transmitting the distress call, that the wireless signal is indicative of a medical emergency being experienced by the human subject wearing the implanted medical device.

17. The system of claim 8, wherein the external communications device is a cell phone.

18. The system of claim 8, wherein the implanted medical device is configured to transmit a wireless power status signal to the external communications device indicating a low battery power of the implanted medical device.

19. The system of claim 8, wherein the implanted medical device is configured to transmit a wireless power status signal to the external communications device indicating a low battery power of the implanted medical device.

20. A method for selectively placing and handling a distress call in response to activity of an implanted medical device worn by a human subject, comprising:

receiving, by an external communications device, a wireless signal from the implanted medical device; and

in response to receiving the wireless signal;

generating, by an external voice synthesizer, a voice synthesized message providing information about a nature of the human subject'"'"'s condition even in the event the human subject is incapable of verbal communication;

transmitting the distress call, with the voice synthesized message, to a remote location in response to receiving the wireless signal;

receiving the distress call at the remote location;

in response to receiving the distress call at the remote location, automatically accessing a patient record from a database; and

displaying the patient record to an operator;

wherein the external communications device is a cell phone, and further comprising;

inputting the voice synthesized message into the cell phone from which the voice synthesized message is transmitted with the distress call.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the wireless signal and distress call contain vital data pertaining to an organ being monitored by the implanted medical device.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising receiving, by the external device, a wireless status signal from the implanted medical device indicating a low battery power of the implanted medical device.