Systems and methods for storage and forwarding of medical data

• US 8,126,730 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2007
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medapps Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Medapps Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Dicks, Kent, Kent, Ralph, Tripp, Robert, Bartlett, Terry, Crosley, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Najarian, Lena
• Assistant Examiner(s): SEOH, MINNAH L
• Application Number:
  US11/876,708
• Publication Number:
  US 20080097551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,590 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3, 710 15- 16, 600/300
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37282 characterised by communication with experts in remote locations using a network
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A method according to an aspect of the present invention includes receiving data through a wired connection from a medical device, storing the data, transmitting the data to an intermediary device, and formatting a message including the received data for transmission to a medical data server. This method can be practiced automatically to allow a medical device for a patient or other subject to be monitored without requiring the patient to manually enter information. This method allows the data to be stored for any desired length of time, and/or until a particular event occurs.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transitioning, by a medical data interchange device, from a quiescent state to an active state in response to a signal transmitted from a medical device to prepare the medical data interchange device to receive data from the medical device, wherein the data comprises at least one of patient data, a device identifier and a patient identifier;

broadcasting, by the medical data interchange device, an authorization code stored in the medical data interchange device in response to a request for authorization;

authenticating, by the medical device, the medical data interchange device by determining that the broadcast authorization code matches a code stored by the medical device;

automatically detecting, based on a voltage of the signal from the medical device, a communication protocol used by the medical device;

automatically configuring a medical device interface of a plurality of medical device interfaces to communicate with the medical device using the detected communication protocol, wherein each medical device interface is configured to receive patient data via a wired connection from a plurality of different medical devices

receiving data, at the medical data interchange device, from a medical device through a wired connection, wherein the medical device collects the data from a patient;

storing the data;

transmitting the data to an intermediary device;

formatting a message for transmission to a medical data server, wherein the message includes the received data;

selecting a transmission method from a plurality of transmission methods based at least partially on a cost associated with the transmission method;

in response to determining that the cost associated with the transmission is below a predetermined level, delaying the transmission of the data to the medical data server for a predetermined time period;

determining that the predetermined time period has elapsed; and

in response to determining that the time period has elapsed;

determining that the cost associated with the transmission is at or above the predetermined level, and transmitting the data to the medical data server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is transmitted to the intermediary device using a wireless transmitter, wherein the wireless transmitter transmits the data to the intermediary device using a protocol selected from the group consisting of a Zigbee protocol, a Wibree protocol, an IEEE 802.11 protocol, an IEEE 802.15 protocol, an IEEE 802.16 protocol, an Ultra-Wideband (UWB) protocol, an Infrared Data Association (IrDA) protocol, a Bluetooth protocol, and combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data includes an environmental parameter, wherein the environmental parameter includes at least one of a battery charge level, a temperature, a barometric pressure, a code relating to an accessory for the medical device, a data validity measurement, an elapsed time since a previous reading by the medical device, a test result parameter, a signal-to-noise parameter, and a quality of service (QoS) parameter.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is received from the medical device through a connection selected from the group consisting of an optical fiber connection, a tip and sleeve (TS) connection, a tip, ring, and sleeve (TRS) connection, a tip, ring, ring, and sleeve (TRRS) connection, a serial peripheral interface bus (SPI) connection, a universal serial bus (USB) connection, an RS-232 serial connection, an Ethernet connection, a FireWire connection, and combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the medical device is selected from the group consisting of:

a blood glucose meter;

a pacemaker;

a blood pressure monitor;

an insulin pump;

a pulse oximeter;

a holter monitor;

an electrocardiograph;

an electroencephalograph;

a blood alcohol monitor;

an alcohol breathalyzer;

an alcohol ignition interlock;

a respiration monitor;

an accelerometer;

a skin galvanometer;

a thermometer;

a patient geolocation device;

a scale;

an intravenous flow regulator;

a patient height measuring device;

a biochip assay device;

a monitor for biological agents;

a hazardous chemical agent monitor;

an ionizing radiation sensor;

a sphygmomanometer;

a loop recorder;

a spirometer;

an event monitor;

a prothrombin time (PT) meter;

an international normalized ratio (INR) meter;

a tremor sensor;

a defibrillator; and

combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is stored until the data has been transmitted to the intermediary device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored data comprises a respective plurality of test results from the medical device and at least one additional medical device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is stored until an acknowledgement has been received from the medical data server, the acknowledgment indicating that the data has been received by the medical data server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is stored by the intermediary device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is stored until the data has been transmitted to the medical data server.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is store for a predetermined amount of time.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the formatted message from the intermediary device to a medical data server, wherein the formatted message is transmitted from the intermediary device to a medical data server through a wireless network selected from the group consisting of:

a cellular network;

a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network;

a wireless Local Area Network (WLAN);

a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network;

a Personal Communication Service (PCS) network;

an Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) network;

a satellite communication network; and

combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein formatting the data includes processing the data into one or more formats, the one or more formats including at least one of an XML record, an SMS text message, an email, and a facsimile.

14. A method comprising:

transitioning, by a first device, from a quiescent state to an active state in response to a signal transmitted from a medical device to prepare the first device to receive data from the medical device, wherein the data comprises at least one of patient data, a device identifier and a patient identifier;

broadcasting, by the first device, an authorization code stored in the first device in response to a request for authorization;

authenticating, by the medical device, the first device by determining that the broadcast authorization code matches a code stored by the medical device;

automatically detecting, based on a voltage of the signal from the medical device, a communication protocol used by the medical device;

automatically configuring a medical device interface of a plurality of medical device interfaces to communicate with the medical device using the detected communication protocol, wherein each medical device interface is configured to receive patient data via a wired connection from a plurality of different medical devices

receiving data through a wired connection from a medical device by the first device;

storing the data by the first device;

transmitting the data to a second device by the first device;

selecting a transmission method from a plurality of transmission methods based at least partially on a cost associated with the transmission method;

in response to determining that the cost associated with the transmission is below a predetermined level, delaying the transmission of the data to the medical data server for a predetermined time period;

determining that the predetermined time period has elapsed; and

in response to determining that the time period has elapsed;

determining that the cost associated with the transmission is at or above the predetermined level and transmitting the data to the medical data server.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the data is transmitted wirelessly to the second device by the first device, wherein the data is transmitted wirelessly to the second device by the first device using a protocol selected from the group consisting of a Zigbee protocol, a Wibree protocol, an IEEE 802.11 protocol, an IEEE 802.15 protocol, an IEEE 802.16 protocol, an Ultra-Wideband (UWB) protocol, an Infrared Data Association (IrDA) protocol, a Bluetooth protocol, and combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the data is received from the medical device through at least one of:

an optical fiber connection;

a tip and sleeve (TS) connection;

a tip, ring, and sleeve (TRS) connection;

a tip, ring, ring, and sleeve (TRRS) connection;

a serial peripheral interface bus (SPI) connection;

a universal serial bus (USB) connection;

an RS-232 serial connection;

an Ethernet connection; and

a FireWire connection.

17. The method of claim 14, further including receiving data from a plurality of different medical devices by the first device.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the data is stored until the data has been transmitted to the second device.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the data is stored until an acknowledgement is received from the medical data server, the acknowledgment indicating that the data has been received by the medical data server.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the data is additionally stored by the second device.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the data is stored until the data has been transmitted to the medical data server.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the data is stored for a predetermined amount of time.