Wireless patient communicator for use in a life critical network

• US 8,515,547 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2008
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Mass, William, LaLonde, John, Barton, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): Evanisko, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): FAIRCHILD, MALLIKA DIPAYAN
• Application Number:
  US12/151,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20090062887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,929 Days
• Field of Search: 607 30- 32, 607/60
• US Class Current: 607/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0026 characterised by the transmission medium
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/747 in case of emergency, i.e. alerting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37211 Means for communicating with stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37282 characterised by communication with experts in remote locations using a network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• 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: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices

Abstract

A portable housing supports a processor coupled to memory for storing medical firmware and wireless radio firmware, first and second radios, a processor, and a power source. Communications are effected between an implantable medical device and the first radio in accordance with program instructions of the medical firmware, and between the second radio and the wireless network in accordance with program instructions of the wireless radio firmware. The first and second radios are configured to operate cooperatively in a first testing configuration, by which the first radio operates as a transmitter and the second radio operates as a receiver, and cooperatively in a second testing configuration, by which the second radio operates as a transmitter and the first radio operates as a receiver. Functional testing of the first and second radios is implemented using one or both of the first and second testing configurations.

Claims

1. A portable patient communicator (PPC) for effecting communications via a wireless network connection and for communicating with a patient implantable medical device (PIMD), the portable patient communicator comprising:

a housing configured for portability for an ambulatory patient;

memory configured to store medical firmware and wireless radio firmware;

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor and the memory provided in the housing;

a first radio provided in the housing and configured to effect communications with the PIMD in accordance with the medical firmware;

a second radio provided in the housing and configured to effect communications via the wireless network connection in accordance with the wireless radio firmware;

the processor configured to perform a self diagnostic of the PPC using the first and the second radios cooperatively by using the first radio as a transmitter while using the second radio as a receiver, and using the second radio as a transmitter while using the first radio as a receiver; and

a power source configured to supply power for the portable patient communicator.

2. The communicator of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to perform a built-in test using the first and second radios.

3. The communicator of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine an operating state of the first and second radios.

4. The communicator of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to effect one or more of measuring transmit power, measuring receive sensitivity, verifying data or modulation, measuring frequency accuracy, and measuring out-of-band rejection.

5. The communicator of claim 1, wherein the receiver receives a signal in response to a signal generated by the transmitter, the processor configured to determine an operating state of the first and second radios using one or more parameters of the received signals.

6. The communicator of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine a geographic location of the patient using the second radio, the processor further configured to determine if conditions at the patient'"'"'s present location are suitable for effecting communications with the patient implantable medical device using the first radio.

7. The communicator of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to temporarily pause communications between the patient implantable medical device and the first radio to facilitate maintenance of a substantially continuous connection between the second radio and the wireless network.

8. The communicator of claim 1, wherein the first radio is coupled to a first antenna and the second radio is coupled to a second antenna.

9. The communicator of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to interleave data transmissions via the first radio with data transmissions via the second radio in different time slots to facilitate substantially concurrent operation of the first and second radios.

10. The communicator of claim 9, wherein each of the first and second radios is coupled to a common antenna, and use of the antenna by each of the first and second radios is multiplexed in accordance with the different time slots.

11. The communicator of claim 1, wherein the first radio comprises a short range radio, and the second radio comprises a long range radio.

12. The communicator of claim 1, wherein the second radio comprises a cellular radio, and the first radio comprises a Medical Implant Communication Service (MICS) radio, an Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) radio, or a Short Range Devices (SRD) radio.

13. The communicator of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to execute the medical firmware to ensure that communications between the first radio and the patient implantable medical device conform to predefined medical device guidelines.

14. A method for effecting communications via a wireless network connection and for communicating with a patient implantable medical device, the method comprising:

providing a housing configured for portability for an ambulatory patient, the housing supporting a processor coupled to memory for storing medical firmware and wireless radio firmware, first and second radios, a processor, and a power source;

effecting communications between the patient implantable medical device and the first radio in accordance with program instructions of the medical firmware;

effecting communications between the second radio and the wireless network in accordance with program instructions of the wireless radio firmware;

configuring the first and second radios to operate cooperatively in a first testing configuration by which the first radio operates as a transmitter and the second radio operates as a receiver;

configuring the first and second radios to operate cooperatively in a second testing configuration by which the second radio operates as a transmitter and the first radio operates as a receiver; and

performing functional testing of the first and second radios using both of the first and second testing configurations.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein functional testing is performed using one of the first and second configurations to detect a performance deficiency, and functional testing is performed using the other of the first and second configurations in response to detecting the performance deficiency.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein performing functional testing comprises performing a self diagnostic using both of the first and second testing configurations.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein performing functional testing comprises one or more of measuring transmit power, measuring receive sensitivity, verifying data or modulation, measuring frequency accuracy, and measuring out-of-band rejection.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising determining a geographic location of the patient using the second radio and determining if conditions at the patient'"'"'s present location are suitable for effecting communications with the patient implantable medical device using the first radio.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising temporarily pausing communications between the patient implantable medical device and the first radio to facilitate maintenance of a substantially continuous connection between the second radio and the wireless network.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising interleaving data transmissions via the first radio with data transmissions via the second radio in different time slots to facilitate substantially concurrent operation of the first and second radios.

21. The method of claim 14, further wherein each of the first and second radios is coupled to a common antenna, and use of the antenna by each of the first and second radios is multiplexed in accordance with the different time slots.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the first radio comprises a short range radio, and the second radio comprises a long range radio.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein the second radio comprises a cellular radio, and the first radio comprises a Medical Implant Communication Service (MICS) radio, an Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) radio, or a Short Range Methods (SRD) radio.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein execution of program instructions of the medical firmware ensures that communications between the first radio and the patient implantable medical device conform to predefined medical device guidelines.