Enablement of quick remote access to CT scans to improve workflow and patient throughput

• US 9,037,212 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2004
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Sanjay-Gopal, Sethumadavan, Pohlman, Scott Kenneth, Durgan, Jacob Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Roy, Baisakhi
• Application Number:
  US10/572,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20070049815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,911 Days
• Field of Search: 600/407, 709/200, 709/224, 709/217, 709/219, 382/128, 705/2
• US Class Current: 600/407
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/56 Details of data transmission or power supply, e.g. use of slip rings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/565 involving data transmission via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A bi-directional communication system (12) is utilized for communications between a technician at an imaging workstation (18), from which imaging protocols can be conducted and at which diagnostic images can be displayed, and one or more hospital medical professionals, located at remote locations. The technician selects and addresses the proper medical professional by a use of an addressing means (50) at workstation (18). The technician selects images (42) to be sent to the selected medical professional. The images and medical professional'"'"'s address are formatted (46) into wireless transmission format via transmitter/receiver (44) coupled to the workstation (18). A plurality of remote transmitters/receivers (62) receives wireless transmissions at remote locations. Each wireless transmission is examined (68) for a correct address and further converted (70) into an appropriate format for human-readable display. The selected medical professional reviews the images (42) and other information and releases the patient, who awaits the reviewing medical professional'"'"'s response in the vicinity of the scanner (16).

Claims

1. An imaging communication system for communicating between an imaging workstation, from which imaging protocols are conducted and at which diagnostic images are displayed, and one or more medical professionals, the system comprising:

the workstation including;

an input device by which a user selects and addresses one or more medical professionals and selects diagnostic image representations to be sent to the one or more selected medical professionals;

a unit which formats the at least one selected medical professional address and the selected diagnostic image representations into a wireless transmission format and wirelessly transmits the selected electronic image representation with the selected medical professional address;

a plurality of remote units, each remote unit including;

a receiver which receives wireless transmissions from workstations and from other remote units;

an address reader connected with the receiver which address reader examines each received wireless transmission for a corresponding preselected address;

a video processor connected with the receiver to, in response to the address reader finding the corresponding preselected address in the received wireless communication, convert a diagnostic image portion of the received wireless transmission into an appropriate format for human-readable display; and

a display device on which the diagnostic image is displayed in human-readable format.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1, the remote units are portable units and each communicates wirelessly with the workstation and the other portable units and each portable unit further includes:

an input unit through which the medical professional associated with the portable unit inputs (1) address of other portable units, (2) instructions to transfer the diagnostic image to an addressed portable unit, and (3) at least one of voice and text communications such that the medical professional associated with the portable unit can confer with medical professionals associated with other portable units and/or the workstation about the diagnostic image.

3. The system as set forth in claim 2, wherein the portable units include at least one of notebook computers and tablet personal computers which have sufficient resolution that the associated medical professional can determine if the diagnostic image is satisfactory for diagnostic purposes.

4. The system as set forth in claim 2, further including:

a diagnostic scanner disposed in a scan room adjacent the imaging workstation, the imaging workstation communicating the imaging protocols to the diagnostic scanner to control the diagnostic scanner during an imaging process of a subject in the diagnostic scanner to generate the diagnostic image.

5. The system as set forth in claim 4, wherein the imaging workstation addresses and communicates the diagnostic images of the subject in the diagnostic scanner to the portable unit associated with a one of the medical professionals responsible for reviewing the diagnostic images of the subject and the portable unit input unit further includes:

at least one of a microphone, a touch screen, a keypad, and a joystick or mouse by which the one of the medical professionals wirelessly sends communications to an operator of the imaging workstation.

6. The system as set forth in claim 5, wherein the communications from the medical professionals to the operator include:

messages approving the diagnostic images and authorizing release of the subject; and

messages requesting that the operator control the diagnostic scanner to perform another imaging process with another protocol.

7. The system as set forth in claim 4, wherein the portable unit input unit includes a microphone and formatting electronics which format audio information from the microphone into an appropriate format for wireless transmission such that the one of the medical professionals associated with the portable unit that received the diagnostic images can forward the diagnostic images to other medical professionals and verbally discuss the diagnostic images with the other medical professional.

8. The system as set forth in claim 2, wherein the workstation further includes:

a receiver which receives wireless communications from the portable units;

an address reader which reads an address portion of the received wireless communications and determines whether the received address portions match a preselected workstation address; and

a converting unit which converts an input information portion of the received wireless communication whose corresponding address portion matches the preselected workstation address into at least one of a human-readable and hearable format.

9. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the formatting unit is connected with a hospital based network, which includes wireless transmission units.

10. The system as set forth in claim 1, further including:

a diagnostic scanner which conducts a diagnostic scan of a patient positioned in the diagnostic scanner under control of the workstation to generate diagnostic image information;

a reconstruction processor which reconstructs the generated diagnostic information into diagnostic images.

11. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the patient has been injected with a contrast agent and the workstation and the remote units further include:

transmitters and receivers for at least one of voice and text communications which wirelessly transmit voice and/or text communications between the workstation and the remote units such that while holding the patient in the diagnostic scanner, the diagnostic images are transferred to one of the remote units and displayed to a medical professional; and

such that after analysis of the human-readable display, the transmitters and receivers wirelessly transmit voice and/or text instructions to the workstation to one of;

(1) release the patient and (2) conduct further diagnostic scans while the contrast agent is still in the patient.

12. The system as set forth in claim 1, further including:

a video camera which optically images the patient in the diagnostic scanner to generate electronic optical images of the patient, the workstation formatting unit formats the optical video images and a selected medical professional'"'"'s address into format for wireless transmission to the remote unit associated with the selected medical professional.

13. The system as set forth in claim 12, wherein the remote units further include:

an input device which wirelessly controls a field of view of the video camera which generates the optical video images.

14. The system as set forth in claim 1, further including:

a patient records database;

a wireless transmitter connected with the database which, in response to the instructions from one of the remote units, wirelessly transmits patient records to the one remote unit.

15. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the remote unit includes a wireless transmitter and the workstation includes a wireless receiver such that after reviewing the diagnostic images an approval of the diagnostic images is wirelessly sent to the workstation and the patient in the scanner is released.

16. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the remote unit includes a wireless transmitter and the workstation includes a wireless receiver such that after analyzing the diagnostic image on the remote unit display device, instructions are wirelessly sent to the workstation to control the diagnostic scanner to generate additional diagnostic images of the patient.

17. An imaging communication system for communicating between an imaging workstation, from which imaging protocols can be conducted and at which diagnostic images can be displayed, and one or more medical professionals, the workstation being disposed adjacent a scan room, the system comprising:

a means for selecting and addressing one or more medical professionals;

a means for selecting electronic image representations to be sent to the one or more selected medical professionals;

a means for formatting the at least one selected medical professional address and the selected electronic image representations into a wireless transmission format; and

a diagnostic scanner disposed in the scan room;

a patient support for supporting a patient in the diagnostic scanner;

an electronic camera disposed in the scan room to view the patient on the patient support, the electronic camera being connected with the formatting means to format electronic pictures from the electronic camera for wireless communication to a selected portable unit;

a plurality of portable units, each unit including;

a monitor means for generating the human-readable display,

a remote receiving means for receiving wireless transmissions at remote locations,

an address reading means connected with the receiving means for examining each received wireless transmission for a corresponding preselected address, and

a video processing means connected with the remote receiving means for, in response to the address reading means finding the corresponding preselected address in the received wireless communication, converting an electronic image portion of the received wireless transmission into an appropriate format for human-readable display.

18. The system as set forth in claim 17, further including:

an electromechanical control means for adjusting at least one of a field of view, focus, and direction of the electronic camera, the electromechanical control means being connected with a receiving means and a workstation address recognition means to receive control signals originating with the input means of the portable unit.

19. The system as set forth in claim 17, wherein the diagnostic scanner includes a diagnostic scanner and the image representations include diagnostic images of the patient, such that the diagnostic images and the electronic pictures are both communicated to the selected medical professionals and wherein the portable units further include:

an input means for selecting one or more of other ones of the medical professionals and an operator of the workstation and communicating the diagnostic images and/or the electronic pictures to selected other medical professionals and for sending messages to the selected other medical professionals and the operator such that selected medical professionals can confer on the diagnostic images and/or the electronic pictures and provide instructions to the operator to control the diagnostic scanner to generate additional diagnostic images.

20. An imaging scanner communication system comprising:

a diagnostic scanner disposed in a hospital which generates diagnostic images of a patient disposed in the diagnostic scanner;

an optical camera disposed adjacent the diagnostic scanner to generate electronic optical images of the patient disposed in the diagnostic scanner;

a workstation which facilitates wireless data transfer between diagnostic scanner operating personnel and one or more hospital radiologists moving around the hospital and remote from the workstation, the workstation receiving the diagnostic images from the diagnostic scanner and the optical images in electronic format and formatting the images for wireless transmission;

a wireless communication unit coupled to the workstation which wirelessly transmits patient information and the diagnostic images and the optical images to a selected one of the hospital radiologists; and

a plurality of portable units each carried by one of the hospital radiologists , each portable unit including;

a wireless communications unit which each portable unit receives the patient information, diagnostic images and optical images wirelessly transmitted from the workstation and addressed to it and wirelessly transmits instructions input on an input unit to the workstation, the instructions including instructions to the diagnostic scanner operating personnel regarding the patient in the scanner including instructions for acceptance of the diagnostic images and instructions to re-scan the patient in the diagnostic scanner, each portable unit further including a display on which the diagnostic and optical images are displayed.