Medical data transport over wireless life critical network

• US 9,269,251 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2014
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: LaLonde, John, Mass, William R., Hoyme, Kenneth P., Johnson, David C., Bange, Joseph E., Gryzwa, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US14/576,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20150206408A1
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.12, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.13, 340/573.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 communicator facilitates communications with a remote server via a wireless network supporting a plurality of disparate data transport mechanisms having differing characteristics. A processor coupled to memory is disposed in a communicator housing, which is configured for portability. The memory stores wireless radio firmware and data transfer instructions that are executable by the processor for transferring data to the remote server in accordance with a priority level. The priority level is based in part on criticality of the data and the communicator status. A radio disposed in the housing effects communications via the wireless network in accordance with the firmware. A power source in the housing supplies power for communicator components. The processor executes program instructions for selecting a data transport mechanism among the plurality transport mechanisms based on the priority level, and transmits the data via the wireless network via the radio using the selected transport mechanism.

Claims

1. A communicator configured to facilitate communications with a remote server, the communicator comprising:

a processor;

memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores firmware and data transfer instructions, the data transfer instructions executable by the processor for transferring data to the remote server in accordance with a priority level;

a communications module configured to effect communications with the remote server using each of a plurality of communications protocols, in accordance with program instructions of the firmware executable by the processor; and

the processor configured to execute program instructions for selecting a communications protocol from the plurality of communications protocols based at least in part on the priority level and transmitting the data to the remote server using the selected transport mechanism via the communications protocol.

2. The communicator of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to implement control logic to determine communications protocols available to it from the plurality of communications protocols and execute program instructions for selecting a communications protocol from the plurality of communications protocols based on the communications protocols available to it.

3. The communicator of claim 1, wherein the communicator is configured to receive the priority level from a medical device.

4. The communicator of claim 1, wherein the data comprises clinician requested data.

5. The communicator of claim 1, wherein the data comprises specified patient data.

6. The communicator of claim 1, wherein the data comprises specified clinical event data.

7. The communicator of claim 1, wherein the data comprises specified arrhythmia data.

8. The communicator of claim 1, wherein the data comprises specified episode data.

9. The communicator of claim 1, wherein the communicator is configured to establish communications with a medical device, connect with the remote server, and determine if data is to be acquired from the medical device prior to establishing communications with the medical device.

10. The communicator of claim 1 further configured to receive pushed data from a medical device;

and

the communicator is configured to connect with the remote server in response to receiving the pushed data.

11. The communicator of claim 1, wherein the communicator is configured to transmit portions of the data to the remote server at different times based on priority levels associated with each portion of the data.

12. A communicator for facilitating communications with a remote server comprising:

a processor coupled to memory, the memory storing;

firmware executable by the processor; and

a communications interface configured to effect communications with the remote server via each of a plurality of communications protocols in accordance with the firmware,

wherein the processor is configured to receive first data to which a first priority level is assigned and execute program instructions for selecting a first communications protocol from the plurality of communications protocols based at least in part on the first priority level and transmitting the first data to the remote server using the first communications protocol via the communications interface.

13. The communicator of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to retransmit the first data to the remote server if it is determined that the previously transmitted data was not received.

14. The communicator of claim 12, wherein the first data comprises patient data requested by a clinician.

15. The communicator of claim 12, wherein the first priority level is determined at least in part by a medical device.

16. The communicator of claim 12, wherein the first priority level is based on the urgency of a patient event reflected in the data.

17. The communicator of claim 12, wherein the communications interface is configured to effect communications with the remote server on an unscheduled event driven basis.

18. The communicator of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to select a second data transport mechanism among the plurality of disparate data transport mechanisms based at least in part on the first priority level.

19. The communicator of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to implement control logic to determine communications protocols available to it from the plurality of communications protocols, and executes program instructions for selecting a first communications protocol from the plurality of communications protocols based on the communications protocols available to it.

20. The communicator of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to receive second data to which a second priority level is assigned, and execute program instructions for selecting a second communications protocol from the plurality of communications protocols based at least in part on the second priority level, and transmitting the second data to the remote server using the second communications protocol via the communications interface, wherein the second data transport mechanism is different than the first data transport mechanism.