Remote monitoring systems and methods for medical devices

• US 9,495,511 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2012
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kpr U.S., LLC (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Covidien LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Harrington, Stacey B., Wiesner, Joel D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Joo, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US13/352,608
• Publication Number:
  US 20120226771A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,763 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A remote monitoring system for monitoring a plurality of medical devices at a patient care or home care facility. The system includes a device integration server in communication with wireless relay modules for receiving data packets from the medical devices including an identifier and data for each medical device. The system also includes an outbound web server. The web server is configured to provide webpages including the data of the medical devices for display on first and second remote monitoring devices, subject to authentication of an associated data request from the monitoring device.

Claims

1. A system for enabling remote monitoring of a plurality of medical devices, the system comprising:

two or more wireless relay modules forming a wireless relay network, each of the two or more wireless relay modules having a first transceiver configured to receive signals from and transmit signals to at least two of the plurality of medical devices in communication with the wireless relay network, and a second transceiver configured to be in communication with an internet-accessible wireless network, each medical device configured to communicate with one or more of the wireless relay modules;

a database configured to have stored therein a set of safe operating parameters for the plurality of medical devices, a set of unsafe operating parameters for the plurality of medical devices, and a set of conditions for the plurality of medical devices for determining whether a command sent to one of the medical devices is an unsafe command;

a device integration server in communication with the two or more wireless relay modules, wherein said two or more wireless relay modules are configured to transmit data packets containing information provided by any of the plurality of medical devices, wherein each of said data packets includes medical device data and at least a medical device identifier or a patient identifier, and wherein said device integration server is configured to monitor commands sent to the medical devices to prevent unsafe medical device usage by accessing the database to evaluate the safe and unsafe operating parameters for a medical device, and the conditions for determining whether a command sent to at least one of the plurality of medical devices is an unsafe command;

a data manager system coupled to said device integration server, said data manager system comprising at least a device control database; and

a web server configured for providing web pages for receiving at least the medical device data, formatting the medical device data as first medical device data based upon a type of user authenticated on a first remote monitoring device, and transmitting the first medical device data to the first remote monitoring device via a secure internet connection for displaying the first medical device data at the first remote monitoring device and formatting the medical device data as second medical device data based upon a second type of user authenticated on a second remote monitoring device, and transmitting the second medical device data to the second remote monitoring device for displaying the second medical device data at the second remote monitoring device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the web server is configured for verifying one or more of the patient identifier or the medical device identifier before transmitting the first medical device data to the first remote monitoring device.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said web server is configured to transmit the second medical device data to the second remote monitoring device by at least a wireless data link.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said wireless data link is over a wireless mobile data network.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the second remote monitoring device is a portable communications device of least one of a mobile phone, tablet computer and portable computer.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said web server is configured to transmit to at least one of the first and the second remote monitoring devices, status information concerning the wireless relay network.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the second remote monitoring device is located in a same facility as a patient for use by a local caregiver.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the first medical device data displayed by the first remote monitoring device and the second medical device data displayed by the second remote monitoring device are different.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the first medical device data displayed by the first remote monitoring device includes data for use by a clinician and the second medical device data displayed on the second remote monitoring device includes data for use by a caregiver.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein, if a first authenticated user is a clinician, the first medical device data is formatted to include controls to allow the clinician to adjust settings of the at least one medical device.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein, if the first authenticated user is not a clinician, the first medical device data is formatted to exclude controls to allow the authenticated user to adjust the settings of the at least one medical device.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the second remote monitoring device includes a function for sending messages to and/or paging a clinician.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the device integration server is configured to discard a command associated with unsafe medical device usage prior to the command reaching the medical device and/or provide a notification of an unsafe condition in response to monitoring the commands.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the device control database includes a list of medical devices that are presently active.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the plurality of medical devices are programmed to provide data to the integration server at predetermined intervals.

16. A system for enabling remote monitoring of a plurality of medical devices, the system comprising:

two or more wireless relay modules forming a wireless relay network, each of the two or more wireless relay modules having a first transceiver configured to receive signals from and transmit signals to at least two of the plurality of medical devices in communication with the wireless relay network, and a second transceiver configured to be in communication with an internet-accessible wireless network, each medical device configured to communicate with one or more of the wireless relay modules;

a database configured to have stored therein a set of safe operating parameters for the plurality of medical devices, a set of unsafe operating parameters for the plurality of medical devices, and a set of conditions for the plurality of medical devices for determining whether a command sent to one of the medical devices is an unsafe command;

a device integration server in communication with the two or more wireless relay devices, wherein said two or more wireless relay devices are configured to transmit data packets containing information provided by the plurality of medical devices including medical device data and at least one of medical device identifier and a patient identifier, and wherein said device integration server is configured to monitor commands sent to the plurality of medical devices to prevent unsafe medical device usage by accessing the database to evaluate the safe and unsafe operating parameters for a medical device, and the conditions for determining whether a command sent to at least one of the plurality of medical devices is an unsafe command;

a data manager system coupled to said device integration server, said data manager system comprising;

a device control database;

a web server configured for;

providing web pages for receiving at least the medical device data;

formatting the medical device data as first medical device data based upon a type of user authenticated on a first remote monitoring device;

formatting the medical device data as second medical device data based upon a type of user authenticated on a second remote monitoring device; and

,

subject to verification of the patient identifier and/or the medical device identifier, transmitting the medical device data to first and second remote monitoring devices via a secure internet connection for displaying the medical device data at the first and second remote monitoring devices; and

a network status server configured for transmitting to at least one of the first or second remote monitoring devices, status information concerning the wireless relay network associated with the at least two wireless relay devices.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said network status server is located at a different geographic location than the web server.

18. A system for enabling remote monitoring a plurality of medical devices, the system comprising:

two or more wireless relay modules forming a wireless relay network, each of the two or more wireless relay modules having a first transceiver configured to receive signals from and transmit signals to at least two of the plurality of medical devices in communication with the wireless relay network, and a second transceiver configured to be in communication with an internet-accessible wireless network, each medical device configured to communicate with one or more of the wireless relay modules;

a database configured to have stored therein a set of safe operating parameters for the plurality of medical devices, a set of unsafe operating parameters for the plurality of medical devices, and a set of conditions for the plurality of medical devices for determining whether a command sent to one of the medical devices is an unsafe command;

a device integration server in communication with the two or more wireless relay modules, wherein said two or more wireless relay devices are configured to transmit data packets containing information provided by the plurality of medical devices, wherein each of said data packets includes medical device data and at least a medical device identifier or a patient identifier, and wherein said device integration server is configured to monitor commands sent to the plurality of medical devices to prevent unsafe medical device usage by accessing the database to evaluate the safe and unsafe operating parameters for a medical device and conditions for determining whether a command sent to at least one of the plurality of medical devices is an unsafe command;

a data manager system coupled to said device integration server, said data manager system comprising at least a device control database, and

a web server configured for providing web pages for receiving at least the medical device data and transmitting the medical device data to a first remote monitoring device via a secure internet connection for displaying the medical device data at the first remote monitoring device; and

transmitting at least a portion of the medical device data to a second remote monitoring device for displaying the portion of the medical device data at the second remote monitoring device.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the web server is configured for formatting the medical device data as first medical device data based upon a type of user authenticated on a first remote monitoring device and transmitting the first medical device data to the first remote monitoring device for displaying the first medical device data at the first remote monitoring device.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the web server is configured for formatting the medical device data as second medical device data based upon a second type of user authenticated on a second remote monitoring device, and transmitting the second medical device data to the second remote monitoring device for displaying the second medical device data at the second remote monitoring device.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein the device integration server is further configured to determine whether a particular command of the commands sent to the at least one of the plurality of medical devices is an unsafe command based on the safe operating parameters, the unsafe operating parameters, and/or the conditions.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the device integration server is further configured, upon determination that the particular command is an unsafe command, to discard the unsafe command.

23. The system of claim 18 wherein the device integration is further configured, upon determination that the particular command is an unsafe command, to provide a warning message.

24. The system of claim 18 wherein the device integration server is further configured, upon determination that the particular command is an unsafe command, to program the medical device with information that deviates from the particular command.