Medical communication hub and associated methods

• US 9,606,601 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2014
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volcano Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Volcano Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Spencer, Jason, Litzza, Gerald L., Lindsay, Craig A., Glover, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Khan, Omer S
• Application Number:
  US14/176,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20140152467A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.02
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0204 of power management
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0066 Optical coherence imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/565 involving data transmission via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4081 Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/00 Electric signal transmission systems G08C17/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/16 in which transmission is by pulses

Abstract

A patient communication system having a medical sensing device operable to collect medical data, a network communication module operable to transmit the medical data onto a data network, a controller operable route the first medical sensing data to the network communication module, and a power source operable to provide power to the first medical sensing device, the controller, and the network communication module.

Claims

1. A patient communication system comprising:

a first medical sensing device operable to collect first medical data associated with a first modality, the first medical sensing device including a flexible elongate member sized and shaped for insertion into a vessel of a patient body, wherein the first modality is an intravascular modality;

an analog to digital converter communicatively coupled to the first medical sensing device and operable to digitize the first medical data;

a network communication module communicatively coupled to the first medical sensing device and a data network, the network communication module operable to transmit the digitized first medical data onto the data network;

a controller communicatively coupled to the analog to digital converter and the network communication module and operable route the first medical sensing data to the network communication module;

a power source operable to provide power to the first medical sensing device, the controller, and the network communication module;

a hub including the analog to digital converter, controller, and network communication module;

a second medical sensing device operable to collect second medical data associated with a second modality different from the first modality; and

a patient interface module communicatively coupled to the hub and operable to receive the second medical data from the second medical sensing device and transmit the second medical data to the hub, the patient interface module being further operable to route power from the power source to the second medical sensing device.

2. The patient communication system of claim 1,

including a further patient interface module communicatively coupled to the first medical sensing device and the hub and operable to receive the first medical data from the first medical sensing device and transmit the first medical data to the hub, the further patient interface module being further operable to route power from the power source to the first medical sensing device.

3. The patient communication system of claim 2, wherein the power source is operable to dynamically provide a first amount of power to the further patient interface module based upon a power requirement of the first medical sensing device and dynamically provide a second amount of power to the patient interface module based upon a power requirement of the second medical sensing device, the first amount of power being different from the second amount of power.

4. The patient communication system of claim 1, wherein the controller is operable to process the first medical data using a first processing application associated with the first modality to produce first processed medical data and is operable to process the second medical data using a second processing application associated with the second modality to produce second processed medical data.

5. The patient communication system of claim 1, wherein the controller is operable to process the first and second medical data using a co-registration processing application to produce co-registered medical data.

6. The patient communication system of claim 1, wherein the power source is operable to dynamically provide an amount of power to the first medical sensing device, the amount of power being based upon power requirements of the first medical sensing device.

7. The patient communication system of claim 1,

including a graphics controller communicatively coupled to the controller;

wherein the controller is operable to process the first medical data using a processing application associated with the first modality to produce first processed medical data; and

wherein the graphics controller is operable to drive the first processed medical data to a display.

8. The patient communication system of claim 7, wherein the processing application is one of a plurality of processing applications executable by the controller, the plurality of processing applications including processing applications associated with modalities different from the first modality.

9. The patient communication system of claim 1, wherein the first medical sensing device includes at least one of a catheter or a guide wire.

10. The patient communication system of claim 9, wherein the first medical sensing device includes a sensor configured for at least one of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging, optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging, a fractional flow reserve (FFR) determination, forward looking IVUS (FLIVUS) imaging, and intravascular photoacoustic (IVPA) imaging.

11. The patient communication system of claim 1, wherein the network communication module is wirelessly communicatively coupled to the first medical sensing device.

12. The patient communication system of claim 1, wherein the network communication module wirelessly communicatively coupled to the data network.

13. The patient communication system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the analog to digital converter, the network communication module, the controller, or the power source are operable to interface with the second medical sensing device associated with the second modality to facilitate a multi-modality medical sensing procedure associated with both the first modality and the second modality.

14. A patient communication system comprising:

a first medical sensing device operable to collect first medical data associated with a first modality, the first medical sensing device including a flexible elongate member sized and shaped for insertion into a vessel of a patient body, wherein the first modality is an intravascular modality;

an analog to digital converter communicatively coupled to the first medical sensing device and operable to digitize the first medical data;

a network communication module communicatively coupled to the first medical sensing device and a data network, the network communication module operable to transmit the digitized first medical data onto the data network;

a controller communicatively coupled to the analog to digital converter and the network communication module and operable route the first medical sensing data to the network communication module;

a power source operable to provide power to the first medical sensing device, the controller, and the network communication module;

a hub including the controller and the network communication module;

a first patient interface module (PIM) communicatively coupled to the hub and the first medical sensing device, the first PIM including the analog to digital converter;

a second medical sensing device operable to collect second medical data associated with a second modality different from the first modality; and

a second PIM communicatively coupled to the hub and operable to receive the second medical data from the second medical sensing device and transmit the second medical data to the hub, the second PIM further operable to route power from the power source to the second medical sensing device.

15. The patient communication system of claim 14, wherein the first PIM is operable to receive the first medical data from the first medical sensing device and transmit the first medical data to the hub, the first PIM being further operable to route power from the power source to the first medical sensing device.

16. The patient communication system of claim 15, wherein the power source is operable to dynamically provide a first amount of power to the first PIM based upon a power requirement of the first medical sensing device and dynamically provide a second amount of power to the second PIM based upon a power requirement of the second medical sensing device, the first amount of power being different from the second amount of power.

17. The patient communication system of claim 14, wherein the controller is operable to process the first medical data using a first processing application associated with the first modality to produce first processed medical data and is operable to process the second medical data using a second processing application associated with the second modality to produce second processed medical data.

18. The patient communication system of claim 14, wherein the controller is operable to process the first and second medical data using a co-registration processing application to produce co-registered medical data.

19. The patient communication system of claim 14, wherein the power source is operable to dynamically provide an amount of power to the first medical sensing device, the amount of power being based upon power requirements of the first medical sensing device.

20. The patient communication system of claim 14,

including a graphics controller communicatively coupled to the controller;

wherein the controller is operable to process the first medical data using a processing application associated with the first modality to produce first processed medical data; and

wherein the graphics controller is operable to drive the first processed medical data to a display.

21. The patient communication system of claim 20, wherein the processing application is one of a plurality of processing applications executable by the controller, the plurality of processing applications including processing applications associated with modalities different from the first modality.

22. The patient communication system of claim 14, wherein the first medical sensing device includes at least one of a catheter or a guide wire.

23. The patient communication system of claim 22, wherein the first medical sensing device includes a sensor configured for at least one of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging, optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging, a fractional flow reserve (FFR) determination, forward looking IVUS (FLIVUS) imaging, and intravascular photoacoustic (IVPA) imaging.

24. The patient communication system of claim 14, wherein the network communication module is wirelessly communicatively coupled to the first medical sensing device.

25. The patient communication system of claim 14, wherein the network communication module wirelessly communicatively coupled to the data network.

26. The patient communication system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the analog to digital converter, the network communication module, the controller, or the power source are operable to interface with the second medical sensing device associated with the second modality to facilitate a multi-modality medical sensing procedure associated with both the first modality and the second modality.