General-purpose medical instrumentation

• US 20020151771A1
• Filed: 04/18/2002
• Published: 10/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medcom Network Systems, LLC (Equitable IP Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Charles J. Jacobus, Derek Smith, Glenn Leprell, Jeff Hartnagle, Jeffrey C. Braun, Michael Suarez, Scott Booth
• Inventors: Smith, Derek, Jacobus, Charles J., Suarez, Michael, Braun, Jeffrey C., Hartnagle, Jeff, Leprell, Glenn, Booth, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 6,875,174 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/04 Constructional details of apparatus
• 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 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/903 Radio telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/904 Telephone telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 Computer assisted medical diagnostics

Abstract

A general-purpose, low-cost system provides comprehensive physiological data collection, with extensive data object oriented programmability and configurability for a variety of medical as well as other analog data collection applications. In a preferred embodiment, programmable input signal acquisition and processing circuits are used so that virtually any analog and/or medical signal can be digitized from a common point of contact to a plurality of sensors. A general-purpose data routing and encapsulation architecture supports input tagging and standardized routing through modern packet switch networks, including the Internet; from one of multiple points of origin or patients, to one or multiple points of data analysis for physician review. The preferred architecture further supports multiple-site data buffering for redundancy and reliability, and real-time data collection, routing, and viewing (or slower than real-time processes when communications infrastructure is slower than the data collection rate). Routing and viewing stations allow for the insertion of automated analysis routines to aid in data encoding, analysis, viewing, and diagnosis.

Claims

1. General-purpose medical instrumentation, comprising:

a programmed control unit;

a plurality of plug-in digital modules in communication with the control unit, the digital modules at least including an analog-to-digital converter module and a module associated with network interoperability;

a plurality of plug-in analog circuits in communication with the control unit;

a plurality of medical sensors, each sensor being interfaced to one of the plug-in analog circuits; and

wherein the control unit is programmed to facilitate general-purpose data routing and encapsulation from each sensor to one or more points of data analysis through the module associated with network interoperability.

2. The medical instrumentation of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further operatively programmed to time and source tag the-data received from a particular sensor.

3. The medical instrumentation of claim 1, wherein the data received from a particular sensor is packetized and self-descriptive.

4. The medical instrumentation of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plug-in analog circuits further includes an optically isolated interface to both the control unit and to the sensor connected thereto.

5. The medical instrumentation of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plug-in analog circuits includes an amplifier having a gain which is programmable over several orders of magnitude, enabling the circuit to be used for the sensing of both low- and high-level medically related signals.