DEFIBRILLATOR NETWORK SYSTEM

• US 20160175602A1
• Filed: 03/01/2016
• Published: 06/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Physio-Control Incorporated (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Physio-Control Incorporated (Stryker Corporation)
• Inventors: Aoyama, David Dean, Bielstein, Matthew Lawrence, Curtin, Barry D., Drew, Kevin C., Lim, Mina, McKay, E. Thomas, Merry, Randy L., Peterson, Ken
• Granted Patent: US 9,872,998 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3925 Monitoring; Protecting
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3937 Monitoring output parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3968 Constructional arrangements, e.g. casings A61N1/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3975 Power supply A61N1/378 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3987 characterised by the timing or triggering of the shock
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3993 User interfaces for automatic external defibrillators
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2270/041 Controlled or regulated
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing or adjusting assemblages of electric components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 dummy group
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A defibrillator system optimizes the timing and manner of applying a defibrillator charge to a patient based upon data provided to the defibrillator from a utility module or one or more external devices. A parameter module on the utility module provides the defibrillator with patient parameter information. Devices external to the utility module may provide the utility module with coaching data that the utility module may pass through to the defibrillator as a proxy to the external devices. The utility module may also provide external devices with patient data that the utility module may pass through to the external devices as a proxy to the defibrillator on a scheduled or other basis. The utility module may additionally provide a reserve of power to enable defibrillators to be used where power is unavailable and to enable defibrillators to deliver multiple charges more readily anywhere, anytime.

Claims

1. A utility module external to a patient, and having no independent defibrillation capability, for enhancing functionality of a separate, external defibrillator including an energy storage device for storing a defibrillation charge and a defibrillator processor, the utility module comprising:

a communication module configured to transmit data from the utility module; and

a module processor configured to control the communication module;

the module processor configured to execute an instance of an event service that provides data communications between the utility module and an external device having no independent defibrillation capability, via a server, the module processor further configured to control data communications between the utility module and the defibrillator.

2. The utility module of claim 1 in combination with a defibrillator comprising:

an energy storage device configured to store a defibrillation charge;

a defibrillation port;

a display;

a defibrillator processor configured to control the display and when the defibrillation charge is applied to the defibrillation port for defibrillating a patient; and

a defibrillator data connect port configured to engage a data outlet of the utility module.

3. The utility module of claim 1, wherein the utility module is selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, a laptop computer, a tablet and a mobile computing device.

4. The utility module of claim 1, wherein the utility module comprises a tablet computer suitable for rendering data of the patient from the defibrillator on a display of the tablet.

5. The utility module of claim 1 wherein the event service that provides data communications from the utility module is further configured to pull data from and transmit data to the defibrillator.

6. The utility module of claim 5 wherein the utility module polls the defibrillator to determine the existence of data residing in the defibrillator and prompts a user of the defibrillator on the existence of the data by a rendering of information on a display of the defibrillator.

7. The utility module of claim 1 wherein the event service that provides data communications from the utility module is configured to reside on the utility module.

8. The utility module of claim 1 wherein the event service that provides data communications from the utility module is configured to reside on the utility module as a client.

9. The utility module of claim 1 wherein the event service provides data communications to the external device of data from the defibrillator that occurs substantially at a predetermined period of time.

10. The utility module of claim 9 wherein the period of time is configurable by one of the defibrillator, the utility module, the external device, a user, a medical director or an asset manager.

11. The utility module of claim 1, wherein the event service is configured to periodically poll the defibrillator to determine the existence of data residing in the defibrillator, select a type of data for the defibrillator to transmit, and command transmitting of the selected data to the utility module.

12. The utility module of claim 11, wherein the periodic polling of the defibrillator provides a scheduled downloading of data for storage in the utility module.

13. The utility module of claim 11 wherein the periodic polling of the defibrillator provides a scheduled downloading of data from the defibrillator for pass-through to the external device through the utility module acting as proxy for the external device.

14. The utility module of claim 13 wherein the external device that receives the data from the defibrillator is a server.

15. A utility module external to a patient, and having no independent defibrillation capability, for enhancing the coaching by one or more external devices having no independent defibrillation capability of a user of a separate external defibrillator including an energy storage device for storing a defibrillation charge and a defibrillator processor, the utility module comprising:

a communication module configured to;

transmit data received from the separate defibrillator to the one or more external devices without communicating through the defibrillator; and

to

transmit data received from the one or more external devices to the defibrillator; and

a module processor configured to control the communication module,

the module processor configured to execute an instance of an event service that controls the data transmissions from the utility module to the one or more external devices and to the defibrillator.

16. The utility module of claim 15 wherein the one or more external devices is a computer selected from the group consisting of a server, a personal computer, a tablet, a mobile computing device, a video device, an ultrasound device, and a printer.

17. The utility module of claim 16 wherein the data transmissions from the utility module to the one or more external devices and to the defibrillator is via a server.

18. The utility module of claim 15:

wherein the event service is configured to periodically poll the defibrillator to determine the existence of data residing in the defibrillator, select a type of data for the defibrillator to transmit, and command transmitting of the selected data to the utility module.

19. The utility module of claim 15, wherein the utility module comprises a tablet computer suitable for rendering data of the patient from the defibrillator on a display of the tablet.

20. A method for enhancing a defibrillation process involving a defibrillator involving an external defibrillator including an energy storage device configured to store a defibrillation charge and a defibrillator processor, the method comprising:

polling the defibrillator from a utility module that is external to a patient, separate from the defibrillator, the utility module having no independent defibrillation capability, the utility module including a module processor separate from the defibrillator processor, to determine the existence of data residing in the defibrillator;

selecting a type of data for the defibrillator to transmit, the data including at least patient data;

commanding transmission of the selected data to the utility module for use in enhancing the defibrillation process; and

transmitting the selected data from the utility module to one or more external devices via a server, the one or more external devices having no independent defibrillation capability.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein:

transmitting the selected data comprises transmitting the selected data to one or more external devices for use by the one or more external devices in coaching a user of the defibrillator.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein:

transmitting the selected data comprises transmitting the selected data to one or more external devices for use by the one or more external devices in a post-defibrillation treatment.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of:

transmitting the selected data comprises transmitting the selected data to one or more external devices for use by the one or more external devices in asset management.

24. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

scheduling the step of polling to occur at a predetermined period of time.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the type of data also includes one or more of patient episode data, patient waveform data, patient vital sign data, incident information, therapy attempted, CPR performance, test interface commands, data transfer status, device self-test data, device self-test status, device status, utility module status, power status of the defibrillator, power status of the utility module, and defibrillator settings.