System and method for managing locally-initiated medical device interrogation

• US 7,801,612 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2006
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Srivathsa, Muralidharan, Somberg, Benjamin L., Johnson, David C., Simms, Howard D., Hoyme, Kenneth P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno; Carl H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bays; Pamela M
• Application Number:
  US11/447,523
• Publication Number:
  US 20070282634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,569 Days
• Field of Search: 128/903, 607/27, 607/32, 607/59, 607/60, 600/301, 705/2, 705/3
• US Class Current: 607/32
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/70 for mining of medical data, e.g. analysing previous cases of other patients

Abstract

A system and method for managing locally-initiated medical device interrogation is presented. A noncontinuously coupleable interface is provided over which to retrieve patient data recorded and transiently staged by a medical device monitoring physiological measures of a patient. The patient data is periodically retrieved by interfacing to and interrogating the medical device per a pre-defined schedule defining autonomous patient data retrieval frequency. Further retrieval of the patient data is permitted independent of the pre-defined schedule by enabling operation of the interface based on a remotely-specifiable criteria for controlling locally-initiated patient data retrieval.

Claims

1. A system for managing locally-initiated medical device interrogation, comprising:

a noncontinuously coupleable interface over which to retrieve patient data recorded and transiently staged by a medical device monitoring physiological measures of a patient; and

a collector, configured to;

periodically retrieve the patient data by interfacing to and interrogating the medical device per a pre-defined schedule defining autonomous patient data retrieval frequency; and

permit patient-initiated patient data retrieval independent of the pre-defined schedule;

wherein the system is configured to;

store remotely-specifiable criteria specified by a caregiver;

control patient-initiated patient data retrieval in accordance with the criteria; and

receive modifications to the remotely-specifiable criteria in response to an attempted further retrieval of the patient data.

2. A system according to claim 1, further comprising one of:

a disablement control to disable the interface operation by limiting a number of times that the interface operation is enabled indefinitely or over a fixed period of time.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein a manual override of the interface operation disabling is allowed.

4. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a notifier to track attempts at patient-initiated patient data retrieval excluded by the remotely-specifiable criteria.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the pre-defined schedule is provided from at least one of an external source and a default local parameter set.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the remotely-specifiable criteria is modified on at least one of:

a one-time basis and periodically.

7. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage manager to provide the retrieved patient data to an external repository on a regular basis.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein modifications to the remotely-specifiable criteria are received contemporaneous to the retrieved patient data.

9. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a notifier to display a message to the patient in response to an attempt at patient-initiated patient data retrieval that has been excluded by the remotely-specifiable criteria.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein the medical device comprises an implantable medical device.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein the patient data is retrieved from the medical device through interfacing selected from the group consisting of:

inductive telemetry, radio frequency telemetry, optical telemetry, and physical connectivity.

12. A method for managing locally-initiated medical device interrogation, comprising:

providing a noncontinuously coupleable interface over which to retrieve patient data recorded and transiently staged by a medical device monitoring physiological measures of a patient;

periodically retrieving the patient data by interfacing to and interrogating the medical device per a pre-defined schedule defining autonomous patient data retrieval frequency;

controlling patient-initiated patient data retrieval independent of the pre-defined schedule based on a remotely-specifiable criteria specified by a caregiver; and

receiving modifications to the remotely-specifiable criteria in response to an attempted further retrieval of the patient data.

13. A method according to claim 12, further comprising one of:

disabling the interface operation; and

limiting a number of times that the interface operation is enabled indefinitely or over a fixed period of time.

14. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

allowing a manual override of the interface operation disabling.

15. A method according to claim 12, further comprising:

tracking attempts at patient-initiated patient data retrieval excluded by the remotely-specifiable criteria.

16. A method according to claim 12, further comprising:

providing the pre-defined schedule from at least one of an external source and a default local parameter set.

17. A method according to claim 12, further comprising:

modifying the remotely-specifiable criteria on at least one of;

a one-time basis and periodically.

18. A method according to claim 12, further comprising:

providing the retrieved patient data to an external repository on a regular basis.

19. A method according to claim 18, further comprising:

receiving modifications to the remotely-specifiable criteria contemporaneous to the retrieved patient data.

20. A method according to claim 12, further comprising:

displaying a message to the patient in response to an attempt at patient-initiated patient data retrieval that has been excluded by the remotely-specifiable criteria.

21. The method according to claim 12 wherein the medical device comprises an implantable medical device.

22. A method according to claim 12, further comprising:

retrieving the patient data from the medical device through interfacing selected from the group consisting of;

inductive telemetry, radio frequency telemetry, optical telemetry, and physical connectivity.

23. A computer-readable storage medium holding code for performing the method according to claim 12.

24. An apparatus for managing locally-initiated medical device interrogation, comprising:

means for providing a noncontinuously coupleable interface over which to retrieve patient data recorded and transiently staged by a medical device monitoring physiological measures of a patient;

means for periodically retrieving the patient data by means for interfacing to and means for interrogating the medical device per a pre-defined schedule defining autonomous patient data retrieval frequency; and

means for controlling locally patient-initiated patient data retrieval independent of the pre-defined schedule based on a remotely-specifiable criteria specified by a caregiver; and

means to receive modifications to the remotely-specifiable criteria in response to an attempted further retrieval of the patient data.