Remote access for ambulatory medical device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10426342-B2
Application number	US-201715475282-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2017
Priority date	Mar 31, 2016
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

An ambulatory medical device includes a sensor configured to acquire a signal indicative of a physiological condition of a patient, a controller operatively coupled to the sensor and configured to monitor the physiological signal, and to perform a diagnostic test, and a remote access manager operatively coupled to the controller and configured to monitor for a command from a remote system to perform the diagnostic test, and to cause the controller to perform the diagnostic test in response to the command. In the device, the remote access manager may be further configured to transmit data representing an operational status of the ambulatory medical device to the remote system. The operational status of the controller may result from performing the diagnostic test. The remote access manager may be further configured to send the data representing the operational status of the ambulatory medical device in real time or substantially in real time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An external ambulatory medical device comprising:
an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor configured
to couple to a skin of a patient, and
to monitor an ECG signal of the patient over an extended period of time;

a controller operatively coupled to the ECG sensor and configured to monitor the ECG signal over the extended period of time;
at least one therapy electrode operatively coupled to the controller and configured to deliver at least one therapeutic defibrillating shock to the patient; and
a remote access manager operatively coupled to the controller and configured
to monitor for a command to communicate with a remote system,
to establish a communication session with the remote system in response to the command for communication between the external ambulatory medical device and the remote system in real time or substantially in real time, and
to cause the controller to reconfigure one or more response buttons of the controller to perform a different operational function in response to detecting an anomalous condition of the one or more response buttons based on information received via the communication session.

2. The external ambulatory medical device of claim 1 , further comprising a user interface operatively coupled to the controller, wherein the remote access manager is configured to allow a remote technician to guide the patient through one or more steps relating to the external ambulatory medical device via the user interface.

3. The external ambulatory medical device of claim 1 , wherein the remote access manager is configured to provide at least one of device configuration and diagnostic test results to a remote technician over the communication session.

4. The external ambulatory medical device of claim 1 , wherein the remote access manager is further configured to cause the controller to re-configure a component of the external ambulatory medical device in response to detecting an anomalous condition of the component.

5. An external ambulatory medical device comprising:
an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor configured
to couple to a skin of a patient, and
to monitor an ECG signal of the patient over an extended period of time;

a user interface comprising a first user input element and a second user input element, the first user input element configured to control a first operational function of the external ambulatory medical device, the second user input element configured to control a second operational function of the external ambulatory medical device;
a controller operatively coupled to the ECG sensor and to the user interface, the controller configured
to monitor the ECG signal over the extended period of time, and
to reconfigure the user interface to cause the first user input element to control the second operational function instead of the first operational function;

at least one therapy electrode operatively coupled to the controller and configured to deliver at least one therapeutic defibrillating shock to the patient; and
a remote access manager operatively coupled to the controller and configured
to monitor for a command to communicate with a remote system, and
to establish a communication session with the remote system in response to the command for communication between the external ambulatory medical device and the remote system in real time or substantially in real time.

6. The external ambulatory medical device of claim 5 , wherein the remote access manager is further configured to cause the controller to reconfigure one or more response buttons of the controller based on information received via the communication session.

7. An external ambulatory medical device comprising:
an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor configured
to couple to a skin of a patient, and
to monitor an ECG signal of the patient over an extended period of time;

a controller operatively coupled to the ECG sensor and configured to monitor the ECG signal over the extended period of time;
at least one therapy electrode operatively coupled to the controller and configured to deliver at least one therapeutic defibrillating shock to the patient;
a user interface;
a data communications interface configured to establish a communication session with a remote computing device; and
a remote access manager operatively coupled to the controller and configured
to monitor for a command from a remote computing device to establish the communication session between the external ambulatory medical device and the remote computing device,
to cause the data communications interface to initiate the communication session in response to the command from the remote computing device,
to receive from the remote computing device at least one of a request to control a component of the external ambulatory medical device and a request to receive an operational status of the external ambulatory medical device via the communication session,
to receive, from the remote computing device via the communication session, at least one of an application and a plug-in component configured to be deployed in the controller of the external ambulatory medical device,
to cause the user interface to display an instruction indicative of the operational status of the external ambulatory medical device wherein the instruction comprises at least one of
discontinuing use of the external ambulatory medical device and contacting a remote technician where the operational status is critical operational status, and
continuing use of the external ambulatory medical device and contacting the remote technician where the operational status is non-critical operational status.

8. The external ambulatory medical device of claim 7 , wherein the remote access manager is configured to allow the remote computing device to control a message displayed via the user interface of the external ambulatory medical device.

9. The external ambulatory medical device of claim 7 , wherein the remote access manager is configured to provide, responsive to the request to receive the operational status of the external ambulatory medical device, at least one of device configuration and diagnostic test results to the remote computing device over the communication session.

10. The external ambulatory medical device of claim 7 , wherein the remote access manager is further configured to cause, responsive to the request to receive the operational status of the external ambulatory medical device, the controller to perform a diagnostic test.

11. The external ambulatory medical device of claim 7 , wherein the remote access manager is further configured to transmit, responsive to the request to receive the operational status of the external ambulatory medical device, data representing the operational status of the external ambulatory medical device to the remote computing device via the communication session.

12. The external ambulatory medical device of claim 7 , wherein the remote access manager is further configured to send data representing the operational status of the external ambulatory medical device to the remote computing device in real time or substantially in real time.

13. The external ambulatory medical device of claim 7 , wherein the user interface is configured to present the operational status of the external ambulatory medical device as a web page implementing a virtual user interface.

14. The external ambulatory medical device of claim 7 , further comprising a security manager operatively coupled to the controller and configured to limit an ability of the remote computing device to control the external ambulatory medical device.

15.

Assignees

• Zoll Medical Corp

Inventors

• Hresko Patrick
• Pavel Trisha A
• Mason Zachary D
• Volpe Shane S

Classifications

• G16H40/40

  for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades · CPC title

• G16H80/00

  ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring · CPC title

• G16H40/67

  for remote operation · CPC title

• G16H40/63

  for local operation · CPC title

• A61B5/145

  Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration or pH-value {; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid or cerebral tissue} (non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06) · CPC title