Remote ultrasound assessment and intervention system

Abstract

A remote ultrasound assessment and intervention system comprises a console having a controller for an ultrasound imaging device attachable to a human skin surface or implantable in a human body cavity. Commands from a remote work station located, for example, at a hospital may remotely control a transducer of the device to move in x, y, z, rotate and tilt directions to remotely assess an injury to a victim, for example, of a war zone injury or terrorist attack. A first responder, who need not be medically trained, may be instructed via a communications link or via a predetermined controller program stored in computer memory to move the imaging device from one location to another on the human skin surface or in a human body cavity. Intervention is also remotely controlled, once an injury is assessed and diagnosed from the hospital work station via an image guided catheter manipulated by the first responder via commands received from the hospital work station.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 847,902, filed Mar. 20, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 871,282, filed Oct. 12, 2007 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,403,859, issued Mar. 26, 2013) and a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 782,991, filed Jul. 25, 2007 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,403,858, issued Mar. 26, 2013), both of which patent applications claiming priority to provisional U.S. Application Ser. No. 60 / 851,451 filed Oct. 12, 2006, and this application further claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61 / 692,443, filed Aug. 23, 2012, entitled Remote Assessment System, all applications of the same inventor, the entire disclosures of which applications are hereby incorporated by reference into the present application.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates to the technical field of remote assessment and intervention systems and, more p...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent is about a new ultrasound imaging device that can be attached to a patient and controlled by remote medical personnel. The device is small and can move in different directions, making it easy to image different parts of the patient's body. The console screen can explain how to use the device and the position of the attachment points on the patient. Overall, this technology makes ultrasound more accessible and versatile, potentially improving patient care.

Problems solved by technology

Telemedicine is generally known to provide such care and treatment from, for example, a hospital to a remote field site but is limited in its abilities to permit remote control of diagnostic and assessment equipment from the hospital to assess an internal injury or disease.

Whenever a patient is found unconscious, it is practically impossible to diagnose and alleviate a condition without the instructive advice of the patient.

The internal injuries or diseases described above may have no visible symptoms and so may be incapable of assessment or diagnosis without some form of internal imaging and / or expression of pain location from a communicative patient.

Certainly, such a system is easily implemented in a hospital setting but is more difficult to achieve at a remote military location or scene of a terrorist attack.

Some factors such as trained medical personnel on site in the field and at a location of a military or terrorist incident cannot be easily addressed and will remain a challenge for the foreseeable future.

While medical personnel may accompany a military unit going into a battle or be located at a dangerous remote site such as a mountainous region of Afghanistan, such medical personnel may not be readily available at the actual field site of a medical emergency or at the site of a terrorist attack, such as at the bombing attack that occurred at the Boston marathon in the fall of 2012 or at a roadside or military check point bomb attack.

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