Acute Health Event Alerts Using Location-Based Responder Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical devices struggle to quickly alert potential responders to acute health events such as cardiac arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, or stroke, leading to delayed treatment and increased mortality rates due to the time required for intervention.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising implantable and wearable medical devices that detect acute health events and transmit alerts to computing devices of potential responders within a determined alert area, utilizing processing circuitry to analyze physiological data, determine the patient's location, and send alerts to caregivers and nearby individuals via geofencing or cellular networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If medical devices detect acute health events and transmit alerts to remote monitoring systems, then the detection capability is improved, but the response time is delayed due to the time required for manual intervention and communication
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically determining the patient's location, defining an alert area, and proactively notifying potential responders before medical professionals are contacted. This preliminary notification system ensures that bystanders or nearby individuals are aware of the emergency and can immediately begin CPR or use an AED, reducing the overall response time while maintaining accurate detection capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary automated notification layer between the medical device detection and the final treatment administration. This intermediary system acts as a communication bridge that rapidly disseminates alert information to multiple potential responders simultaneously, eliminating the sequential delays of traditional manual notification methods while preserving the accuracy of the original medical device detection
2Productivity
If alerts are transmitted to emergency medical services and caregivers, then the treatment initiation is improved, but the time-to-treatment is increased due to the distance and response time of professional medical teams
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary treatment by enabling immediate bystander intervention through automated alerts. Potential responders are notified instantly and can begin life-saving measures such as CPR or AED use before professional medical teams arrive. This preliminary action significantly reduces the time-to-treatment while ensuring that professional medical support is still initiated through emergency services
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds a new dimension to the response network by expanding beyond the traditional single-point professional medical response to a multi-point distributed responder network. By geographically distributing alert notifications to multiple potential responders within the alert area, the system creates parallel response pathways that reduce overall response time while maintaining the coordination function of professional medical services
3Reliability
If the system notifies multiple potential responders within an alert area, then the probability of immediate intervention is improved, but the system complexity is increased due to location determination and alert area definition
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves multi-functionality by using a single location determination mechanism that simultaneously serves multiple purposes: identifying the patient's position, defining the alert area boundaries, and determining which potential responders should be notified. This universal location-based approach increases intervention probability through comprehensive coverage while avoiding the complexity of multiple separate determination systems
Solution Approach 2:
The system manages complexity by dynamically adjusting the alert area parameter based on the patient's location and the surrounding environment. Rather than using fixed complex geometric definitions, the system modifies the alert area radius or boundaries as a single parameter to optimize notification coverage. This parameter-based approach increases reliability by ensuring appropriate responder notification while keeping the system complexity manageable through straightforward parameter adjustment
Data Source
AI summary
A system comprising processing circuitry configured to receive a wirelessly-transmitted message from a medical device, the message indicating that the medical device detected an acute health event of the patient. In response to the message, the processing circuitry is configured to determine a location of the patient, determine an alert area based on the location of the patient, and control transmission of an alert of the acute heath event of the patient to any one or more computing devices of one or more potential responders within the alert area.