Medical Device Backup Controller Data Synchronization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Medical device controllers often fail to maintain continuity of treatment when a backup controller is activated, as they may lack updated information stored in the primary controller's memory, leading to potential disruptions in critical medical devices like VADs or insulin pumps.
Innovation Solution
A medical device system where active and passive controllers communicate directly to update information in passive controllers, ensuring that all controllers have the same data, including operational and patient parameters, thereby minimizing disruptions during controller swaps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a backup controller is used to maintain continuity of treatment, then treatment continuity is improved, but information consistency between controllers deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically updating backup controllers with current operational data and patient information before a failure occurs. The active controller continuously synchronizes data to backup controllers, ensuring that when a switch is needed, the backup controller already contains all necessary information to maintain treatment continuity without interruption.
2Measurement precision
If controller updates are performed manually by clinicians, then information accuracy is improved, but time loss and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements continuous automatic data synchronization from the active controller to backup controllers, eliminating the need for manual clinician intervention. This continuous updating process ensures information accuracy is maintained without requiring periodic manual updates, thereby eliminating time loss and reducing operational complexity while preserving data integrity.
3Device complexity
If manual updates are required for backup controllers, then device complexity is reduced, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service functionality where the active controller automatically performs data synchronization and backup operations without requiring manual intervention. The controller switching process is designed to be intuitive and automatic, allowing users to switch between controllers without needing to manually transfer or verify data, thereby improving ease of operation while maintaining manageable system complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A medical device system (10) includes a medical device (20) configured to be carried by a patient and a plurality of controllers (30, 40) capable of controlling operation of the medical device. Each controller has an active state in which the controller is in communication with, and controls the operation of, the medical device, and a passive state in which the controller is not controlling operation of the medical device. At any given time only one of the plurality of controllers will be in the active state and a remainder of the plurality of controllers will be in the passive state. The active controller (30) may be configured to continually communicate with the remainder of passive controllers (40), without using the medical device as an intermediary, to update the information stored in the memories of the passive controllers to match the information in the memory of the active controller.