Medical Alarm Control Device Coordinating Output via Time Periods
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Solution Overview
Problem
In clinical settings, medical devices often generate unnecessary alarm signals that can disturb patients and overtax clinical staff, as existing systems lack coordinated control over alarm outputs across multiple devices, leading to simultaneous and redundant alerts.
Innovation Solution
A control device with a data network interface and signaling interface that receives group messages indicating alarm states and time periods, allowing it to suppress or coordinate alarm signals based on user acknowledgment and time-specific settings, ensuring that alarms are only output during designated times and minimizing unnecessary alerts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If alarm signals are outputted simultaneously by multiple devices, then the alarming function is ensured, but unnecessary alarm signals are generated that disturb patients and overtax clinical staff
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple alarm output devices are merged into a coordinated system where a central control unit receives alarm requests from medical devices and distributes them to appropriate alarm outputs based on time periods and device assignments, ensuring that alarms are output in a coordinated manner rather than simultaneously by all devices
Solution Approach 2:
A central control unit acts as an intermediary between medical devices that generate alarm requests and the various alarm output devices. This intermediary coordinates the alarm distribution, determining which alarm output should receive the signal based on configured time periods and device assignments, thereby preventing unnecessary simultaneous alarms
2Object-generated harmful factors
If a central unit coordinates alarm signals across multiple devices, then redundant alarms are minimized, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit is designed with multi-functionality, serving as a central coordinator that can handle multiple alarm requests from different medical devices, manage multiple alarm output devices, store time period configurations, and make intelligent routing decisions, thereby reducing the need for separate coordination systems for each device pair
3Reliability
If alarm signals are sent to multiple receiving units, then the alarming coverage is improved, but the number of alarm signals overtaxes clinical staff
Solution Approach 1:
Different alarm output devices are assigned to different time periods and medical devices, creating local optimization where each alarm output is responsible for specific conditions. This ensures that alarms are distributed appropriately to maintain coverage while preventing any single staff member or location from being overwhelmed by redundant alarms
Data Source
AI summary
A control device, controlling an alarm output, includes a data network interface, with a signaling interface for outputting a control signal indicating a request for an acoustic and/or optical alarm signal a memory unit and a processor. The data network interface is configured to receive a group message indicating a sender identity and a presence of an alarm state. The memory unit provides a first data set, which indicates a list with potential sender identities, as well as further a second data set, which indicates one or more alarm output time periods. The processor is configured to operate a timekeeping function, and to output the control signal via the signaling interface as a function of an agreement between the sender identity with one of potential sender identities, and as a function of a comparison of a current value of the timekeeping function with data of the second data set.