Remote Medical Device Interrogation via Bidirectional Server Link
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical device monitoring systems lack real-time remote programming and interrogation capabilities, relying on patient-initiated data transmission and review, which leads to delayed data access for clinicians, increased clinical labor costs, and potential liability due to transmission latency and lack of clinician control over data capture and review.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a medical device, a remote monitoring server, a patient remote device, and a healthcare professional remote device, enabling real-time bidirectional communication for continuous remote programming and interrogation, allowing clinicians to initiate and manage data transmission directly, reducing latency and optimizing clinic workflows.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If patient-triggered data transmission is used, then device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but data transmission latency increases and clinician control is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-establishes communication connections and prepares data transmission pathways in advance. The patient device maintains a ready-state connection to the service centre, and the service centre pre-configures reception channels, so that when data needs to be transmitted, the pathway is already prepared, eliminating setup delays and reducing overall transmission latency.
Solution Approach 2:
The service centre acts as an intermediary between the patient device and the clinician. It receives data from the patient device, processes and stores it, and makes it available to the clinician through a web interface. This intermediary architecture allows asynchronous data flow, enabling the patient device to transmit data independently without waiting for clinician availability, thus reducing transmission latency while maintaining ease of operation.
2Device complexity
If patient-triggered data transmission is used, then device complexity is reduced, but clinician control over data capture and review is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the service centre sends notifications to both the patient device and the clinician about data transmission status. The clinician receives alerts when new data is available for review, and the patient device receives commands from the service centre to initiate or adjust data transmission. This feedback loop restores clinician control without requiring complex direct device-clinician communication infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The service centre serves as a controlling intermediary that manages the data flow between the patient device and the clinician. It can trigger data transmissions, regulate transmission timing, and control access to the data through its web interface. This intermediary approach maintains simple patient device architecture while centralizing control functions at the service centre, preserving clinician authority over data capture and review processes.
3Speed
If real-time continuous communication connections are established, then data transmission speed is improved and latency is reduced, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of maintaining continuously active communication channels, the system uses periodic connection establishment and maintenance. Communication connections are activated only when needed for data transmission or interrogation, then entered into low-power states. The service centre and patient device periodically re-establish connections as needed, achieving real-time data access when required while minimizing energy consumption during idle periods through duty-cycled communication.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes at least one medical device, a remote monitoring server (RMS), at least one patient remote device (PR) and at least one health care professional (HCP) remote device (CP). The system is configured such that one CP establishes a communication session connecting the one CP via the RMS and the PR with the chosen medical device by establishing a first bidirectional communication connection of the one CP and the RMS, triggering the RMS to establish a second bidirectional communication connection of the RMS and the PR corresponding to the chosen medical device and to establish a third bidirectional communication connection of the PR and the chosen medical device. The system is configured to provide real-time remote programming and/or interrogation of the chosen medical device using the one CP via the RMS and the corresponding PR, and to maintain continuous communication connections.