Wearable ECG Device with Call Button for Remote Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current external medical devices for monitoring and treating cardiac arrhythmias lack effective communication capabilities to remotely connect patients with healthcare professionals, particularly in emergency situations, leading to potential delays in receiving necessary medical assistance.
Innovation Solution
A wearable medical device equipped with monitoring circuitry and communication circuitry that initiates audio and/or video communication links with remote locations based on patient data, allowing for real-time communication and data transmission to facilitate immediate medical intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If external medical devices are equipped with communication circuitry to initiate audio and/or video communication links with remote locations, then the ability to communicate with healthcare professionals is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The communication circuitry is integrated into the external medical device to perform multiple functions: initiating audio communication links, initiating video communication links, and transmitting patient data. This multi-functionality approach allows a single communication module to handle various communication needs, improving reliability while managing complexity through consolidation rather than adding separate dedicated systems for each function.
2Loss of time
If the device initiates communication links automatically based on patient data, then the response time to medical emergencies is improved, but the extent of automation increases which may raise operational complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The device continuously monitors patient data in advance and automatically initiates communication links when predefined critical conditions are detected. This preliminary monitoring and automatic triggering mechanism ensures that help is summoned immediately when needed, reducing response time while the automation is managed through pre-programmed decision logic rather than complex real-time processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors patient data and uses this feedback to automatically determine when to initiate communication links. The feedback loop compares real-time patient measurements against threshold values, and when thresholds are exceeded, the system automatically triggers communication. This feedback-based automation simplifies the control logic while maintaining rapid response capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A wearable medical device includes an electrode assembly having a plurality of ECG sensing electrodes configured to monitor a cardiac condition of a patient using the device, a call button to initiate a call with a remote location and a transceiver configured to communicate information to and from the wearable medical device. The device includes a memory and a controller having at least one processor configured to execute instructions stored in the memory. The instructions include receiving, via actuation of the call button, a request to initiate a communication link with the remote location, providing, via a user interface, a confirmatory prompt that the patient indicate confirmation to proceed with the request to initiate the communication link with the remote location, and initiating, via the transceiver, the communication link to the remote location responsive to the indication of the confirmation to proceed with the request to initiate the communication link.