Medical monitoring hub
Inventors
Kiani, Massi Joe E. • Muhsin, Bilal • Al-Ali, Ammar • Sampath, Anand • Housel, Peter Scott • Kinast, Eric Karl
Assignees
Publication Number
US-12329548-B2
Publication Date
2025-06-17
Expiration Date
2032-10-12
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Abstract
The present disclosure includes a medical monitoring hub as the center of monitoring for a monitored patient. The hub includes configurable medical ports and serial ports for communicating with other medical devices in the patient's proximity. Moreover, the hub communicates with a portable patient monitor. The monitor, when docked with the hub provides display graphics different from when undocked, the display graphics including anatomical information. The hub assembles the often vast amount of electronic medical data, associates it with the monitored patient, and in some embodiments, communicates the data to the patient's medical records.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to a medical monitoring hub designed to act as the central point for patient monitoring and treatment activities. The hub is equipped with configurable medical ports and serial ports enabling communication with various nearby medical devices, regardless of manufacturer or communication protocol. It further communicates with a portable patient monitor, with the ability to alter display graphics depending on whether the monitor is docked or undocked, including the presentation of anatomical information and measurement parameters.
A key problem addressed is the chaotic and fragmented environment in current patient monitoring settings, where multiple devices with non-unified controls, displays, and alarms often do not communicate with one another, complicating data management and caregiver workflows. The hub resolves this by assembling, integrating, and associating diverse electronic medical data with the specific patient. It is compatible with legacy devices without reprogramming, is expandable for future technologies without requiring software updates, and optionally provides patient electrical isolation.
The medical monitoring hub features universal medical connectors that can read device-specific configuration data from a cable memory, allowing the hub to interpret and display parameter data from connected devices. Configuration data can specify data types, display settings, alarm protocols, and communication requirements. This enables seamless association of all measurement data with a patient, integration into hospital electronic medical record systems, and dynamic adaptation to different device types without complex software changes.
Claims Coverage
The independent claims cover three inventive features related to the integration of medical data from multiple devices, the configurability of device connections through cable-stored information, and the association and output of patient data via an interactive user interface.
Integration and association of physiological parameter data from multiple devices
A system and method whereby a medical monitoring hub receives first physiological parameter data from a first medical device and second physiological parameter data from a second medical device, associates both with a designated patient, and outputs an indication of the patient with their measured parameters. The hub utilizes an interactive user interface to receive user input indicating the patient association, and can output the data to systems such as electronic medical records.
Receiving and using configuration data from cable memory to interpret device data
The medical monitoring hub receives configuration data specific to a connected medical device via a memory in the output cable. This configuration data may indicate data types (streaming, waveform, parameter), data ranges, speed, units, display colors, alarm parameters, computational algorithms, and device delay times. The hub uses this configuration data to adjust and interpret the physiological parameter data from the device.
Dynamic communication and processing requirements determined by configuration data
The hub uses configuration data to determine compression and encryption requirements for communications with the connected device, then establishes compressed or encrypted communications as needed. Configuration data may also include instruction sets, maps, images, or translation files generated by a schema and software developers' kit, ensuring the device data can be properly adjusted, interpreted, and managed by the hub.
Collectively, the inventive features enable a medical monitoring hub to act as a flexible integrator, associating multi-source physiological data with specific patients, dynamically interpreting device data via cable memory configuration, and ensuring secure and accurate communication and output of medical data.
Stated Advantages
Coordinates various medical devices and seamlessly associates all measurement and use data with a specific patient.
Interfaces with legacy devices without needing device or hub software upgrades or reprogramming.
Expands flexibly to support future technologies and new device types without requiring upgrades to existing systems.
Optional patient electrical isolation enhances patient safety without excessive complexity or cost.
Provides a unified, dynamic display and alarm system, reducing chaos and improving caregiver efficiency.
Automates patient-device association, reducing caregiver workload in data entry and management.
Enables direct integration with hospital electronic medical records and backend caregiver systems.
Uses configuration data in cables to simplify integration of new devices, avoiding software changes in devices or the hub.
Documented Applications
Centralized monitoring and display of diverse physiological parameters from multiple patient-attached or nearby medical devices.
Automated association of all medical device data with a specific patient and seamless integration into a hospital electronic medical record (EMR) system.
Dynamic and graphical display of physiological data and anatomical information, including user interface adaptation based on device state (e.g., docked or undocked).
Alarm management and notification by presenting alerts visually and/or audibly based on measured physiological parameters.
Guiding caregivers with animated graphical instructions for correct sensor or device attachment locations and procedures.
Facilitating compatibility and synchronized data acquisition from a broad range of monitoring equipment, including legacy and future medical devices.
Enabling closed-loop communication with treatment devices such as infusion pumps.
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