WO2002011614A2

WO2002011614A2 - Life saving case for remote diagnosis and treatment

Info

Publication number: WO2002011614A2
Application number: PCT/IT2001/000431
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paolo Colianni; Paolo Tirrito
Original assignee: Gruppo Irat S.R.L.
Priority date: 2000-08-07
Filing date: 2001-08-06
Publication date: 2002-02-14
Also published as: ITEN20000003U1; AU2002229139A1; WO2002011614A3; ITEN20000003V0

Abstract

The prior state of the art allowed the transfer of only one parameter data from a single instrument to a proper unifunctional center. The special innovation of the life saving case consists of the simultaneous transmission to a polyfunctional center of a plurality of data detected through different instruments partially available and partially designed by the IRAT group, through modem, telephone line, radiofrequency, satellite GSM. The core of the system is the Home Care peripheral unit comprising an electronic card with microprocessor and a special adapter for connection to electromedical instruments of both digital and analog type, whose data reach the Home Center unit provided with a special software. The unit is assembled in an ergonomic case, Home Care for home assistance and Travel care either for travelling users or protected and/or difficult areas.

Description

"LIFE SAVING CASE FOR REMOTE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT" The proposed utility model referred to as life saving case for remote diagnosis and treatment is produced in two versions: 1. Home Care case for assistance at home; 2. Travel Care for virtual hospital ward, travelling or protected people or disadvantaged areas (islands, mountains and the like). The system consists of two parts, namely one or more peripherals hereinafter called Home Care and a central unit hereinafter called Home Center. The object of this system is to collect a number of tests of clinical-medical nature carried out at the patient's site (chronic invalids, elderly people at rest homes, travelling people such as crews, passengers of trains, ships, aircrafts and the like) and to transfer the collected data via modem connected directly or through Internet, to a receiving center watched by a specialized medical staff, for remote patient monitoring (virtual ward) and medical emergency assistance. The peripherals are available in the Home Care version as above mentioned at point 1 and the Travel Care version as at point 2. The peripheral unit and the instruments for taking the various clinical parameters are arranged in a proper ergonomic case. The data are transferred by modem GSM or virtual PSTN plug effected by GSM cellular phone. The system is ready to manage also images so as to allow a video connection of good quality in addition to the audio and data channel.

The Home Care peripheral unit comprises an electronic card with microprocessor arranged in a plastic container. This peripheral unit is adapted to be interfaced with electromedical apparatuses so as to pick up the data relating to the effected measurements and to transfer said data to the central unit. The essential features of the unit comprise: a serial interface RS 232-c for connection to HF-VHF-UHF transceivers, the selection of the communication carrier being effected with priority and availability criteria; an interface to a special adapter for connection with electromedical instruments either of analog type (ECG and spirometers with MF transmission - load cells) or digital kind (ECG with numerical transmission, glicemy meter, pressure meter, legal parameter meters with haematological tests. The Home Care peripheral unit is provided with a proper audio interface allowing the voice communication between peripheral unit and receiving center through headphone or speaker. The adapter allows also to input through a keyboard the measurements for instance of body temperature and/or weight, amount of drainage fluids and so forth. The connection with the center may be established by call either from the center or the peripheral unit. The Home Center unit comprises a personal computer (PC), a modem, a printer. It is also possible to have a PC network. The specially developed software allows: acquisition of data sent by the peripheral units; management of the individual clinical files of the treated persons; display on monitor and paper of the ECG, spirometer and like graphs; statistic data management (patterns of the measured values), a) The prior state of the art allowed to transfer only one physiopathologic data from the remote equipment to the central unit. The individual trasmitted signals concerned ECG, spirometry, X-ray and so forth. The prior art thus allowed a single remote consultation limited to the registration of one parameter only and did not allow entry to a single center and from a single transmission point of a plurality of parametric data. b) The present system of remote diagnosis and treatment on the contrary allows contemporaneous measurement and transmission to a single center from a single transmission unit of several clinical parameters such as ECG, spirometry, arterial pressure, glycemy, oximetry, body temperature, measurement of physiologic and drainage fluids, some blood tests, urine tests. Remote measurements of body temperature and drainage fluids were unknown up to now. The system attains the object to effect remote monitoring of any patient both at home and when travelling, so as to carry out a true virtual hospital ward.

The life saving case system is produced in two variants:

1. Home Care for treatment at home: it comprises electromedical equipments either custom made according to the patient's needs or a basic kit to be used by home assistance operators.

2. Travel Care for travelling persons, protected people, difficult areas (mountains, islands, ships and so on). The difference from the first version is a broader range of instruments, supplemented with a semiautomatic defibrillator with black box for registering the treated information and a virtual telephone jack for automatic selection of communication carriers: telephone line, radiofrequence, satellite GSM. Both systems allow an interactive operation between center and remote post and are of easy transport, handling and easiness of use. c) The remote diagnosis and treatment system was already tested for the program "Domicile treatment of chronic patient with the aid of telecommunication equipment" ( Virtual Ward) at the hospital Ferro Capra Branciforte di Leonforte financed by ASL (Local Health Enterprise) No. 4 of Enna. The results of this experiment relating to 15 patients affected by 5 different pathologies for a term of 6 months, were published in a proper final report. On the basis of this first experiment, the Ministry of Health financed a research program shared by many Italian regions, the CNR ( National Research Council), ISS, the Tribunal for the Rights of the ill people, FMMNG as well as the IRAT group.

Claims

1 ) Ergonomic kit assembly easy to be used and carried comprising existing and novel electromedical instruments.

2) Load cell meter for measuring drainage fluids and telecommunication thermometers for measuring body temperature.

3) Home Care peripheral unit adapted to transmit at the same time and with different communication carriers to a single operative center.

4) Home Center unit adapted to receive at the same time a plurality of physiopatologic parameter data sent by a single Home Center transmitter.