System for displaying and controlling medical monitoring data
A first medical device can acquire a physiological parameter value from a patient and communicate the physiological parameter value to a medical network interface. The medical network interface can link a patient ID associated with the physiological parameter and a device ID associated with the first medical device with the medical network interface's device ID. The medical network interface can pass the physiological parameter value to a second medical device for further processing or routing to another medical device.
1. A pulse oximetry system operable to measure a blood parameter of a patient and transmit the blood parameter together with third party medical device parameters to a remote device, the system comprising:
a patient monitor configured to measure the blood parameter of the patient by obtaining a signal from an optical sensor coupled to the patient, wherein the signal corresponds to light attenuated by body tissue of the patient;
a wireless dongle; and
a medical network interface, the patient monitor configured to communicate with the medical network interface which transmits the measured blood parameter and the third party medical device parameters from a third party medical device across a hospital network, the medical network interface comprising:
a plurality of ports, at least one of which is configured to receive the wireless dongle;
a network interface controller configured to implement a wireless communications stack;
a memory configured to store processor-executable instructions; and
a processor programmed to execute the instructions to:
supply the wireless dongle with information sufficient to enable the wireless dongle to provide wireless connectivity to the third party medical device;
wirelessly pair with the wireless dongle in response to receiving a signal from the third party medical device, which occurs in response to the wireless dongle being inserted into the third party medical device;
subsequent to the pairing, wirelessly receive a data stream from the wireless dongle, the data stream comprising an identifier of the third party medical device and the third party medical device parameters associated with the patient;
associate with the data stream, an identifier of the patient, an identifier of the medical network interface, and an identifier of the patient monitor to produce a modified data stream; and
transmit the modified data stream, the measured blood parameter, and the third party medical device parameters across a hospital network to enable the modified data stream and the measured blood parameter to be accessed by a clinician.
2. The pulse oximetry system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of ports comprise two or more of the following: a Universal Serial Bus port, an Ethernet port, or a serial port with patient isolation hardware.
3. The pulse oximetry system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further programmed to receive an optical scan of a patient wristband to thereby obtain the patient identifier.
4. The pulse oximetry system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further programmed to:
generate a permission key for pairing the third party medical device with the medical network interface;
communicate the permission key to the third party medical device;
receive a communication from the third party medical device having the permission key; and
establish a communication with the third party medical device in response to a determination that the permission key is authenticated.
5. The pulse oximetry system of claim 4 , wherein in response to the determination that the permission key is authenticated, the processor is further programmed to link the identifier of the patient and the identifier of the medical network interface to the identifier of the third party medical device.
6. The pulse oximetry system of claim 1 , wherein the wireless dongle or the medical network interface further comprises a display configured to indicate at least one of: a status of the medical network interface, a status of a first medical device, a status of a second medical device, or a status of a pairing between the first medical device and the second medical device.
7. The pulse oximetry system of claim 1 , wherein the wireless dongle or the medical network interface further comprises a light configured to indicate at least one of: a status of the medical network interface, a status of the first medical device, a status of the second medical device, a status of a pairing between the first medical device and the second medical device, or a power status associated with the dongle.
8. The pulse oximetry system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of ports comprise first ports of a first color and second ports of a second color.
9. The pulse oximetry system of claim 8 , wherein data received from the first ports is automatically associated with the identifier of the patient and wherein data received from the second ports is automatically associated with a second patient identifier of a second patient.
10. The pulse oximetry system of claim 1 , wherein the wireless dongle comprises two pieces with a first piece that stays connected to the medical network interface, and a second piece that disconnects from the first piece.
11. The pulse oximetry system of claim 10 , wherein the second piece connects in a corresponding first piece of a second dongle in the third party medical device, the third party medical device being a standalone medical device.
12. The pulse oximetry system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further programmed to:
access a first identifier for pairing the third party medical device with the medical network interface;
communicate the first identifier to the third party medical device;
receive a communication from the third party medical device having the first identifier; and
establish a communication with the third party medical device in response to a determination that the first identifier is authenticated.
13. The pulse oximetry system of claim 1 , wherein the medical network interface comprises a front side and a back side, and wherein the front side comprises an interface port configured to receive the wireless dongle.
14. The pulse oximetry system of claim 13 , wherein the wireless dongle is coupleable with a power cable, the power cable configured to provide power supply to the wireless dongle.
15. A method of transmitting standalone medical device parameters to a remote device, the method comprising:
detecting an insertion of a wireless dongle into a port of a medical network interface;
in response to said insertion,
supplying the wireless dongle with an identifier to enable the wireless dongle to communicate an identifier of a standalone medical device upon insertion of the wireless dongle into the standalone medical device;
subsequent to removal of the wireless dongle from the port of the medical network interface,
receiving, with a hardware processor, a signal from the standalone medical device to wirelessly pair the medical network interface with the dongle, the signal comprising the identifier previously supplied to the wireless dongle; and
subsequent to the pairing,
supplying one or both of a visual or audible indication that the pairing has been successful,
wirelessly receiving a data stream from the standalone medical device, the data stream comprising patient data associated with a patient, and
associating with the data stream, an identifier of the patient and an identifier of the medical network interface, to produce a modified data stream; and
transmitting the modified data stream across a hospital network to a server so as to enable distribution of the modified data stream to a plurality of devices from the server.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein said supplying comprises actuating a light.
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein said supplying comprises outputting information on a display, and wherein the information comprises the identifier of the standalone medical device.
18. The method of any of claim 15 , wherein said pairing is a modified Bluetooth pairing that does not require input of a pin or other number or password in either the medical network device or the standalone medical device.
19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising associating with the data stream an identifier of the standalone medical device.
20. The method of claim 15 , further comprising obtaining the patient identifier from an optical scan of a wrist bracelet on the patient.