Granted Patent B2

US 12,712,072 · App. 18/170,435 · Granted Aug 18, 2026

Inventors: Joseph L. Sullivan (Kirkland, WA); Mark P. Moore (Redmond, WA); Steven E. Sjoquist (Lynnwood, WA); Leo J. Gilbert (Kirkland, WA); Hema A. Ingle (Woodinville, WA); Jonathan P. Niegowski (Issaquah, WA); Zoie R. Brent (Portland, OR)

Assignee: West Affum Holdings DAC

G16H40/40A61N1/3925G06Q30/016

Abstract

Claims (83)

1 . A method for resolving an operational problem of a medical device to treat a medical condition of a patient, the method comprising:

receiving signals, if available, from a sensor associated with the medical device;

assessing the signals in response to signals being available and determining that no signals are received in response to signals not being available, to detect an operational problem of the medical device that causes the medical device to operate below a standard operating level to administer a shock treatment for a cardiovascular medical condition of the patient;

in response to detecting the operational problem, initiating a troubleshooting session, in which a series of different individual user troubleshooting prompts is generated configured for the patient and specifying actions for the patient to perform to resolve the detected operational problem, the troubleshooting session, including:

assessing patient specific data to determine one or more patient specific factors that impact the patient in receiving or responding to the user troubleshooting prompts, including at least one of: a current patient activity other than the patient responding to the user prompts, a patient temperament, and a patient trait;

selecting an initial user troubleshooting prompt based, at least in part, on the one or more patient specific factors;

outputting the initial user troubleshooting prompt to the patient;

selecting a next user troubleshooting prompt that has different wording than the initial user troubleshooting prompt and wherein the different wording accommodates a patient need to assist the patient in responding to the next user troubleshooting prompt indicated by the one or more patient specific factors, wherein the selecting includes:

detecting a current patient status;

accessing two or more types of user troubleshooting prompts related to different patient statuses; and

retrieving the next troubleshooting prompt that corresponds to the current patient status;

outputting the selected next user troubleshooting prompt to the patient; and

iteratively repeating: the assessing of the signals or the determining that no signals are received, the selecting of the next user troubleshooting prompt each of which has different wording from each prior user troubleshooting prompt in the trouble shooting session and that accommodates the patient need, and the outputting of the selected next user troubleshooting prompt, until at least one stopping event occurs;

detecting that the operational problem is resolved; and

administering, by the medical device, the shock treatment for the cardiovascular medical condition by meeting the standard operating level.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the outputting of the initial troubleshooting prompt and the selected next user troubleshooting prompt includes selecting at least one output modality to further accommodate the patient need.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more patient specific factors includes the current patient activity detected by the medical device, and the method further comprising:

selecting a first stored sequence of user troubleshooting prompts associated with a same or similar operational problem, wherein selecting the stored sequence of user troubleshooting prompts is based, at least in part, on the patient current activity; and

during the troubleshooting session, dynamically reselecting a second stored sequence of user troubleshooting prompts or reselecting a different next user troubleshooting prompt based, at least in part, on the medical device detecting a change in the patient current activity other than the patient responding to the user troubleshooting prompts.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

applying an artificial intelligence model trained, at least in part, on global patient experience data, to output sequences of user troubleshooting prompts associated with various operational problems;

storing the outputted sequence of user troubleshooting prompts; and

selecting a sequence of user troubleshooting prompts from the stored sequence of user troubleshooting prompts, based at least in part, on the one or more patient specific factors,

wherein selecting the user troubleshooting prompts is further based, at least in part, on the selected sequence of user troubleshooting prompts.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting an initial user troubleshooting prompt of the user troubleshooting prompts is further based on one or more prior successful user troubleshooting prompts in previous troubleshooting sessions for a same or similar operational problem by the patient.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the stopping event includes: a predefined time for the troubleshooting session is reached or a threshold number of user troubleshooting prompts are outputted without resolution of the operational problem.

7 . A medical device troubleshooting system for resolving an operational problem of a medical device to treat a medical condition of a patient, comprising:

the medical device in use by the patient, the medical device including at least one sensor to monitor a parameter associated with health of the patient and to generate signals based on the monitored parameter; and

at least one computing device including at least one processor configured for:

detecting the operational problem of the medical device based on the signals, wherein the operational problem causes the medical device to operate below a standard operating level to administer a shock treatment for a cardiovascular a medical condition of the patient; and

in response to the detected operational problem, initiating a troubleshooting session, in which a series of different individual user troubleshooting prompts is generated configured for the patient and specifying actions for the patient to perform to resolve the detected operational problem, including:

assessing patient specific data to determine one or more patient specific factors that impact the patient receiving or responding to the user troubleshooting prompts, including at least one of: a current patient activity other than the patient responding to the user troubleshooting prompts, a patient temperament, and a patient trait;

selecting an initial user troubleshooting prompt that has different wording than the initial user troubleshooting prompt and wherein the different wording accommodates a patient need to assist the patient in responding to the next user troubleshooting prompt indicated by the one or more patient specific factors, wherein the selecting includes:

detecting a current patient status;

accessing two or more types of user troubleshooting prompts related to different patient statuses; and

retrieving the next troubleshooting prompt that corresponds to the current patient status;

outputting the initial user troubleshooting prompt to the patient;

selecting a next user troubleshooting prompt based, at least in part, on the one or more patient specific factors;

outputting the selected next user troubleshooting prompt to the patient; and

iteratively repeating: the assessing of the signals or the determining that no signals are received, the selecting of the next user troubleshooting prompt each of which has different wording from each prior user troubleshooting prompt in the trouble shooting session and that accommodates the patient need, and the outputting of the selected next, until at least one stopping event occurs; and

detecting that the operational problem is resolved; and

administering, by the medical device, the shock treatment for the cardiovascular medical condition by meeting the standard operating level.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the outputting of the initial user troubleshooting prompt and the selected next user troubleshooting prompt includes selecting at least one output modality to further accommodate the patient need.

9 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the one or more patient specific factors includes the current patient activity detected by the medical device, and the system further comprising a one or more sensors to detect the current patient activity,

wherein the troubleshooting session further includes:

selecting a first stored sequence of user troubleshooting prompts associated with a same or similar operational problem, wherein selecting the stored sequence of user troubleshooting prompts is based, at least in part, on the patient current activity; and

dynamically reselecting a second stored sequence of user troubleshooting prompts based, at least in part, on the medical device detecting a change in the patient current activity other than the patient responding to the user troubleshooting prompts.

10 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the troubleshooting session further includes:

selecting a sequence of user troubleshooting prompts from a stored sequence of user troubleshooting prompts, based at least in part, on the one or more patient specific factors, wherein the stored sequence of user troubleshooting prompts is outputted from an artificial intelligence model trained, at least in part, on global patient experience data,

wherein selecting the user troubleshooting prompts is further based, at least in part, on the selected sequence of user troubleshooting prompts.

11 . The system of claim 7 , wherein selecting the one or more initial user troubleshooting prompts is further based on one or more prior successful user troubleshooting prompts in previous troubleshooting of a same or similar operational problem by the patient.

12 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the stopping event includes a predefined time for the troubleshooting session is reached or a threshold number of user troubleshooting prompts are outputted without resolution of the operational problem.

13 . The system of claim 12 , the troubleshooting session further comprises:

detecting the threshold number of user troubleshooting prompts are outputted without resolution; and

contacting an external support or instructing the user to contact the external support.

14 . A method for resolving an operational problem of a wearable medical device to use for a cardiovascular condition of a patient, the method comprising:

receiving electrocardiogram (ECG) signals, if available, from one or more electrodes coupled to a wearable article of the medical device that treats a cardiovascular condition of the patient;

assessing the ECG signals in response to receiving ECG signals and determining that no ECG signals are received if no ECG signals are available, to detect an operational problem of the medical device that hinders the function of at least one of the one or more electrodes to administer a shock treatment for the cardiovascular condition at a standard operating level; and

in response to detecting the operational problem, initiating a troubleshooting session, in which a series of different individual user troubleshooting prompts is generated configured for the patient and specifying actions for the patient to perform to resolve the detected operational problem, including:

assessing patient specific data to determine one or more patient specific factors that impact the patient receiving or responding to the user troubleshooting prompts, including at least one of: a current patient activity other than the patient responding to the user troubleshooting prompts, a patient temperament, and a patient trait;

selecting a stored sequence of user troubleshooting prompts associated with a same or similar operational problem, wherein selecting the stored sequence of user troubleshooting prompts is based, at least in part, on the one or more patient specific factors;

selecting an initial user troubleshooting prompt from the stored sequence of user troubleshooting prompts with one or more instructions to assist the patient in resolving the operational problem, based, at least in part, on the one or more patient specific factors; and

outputting the selected initial user troubleshooting prompt;

iteratively repeating: the assessing of the ECG signals or the determining that no ECG signals are received, selecting a next user troubleshooting prompt that has different wording than the initial user troubleshooting prompt and wherein the different wording accommodates a patient need in responding to the next user troubleshooting prompt indicated by the one or more patient specific factors, and outputting the selected next user troubleshooting prompt until at least one stopping event occurs,

wherein the selecting includes:

detecting a current patient status;

accessing two or more types of user troubleshooting prompts related to different patient statuses; and

retrieving the next troubleshooting prompt that corresponds to the current patient status;

detecting that the operational problem is resolved; and

administering, by the medical device, shock treatment for the cardiovascular condition by meeting the standard operating level.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein at least one of the user troubleshooting prompts includes instructions for the user to manipulate the wearable article or at least one of the one or more electrodes.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the one or more patient specific factors include the patient current activity detected by the medical device, and wherein after a first iteration, the method further comprising:

dynamically reselecting a different stored sequence of user troubleshooting prompts based, at least in part, on the medical device detecting the change in the patient current activity other than the patient responding to the user troubleshooting prompts.

17 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

applying an artificial intelligence model trained, at least in part, on global patient experience data, to output sequences of user troubleshooting prompts associated with various operational problems;

storing the outputted sequence of user troubleshooting prompts,

wherein selecting the sequence of user troubleshooting prompts is from the stored sequence of user troubleshooting prompts, based at least in part, on the one or more patient specific factors,

wherein selecting the user troubleshooting prompts is further based, at least in part, on the selected sequence of user troubleshooting prompts.

18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the selecting of the next user troubleshooting prompt includes selecting a user troubleshooting prompt for the user to perform a same action of a same approach to resolve the operational problem as an approach of at least one prior user troubleshooting prompt outputted during the troubleshooting session that did not resolve the operational problem.

19 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more patient specific factors includes the current patient activity and wherein selecting the next user troubleshooting prompt includes: directing the patient to change the current patient activity, and/or pausing the outputting of the user troubleshooting prompt while the patient is performing the current patient activity.

20 . The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the current patient status includes detecting that the patient is in-motion or the patient is stationary,

wherein the two or more types of user troubleshooting prompts include an in-motion type and a stationary normal type, and

wherein retrieving the next troubleshooting prompt includes selecting the in-motion type prompt or the stationary normal type prompt.

Assignments (5)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (188)