Telemedicine Archives

Wireless Platform to Make Medical Devices Talk Over Mobile Phone Networks

by Gene Ostrovsky on Jun 21, 2010 •

fweeeenn Wireless Platform to Make Medical Devices Talk Over Mobile Phone Networks
The Continua Health Alliance has developed a set of standards and protocols to facilitate communication between different medical devices. This was meant to allow various manufacturers to create devices that would automatically be compatible with those from other firms. Cambridge Consultants has now teamed up with Qualcomm to create a standard wireless unit that can communicate data from a Continua certified device to remote servers. This technology, in one swoop, may allow for any compatible device to be used in telemedicine applications.

The new, low-cost platform is a combination of Qualcomm Incorporated’s Wearable Mobile Device cellular module and Cambridge Consultants’ Vena software stack. The platform enables the collection of data from Continua certified devices over the Continua Personal Area Network (PAN) interface, and transmits this data over the Continua Wide Area Network (WAN) interface* to on-line health services. The Wearable Mobile Device module has dimensions of 21 x 22 x 4.5mm, enabling a Continua Application Hosting Device (AHD) to be built that provides a PAN-to-WAN bridge within a small highly portable footprint.
Cambridge Consultants’ Vena wireless healthcare software stack, which implements the standards selected by the Continua Health Alliance, empowers patients to manage health and wellness anytime, anywhere. It embeds the Bluetooth™ Health Device Profile (HDP) optimized for the secure transport of medical data and the IEEE 11073 standards for compatible exchange of information between health devices.
The Qualcomm Wearable Mobile Device 1X, 1X EV-DO and UMTS modules are industry-leading products that support a variety of 3G networks and provide integrated GPS, an accelerometer and Bluetooth technologies. With data and voice support, a standardized USB 2.0 interface and defined APIs and development kit, the modules provide unprecedented functionality and streamlined 3G connectivity for M2M and CE devices.

Press release: New Cambridge Consultants platform brings mobile health one step closer …

Cardiology / Medicine / Pediatrics / Telemedicine

Zargis Telemed Brings You Tele-Auscultation

by Wouter Stomp on May 28, 2010
Zargis Telemed Brings You Tele-Auscultation

Just when we thought auscultation couldn’t get any more sophisticated than with the Littmann 3200 bluetooth stethoscope and the heart sounds analyzed by the Cardioscan software, Zargis Medical proves us wrong. They have just launched the ZargisTelemed platform, which streams the heart and lung sounds to anywhere in the world. The sounds are transmitted in real-time either over the internet or a private network allowing for remote diagnosis and expert opinions. It can be installed on a private server or accessed from Zargis’ servers. The software is integrated with the Cardioscan heart sounds analysis software and the Zargis StethAssist heart and lung sounds visualization software.
Press release: Zargis Launches Telemedicine System with Real-Time Transmission of Stethoscope Sounds…

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Pathology / Public Health / Telemedicine

A Nose for Your Cell Phone To Sniff Out Airborne Toxins

by editors on May 14, 2010
A Nose for Your Cell Phone To Sniff Out Airborne Toxins

Cell phones may soon be able to detect carbon monoxide and other dangerous toxins found in gasoline and chemical warfare agents using a tiny silicon chip sensing system developed by researchers at UCSD and Rhevision, Inc. Embedded within the silicon sensor are hundreds of separate spots that can change color in response to specific chemicals. By capturing the pattern of color changes using a new kind of supermacro lens, researchers at UCSD plan to create a versatile sensor small enough to fit into a cell phone that can recognize a wide variety of chemical hazards.
From the press release:

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Cardiology / Telemedicine

Medtronic CareLink Joins the Mobile Crowd

by Wouter Stomp on May 11, 2010
Medtronic CareLink Joins the Mobile Crowd

Just one day after St. Jude Medical announced their Merlin@home wireless USB adapter, Medtronic joins the crowd with their solution for remote implantable cardiac device monitoring over the air. The M-Link cellular accessory securely sends data from the implanted devices to the clinic via the CareLink Network using cellular signals, rather than a telephone landline. To support the use of the system, Medtronic also presents the results of a trial using the CareLink Network, showing a significant reduction in time from clinical event to clinical decision, hospital stays and reduced costs per hospitalization.
Press release: Medtronic Launches New Cellular Accessory for the Medtronic CareLink Network…

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Cardiology / Telemedicine

Merlin@home Wireless USB Adapter Eliminates Need for Landline

by Wouter Stomp on May 10, 2010
Merlin@home Wireless USB Adapter Eliminates Need for Landline

The Merlin@home system, which was introduced back in 2008, consists of a RF wireless transmitter that enables remote monitoring of implantable cardiac devices. Until now a landline was needed to securely transmit patient data to the physician. However, with more and more people exclusively using a mobile phone, St. Jude Medical now has launched a wireless USB adapter which enables sending cardiac data over cellular networks. The adapter can be plugged into existing Merlin@home transmitters, after which it automatically sends the data through the internet-based Merlin.net Patient Care Network. Now you have one more reason to throw out that good old, but rusty, landline!
Press release: St. Jude Medical Launches Wireless USB Adaptor for Merlin@Home Transmitter…

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Geriatrics / Telemedicine

FineThanx Watches Over Your Grannies While You Are Busy

by Wouter Stomp on Apr 29, 2010
FineThanx Watches Over Your Grannies While You Are Busy

FineThanx is a new automated phone system that automatically calls your elderly family members to check how they are doing. It checks in on clients once or twice daily and if no one answers or the person is unwell, the system calls a member of the “care circle”. If everything is fine, the system will send a report by email, so you can continue working or finishing that golf course unbothered and check in for reassurance on your iPhone or PC afterward.
Here’s a sample FineThanx call:

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Cardiac Surgery / Cardiology / Telemedicine

World’s First Remote Heart Rhythm Treatment Procedure Using a Robotic Arm

by Wouter Stomp on Apr 29, 2010
World's First Remote Heart Rhythm Treatment Procedure Using a Robotic Arm

The world’s first remote robotic heart rhythm treatment procedure was conducted at the University Hospitals of Leicester. It was performed using the Catheter Robotics Remote Catheter Manipulation System. A 70 year old man with atrial fibrillation had a catheter ablation controlled by a robotic arm, while the cardiologist – sitting in a separate room – used remote control to steer the catheter endovascularly into the heart to correct faulty tissue fibers. Although it was controlled from an adjacent room in this case, the fully remote-controlled robot could be controlled from anywhere in the world. The procedure was successfully completed in one hour and the patient is supposedly doing well.
Technology demo video and links below the fold:

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Emergency Medicine / Telemedicine

New Version of Physio-Control’s LIFENET Now Available

by Gene Ostrovsky on Apr 28, 2010
New Version of Physio-Control's LIFENET Now Available

Medtronic‘s Physio-Control division just launched a new version of its popular patient management system that relays data on patient status from ambulances to clinicians awaiting back at the hospital. The LIFENET 4.1 now features an adapter to interface with various models of ECGs for automatic coordination of telemetry with cardiologists, allowing docs to have substantial prep before the patient even gets there.
New features in LIFENET 4.1:

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Geriatrics / Telemedicine

iFall: An Android Fall Detection App

by Wouter Stomp on Apr 27, 2010
iFall: An Android Fall Detection App

If you were saving money for that fall detection device we covered recently, you can now keep it in your pocket together with the Android phone you already own. Researchers at Florida State University have developed an alert system for the Android platform that both detects falls and alerts authorities. Data from the accelerometer is evaluated with several threshold based algorithms and position data to determine a fall, taking into account factors such as height, weight, and level of activity of the user. When a fall is detected a notification is raised requiring the user to respond. If he does not respond, the system alerts family or friends via SMS. If someone responds, the system automatically enables the speakerphone and after their confirmation of the fall, emergency services are contacted. iFall is still in the testing stage and not yet available, but release is planned for late summer.
Study abstract: iFall: an Android application for fall monitoring and response…

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