Medical data reporter

#The invention is directed to a medical data reporting system for reporting the medical condition and status of a organism connected to a monitoring device.

#Human beings and other living organisms often require treatment which includes constant monitoring of bodily functions or characteristics, such as blood flow rate (BFR), blood pressure (BP), pulse, electrocardiograms (ECG), respiration cycles, and body temperature. Monitoring of these functions and characteristics takes on special importance when the life of the organism is maintained, at least in part, by a life support system. Common life support systems include, for example, artificial respirators and artificial hearts. These life support systems provide numerous informational outputs describing the condition of the organism to which they are connected. Such outputs may indicate, for example, blood flow rate, blood pressure, heart beat, electrocardiograms, respiration cycles, and body temperature.

#Different characteristics and functions may be of special importance depending upon the purpose of the treatment. For example, if the life support system is an artificial heart driver and monitor, blood flow rate has particular importance. It must be constantly monitored to detect any irregularities in the operation of the driver.

#The invention will best be understood when the following description is read with reference to the appended drawings in which:

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system in accordance with the invention;

#FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are flow charts describing the operation of the invention; and

#A medical data reporting system is provided for reporting data from a medical monitoring system to a remote location. A system in accordance with the invention will be discussed in reference to FIG. 1. A medical data transmitter 10 is used to transmit medical data from a life support system 100. Medical transmitter 10 includes a CPU or microprocessor 11 that controls the transmitter. The CPU controls the generation, transmission and detection of data. Microprocessor 11 accepts input from potentiometers 14 and 15. The voltage across the potentiometers 14 and 15 is indicative of the minimum and maximum values, respectively, for a selected biological function. Voltmeters M.sub.1 and M.sub.2 give a visual indication of the voltages across potentiometers 14 and 15, respectively.

#A communication interface 12 is interposed between life support system 100 and microprocessor 11. The communication interface 12 provides the needed communication link between life support system 100 and microprocessor 11. A keyboard 13 is provided as part of medical transmitter 10 to allow a user to input commands. A timer 16 inputs timing information to microprocessor 11. Timer 16 is used, for example, to time the intervals at which data is transmitted, as described below.

#Data is transmitted from the medical data transmitter 10 to public telephone network 40 by use of elements 17-19 of FIG. 1. Modem 18 and automatic dialer 17 are used to telephone a designated number and transmit information over a telephone line. Automatic dialer 17 and modem 18 are controlled by circuit controller 19 which coordinates their activity.