Surgery – Diagnostic testing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-26
2004-03-02
Winakur, Eric F. (Department: 3736)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
C607S030000, C128S904000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06699187
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to a medical communication system; and, more particular, to a system and method for enabling a remotely-located clinician to participate in, and provide advice, during a surgical medical being performed at a different location.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many medical procedures such as the implantation of medical devices require the cooperation and coordination of various surgical and other medical skills. While the necessary surgical skills are filled by surgeons or other physicians, the need for other technical expertise usually necessitates the presence of a field representative or other technical personnel.
While some prior art medical communications systems have been provided to facilitate the cooperation of multiple medical experts located at different locations, these solutions are not particularly well suited to the surgical or clinical environments. One example of a communication system for use in medical applications is the model 89441a Vector Signal Analyzer(™) from Hewlett Packard. This system allows a remote expert to control screen data being displayed on a workstation located at the site of the medical procedure. However, this system does not allow the remotely-located expert to view real-time physiological data and/or video data captured during the procedure. Moreover, this system does not allow screen data replicated at both local and remote sites to be interactively manipulated, as by use of a pointer, at either of the locations.
Other prior art communications systems are described in the following U.S. patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,625, issued to Epard et al. discloses a system for remotely observing and optionally controlling information, including text and graphical images that are displayed on a computer from among both homogeneous and heterogeneous computers coupled in a network or via other transport media such as magnetic disks captures window system event messages during a recording process. Such messages are then translated into procedure calls during the imaging process on the destination platform.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,384,643, issued to Inga et al. discloses a storage, retrieval, and transmission system that is configured to provide fast, efficient telecommunication access to digitized images (e.g., medical diagnostic X-ray images) to multiple requesting subscribers. Image data are downloaded, via the telephone lines, to a remote display terminal in an optimal fashion that employs a two-dimensional patterned data compression scheme. The data compression methods include a “Hex-Pac” compression in which one first generates regions comprising a plurality of two dimensional, non-overlapping, symmetrically disposed super pixels that are collectively representative of an image. Each of these regions is subsequently compared with a plurality of fictitious patterns, each of which has a dark region, a light region and a predetermined point of origin, in order to determine which of the patterns most closely correlates with the selected region.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,377,852, issued to Thompson discloses a communications control system for enabling a small computer system, such as a personal computer, to emulate a terminal and thus to communicate with a remote system. Incoming data from the remote system is entered into a circular buffer on an interrupt basis. The communications control system alternately scans the circular buffer for newly entered data and the keyboard for operator generated messages. Any control characters are decoded and appropriate actions taken. Received alphanumeric characters are stored in a display memory for video display and in a system RAM for later retrieval and study.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,869, issued to Ziv-El, which discloses a computerized teaching system is described, which comprises an interactive group communication system, wherein students in a first group interact with a teacher in Social Mode, and, in some case, while students in a second group proceed with work in Independent Mode.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,299, issued to Thessin et al. discloses a method and apparatus for communication between agents in an electronic conferencing system. In an electronic conferencing system wherein data is shared between a plurality of participants during an electronic conference, a method is disclosed for transferring large object data blocks among the participants during the electronic conference comprising the following steps: a) receiving an asynchronous request for large object data; b) placing the request in a request queue; c) receiving an asynchronous request for reprioritization of the request queue; d) determining a transport medium capability; e) partitioning the large object data into data blocks, a size of the data blocks being variable and corresponding to the capability of the transport medium; f) transferring the requested large object data to each of the participants via the transport medium; and g) removing the request from the request queue upon completion of the step of sending the requested large object data.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,269, issued to Harlan discloses a system which has a first computer (herein termed the SUPPORT PC) and second remotely located computer (herein termed the CUSTOMER PC). The SUPPORT PC and the CUSTOMER PC each have a display. The image displayed on the CUSTOMER PC's display is transmitted to and duplicated on the SUPPORT PC's display. The SUPPORT PC is equipped with an analog input device (such as a mouse), the efficient operation of which requires immediate visual feedback. Signals from the input device are transmitted to the remote CUSTOMER PC. The images which appear on the display of the remote CUSTOMER PC are transmitted, relatively slowly, to the display of the SUPPORT PC. In order to provide immediate visual feedback to the operator of the input device at the SUPPORT PC, a Dynamic Temporary Dual Cursor is shown on the screen of the SUPPORT PC along with the regular cursor which is transmitted from the CUSTOMER PC. The Dynamic Temporary Dual Cursor is moved in quick synchronization with movement of the input device in direct response to the input device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,317,956 issued to Torok et al. discloses a telautograph system that allows a user at one location to write on a special surface, such as a chalkboard, and have the image appear at remote screens. Presently, a user wishing to call attention to an entry already written on the board must make a new line or must circle the item to which the remote viewer's attention is to be drawn. This procedure unduly clutters the image and a system has been devised which provides for a cursor (a graphical hand) to appear on the remote screen when the user touches the input surface at a point. The cursor also appears when the user is writing on the surface so as to call attention to the newly formed images.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,267, issued to Stein et al. discloses a system for displaying several lines of electrocardiographic (ECG) signals on a cathode ray tube screen for observation, analysis and selection of those portions of the signals which indicate abnormalities of heart rhythm and cardiac events of interest to the diagnostician or trained observer. The ECG signals may be recorded at real time but are inputted to the system at much greater than real time. The system provides the display of the signal portions which were recorded consecutively, each on a separate vertically displayed line. Together with the ECG signals, other alphanumeric data, such as the time of day when the signals were recorded, patient name, heart rate, cardiac condition, and other pertinent information, may also be displayed simultaneously with the lines of ECG signals by the use of the memory and storage means to receive and hold such data. As consecutive sets of lines of the ECG signals are presented for display, sections of each line containing abnormalities and cardiac events of interest may be identified by an observer and transferred through the memory to the storage unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,235,680, issued
Nelson C. Gary
Stauffer Ronald A.
Thies James G.
Webb James D.
McCrosky David J.
Medtronic Inc.
Winakur Eric F.
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