Patent ID: 6325756
Filing Date: 2001-12-04
Classification: A61N,G06F,G09G,G16H,H04L,Y10S

Abstract:
A programmer device for use in a medical communications system for communicating in near real time information from between at least two remote sites, one remote site at a patient location having a said programmer device which has a programmer generated display, and another remote site at an expert location having a computing device with a computing device generated display, each location having available substantially similar screen displays, such that information related to an implantable medical device and a patient at said patient location remote site can be reviewed simultaneously on said substantially similar displays at said at least two remote sites facilitated by data communications transferred across a communication line between said at least two remote sites, said programmer device being configurable to perform various operations by executing programs through a microprocessor and memory system and comprising:a physiologic signal device connection, connected to said programmer device for receiving electrical output representing a patient's physiologic signal waveform and for producing a signal suitable for use by a programmer screen display operating program for generating a display from said electrical output at at least one display area including at least a physiologic waveform signal display area and producing instantaneous changes in said at least one display area, at least one of said changes representative of changes in said waveform display,said programmer operating program, comprising;a first video display data buffer for holding a video data representation of information displayed in one of said at least one display areas of said programmer generated display,a second video display buffer for holding data representing instantaneous changes in at least one of said areas,a display generating program for using a data image of said video data representation in said first video display buffer for producing said programmer generated display,an index generating program for reviewing data in said first video display buffer and creating a first index buffer corresponding to said at least one of said display areas, said index generating program indicating in said first index buffer by storing data therein representing which of all locations in said at least one area have changed from a previous review, and for capturing a data representation of said changed locations in a capture buffer and,a sending program for packaging data comprising contents of said first index buffer and said capture buffer in appropriately encoded format, and for sending said appropriately formatted index buffer data across said communication line.