Medical diagnostics installation controllable from a central work station

A medical diagnostics installation, such as an x-ray angiography installation, has a number of separate treatment and data-acquisition components, all of which are connected to a central work station having an operating area accessible by a single user for central operation and monitoring of all components. Data acquisition, storage and distribution of the patient data take place at the work station using monitors. Data flow, for example parameters for obtaining an optimum image quality, can thereby be coordinated at one location.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1.Field of the Invention 
The present invention is directed to a medical diagnostics installation of 
the type such as an x-ray angiography system having a number of separate 
treatment and data-acquisition components. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Medical diagnostics installations, such as x-ray angiography systems, are 
known which include a number of separate components for facilitating 
treatment of, or acquiring data from, a patient. X-ray angiography 
systems, for example, include an x-ray generator, means for acquiring 
x-ray images, a contrast agent injector, and one or more patient 
monitoring units, such as an ECG unit. Very high image quality demands are 
made in a medical diagnostics installation of this type. 
There is a need for an optimally simple and easily surveyable operation of 
such installations, so that the examining personnel can fully concentrate 
on the patient. In known systems, the multitude of control panels makes 
manipulation of the installation, for example to obtain the optimum image 
quality, more difficult, and may be the cause of errors. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a medical diagnostics 
installation of the type having a plurality of components which interact 
with an examination subject which provides simplified operation and 
patient monitoring, particularly in the acquisition of patient data and 
treatment parameters. 
The above object is achieved in accordance with the principles of the 
present invention in a medical diagnostics installation having a plurality 
of patient-interactive components which are which are all connected to a 
central work station from which the components can be operated and 
monitored. Data are acquired by certain of the components, for example an 
ECG unit, and the data are reproduced either synchronously or 
chronologically at the work station. The work station is constructed for 
displaying, acquiring and setting the operating parameters of the 
components. Using this central work station, the operation and monitoring 
of the components as well as the acquisition of patient data, takes place 
centrally at a uniform operating area. Consequently, the control elements 
for the individual components are not located at the respective components 
themselves, but are incorporated in a complete system operable from one 
location. It is possible to coordinate and program the operation being 
undertaken at the installation with the interaction of most or all of the 
components being computer-controlled. 
This type of installation is particularly suitable for x-ray angiography, 
i.e., for installations examining the blood vessels of a patient, 
particularly the cardiac blood vessels. The system disclosed herein can be 
used, however, in any installation for administering treatment to a 
patient. As used herein, the term "treatment" is not strictly limited to 
therapy-administering procedures, but also encompasses examination 
procedures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
A medical diagnostics installation, in the exemplary embodiment of a 
bi-planar x-ray angiography system for cardiac examination, is shown in 
FIG. 1. The image generating system is generally referenced 1, by which a 
patient can be transilluminated with x-rays in the cardiac region from two 
perpendicular directions. For portraying the blood vessels of the patient, 
the patient is injected with a contrast agent, using a contrast agent 
injector 2. Generation of the x-rays for creating the image is undertaken 
with an x-ray tube, contained within the system 1, which is fed by a 
high-voltage supply 3. Setting the operating parameters of the 
high-voltage supply 3, in turn, determines the operating parameters for 
the x-ray tube, including a dose rate. A digital imaging system 4 is 
provided for the digital acquisition, processing and storing of the x-ray 
images which are generated. 
The components 1 through 4 are interconnected via a network 5 through which 
data are transmitted. 
The network 5 is connected to a central work station 6 having monitors 7, 8 
and 9, and an operating area 10. The central work station 6 controls and 
monitors the components 1 through 4 (and such other components as may be 
present), and also serves for the acquisition of patient information. 
The operating parameters of the components 1 through 4 are set at the 
central work station 6 using the controls at the operating area 10, 
coordinated with the displays on the respective monitors 7, 8 and 9. The 
patient support may, for example, be displaced via the central work 
station 6 for optimum positioning of the patient within the angiography 
installation 1, the parameters of the x-ray tubes of the two x-ray systems 
of the angiography installation I can be set (such as filament current, 
anode voltage, and exposure time), as can the parameters of the contrast 
injector 2. The values which are set in this manner are displayed on the 
monitors 7, 8 and 9 and can be surveyed from a single location. 
Additionally, one or more of the monitors, such as the monitor 8, may be 
used to display measured physiological values of the patient. For example, 
the measured values supplied by an EKG unit 11 may be transmitted to the 
work station 6 via the network 5 synchronized with the image information, 
all of which can be displayed on the monitor 8. 
The central work station 6 may be used not only for controlling and 
monitoring the components 1 through 4 during normal operation, but can 
also be used for service purposes. A service technician, for example, can 
set specific parameters for service purposes from the work station 6, and 
can monitor such settings. 
For the direct operation of the components, operating elements for this 
purpose can be optionally arranged at a location proximate to the patient. 
For example, a control panel 12 can be placed at the angiography 
installation. Whereas the operation of the installation proceeding from 
the control panel 12 ensues via switches, levers and the like, operation 
at the work station 6 ensues at the operating area 10 using a keyboard 
connected to a central computer 15 disposed at the work station 6. The 
computer 15 is connected to the network 5, and can be connected via a line 
13 to a clinical computer for data exchange. The digital imaging system 4 
may be connected via a line 14 to a central image-archiving system. 
In the exemplary angiography system, the plurality of operating elements 
are integrated at the work station 6, namely at the operating area 
thereof, such as in the form of an optical pointer operation, for example 
a keyboard 10a or a mouse 10b. The keyboard 10a controls the computer 15. 
Operation of the components 1 through 4 proceeds therefrom. The monitoring 
of these components and the acquisition of physiological data also takes 
place centrally using the monitors 7, 8 and 9. A large number of separate 
operating locations as is required in conventional systems, is 
consequently avoided in the installation in accordance with the principles 
of the present invention. 
Accordingly, pursuant to the present invention, one can employ a central 
work station 6, located at one location, to operate a plurality of 
different medical examination systems. Each of those medical examination 
systems includes a plurality of system components. Some of those system 
components are components which have operating parameters associated 
therewith, and some of those system components are components for 
acquiring data from a patient. All of these various system components are 
controllable at the central work station 6, thereby providing centralized 
control of all of the systems at one location, possibly by one person. 
Heretofore, each medical examination system has had its own work station, 
dedicated exclusively for operating that system. Yet, this constitutes a 
hinderance, for example, in an operating room environment, wherein a 
number of such medical examination systems may be employed simultaneously, 
or in sequence. The necessity of providing a separate work station for 
each medical examination apparatus has heretofore not only required 
increased space in an already-crowded environment, but also has required 
either one operator to physically move from work station to work station, 
or has required a number of different operators respectively situated at 
each different work station. 
FIG. 1 shows but one embodiment for implementing the foregoing. One of 
ordinary skill in the relevant art can easily construct the embodiment 
shown in the figure, or different variations thereof based on the 
description herein. 
The hardware for accomplishing the interconnection of the system of FIG. 1 
is well within the knowledge of those of ordinary skill in the art, and 
except for certain programming details, which would also be well within 
the skill of a routineer programmer, the hardware interface and software 
driver elements are well-known to those skilled in the art. Many of the 
same components which have been used in the past to connect a particular 
medical examination apparatus to its dedicated work station can be used, 
with minor modification (if any), to connect that same system to the 
central work station 6. 
However, a more detailed example is illustrated in FIG. 2, all of which 
would be within the skill of a person knowledgeable in this art, of the 
concept of controlling different medical examination systems 100, 102, 104 
and 106 from a central work station 6 disposed at one location of the 
network 5. As shown in FIG. 2, the network 5 can include a software driver 
108, 110, 112, 114 or 116, respectively, for each system and the central 
work station with which it is intended to interact, all of the software 
drivers being connected by a bi-directional data exchange network 117. 
Each software driver 108, 110, 112, 114 and 116, in turn has a hardware 
interface 118, 120, 122, 124 or 126, respectively, associated therewith, 
and each hardware interface 118, 120, 122, 124 and 126 is connected to a 
respective transmission link 128, 130, 132, 134 or 136, such as an optical 
link, to the respective systems or central work station 6. A software 
driver 140 is associated with a hardware interface 142, disposed at the 
central work station 6. 
The optical links can be of a conventional type, such as light waveguides 
which are internationally referenced with the designation RS 232. 
The implementation of the hardware interface at the central work station 6 
is dependent on the type or computer system which is employed at the 
central work station 6. This hardware interface, for example, may be a 
known hardware interface of the type used to connect a personal computer 
(PC) to a network. The software driver at this location is matched to the 
corresponding operating system, for example, DOS-OS for personal 
computers. 
Although modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the 
art, it is the intention of the inventors to embody within the patent 
warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly 
come within the scope of their contribution to the art.