Patent ID: 7769465

Claim:
A cardiac monitoring and cardiac pacing system which allows an untrained human enabler immediate access to a medical professional who can and will remotely monitor, diagnose and treat a victim of a medical emergency at one of a plurality of remote sites, said system comprising, in combination: (a) a central station comprising: (1) a display device configured to display cardiac information from a victim for evaluation by said medical professional; (2) at least one input device, responsive to said medical professional, configured to produce a plurality of control signals for controlling the application of electrical therapy pulses to said victim, said therapy pulses providing cardiac pacing; and (3) a first transmitting/receiving (T/R) device, coupled to said display device and to said at least one input device, configured for electronic communication with an emergency cardiac monitoring and cardiac pacing apparatus disposed at each of a plurality of remote sites; and (b) emergency cardiac monitoring and cardiac pacing apparatus disposed at each of a plurality of remote sites, each said apparatus comprising a portable unit including: (1) a second transmitting/receiving (T/R) device configured for electronic communication with said first T/R device of said central station; (2) a cardiac pacing circuit, having a pacing control input coupled to said second T/R device, configured to produce cardiac pacing pulses at a pacing circuit output in response to a selected control signal received at said pacing control input from said central station, said cardiac pacing pulses having at least one variable parameter, selected from the group consisting of pacing pulse rate, pacing pulse amplitude, pacing pulse width, pacing pulse shape, pacing mode, choice of particular sensing electrodes and sensitivity, which may be modified by said control signal; (3) an electrocardiogram (ECG) circuit, having an ECG circuit output, coupled to said second T/R device, and an ECG electrode input; (4) a plurality of contact electrodes, configured to be placed by a nearby enabler upon a chest wall of said victim, said plurality of contact electrodes being adapted to be arranged at separate locations on said chest wall for (1) the receipt of ECG signals from said victim, and (2) for application of said pacing pulses to said victim; and (5) a connecting cable having a plurality of electric wires configured to connect each of said contact electrodes to at least one of (i) said ECG electrode input and (ii) said cardiac pacing output; whereby (1) said ECG signals may be transmitted from a plurality of said contact electrodes via said ECG circuit to said central station for evaluation by said medical professional; (2) said control signals may be transmitted from said central station to said pacing control input; and (3) in response thereto, said cardiac pacing pulses with at least one parameter selected by the medical professional may be applied from said cardiac pacing output to a plurality of said contact electrodes for resuscitation of said victim.