Plug-and-play architectures for medical devices will become the norm over time. This plug-and-play interoperability will include not only integration with the EMR but also between medical devices, which will be able to communicate and exchange data between them as part of the standard of care. In addition to this, automatic control of medical devices will also become the norm, although it may take some time to implement in a clinical setting. You can find more useful information about medical devices at Soma Technology.
In this article, I will, for example, discuss a method for controlling a medical device (mechanical ventilator) using an automatic feedback control mechanism.
Checking or changing settings or using a medical device can be a risky business. Devices that maintain service life (e.g. Drager V500, infusion pumps, mechanical ventilators, etc.) should be supervised by qualified clinical personnel. Manufacturers of such devices should participate in a comprehensive study with living patients to ensure that there are adequate backup and backup systems to minimize the dangers and risks. Trusting the maintenance process of a computer algorithm and hardware devoid of perspective and long-term knowledge of a patient requires that all relevant information be identified, measured and processed to guarantee safe and correct operation. While this can be achieved to some extent in a highly controlled environment, the connections between many variables and their impact, individually and collectively, on predicting response to the patient system are questionable at best. This does not mean that such systems cannot be implemented.
Studies of activities such as the control of mechanical ventilation have been studied in clinical trials. However, generally available products and systems are currently not available to automatically manage these devices throughout hospital operations.
There are exceptions for devices that offer functions and functionality for limited control (some ad hoc vital screens, mechanical fans). But overall, there is no clinician to remotely control a device via a secure hospital network.
However, the goal here is to ask and answer the frequently asked question “what if …?” Therefore, I will approach this topic from the point of view of how to perform unit checks for a single specific system and how it can be generalized to other systems.
Automatic control systems
The use of automated medical device management methods is not a new concept. Ideas and methods related to this have been reported in the literature and have been thought of for years, particularly in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation withdrawal. Other uses have included the administration of infusion pump medications and pacemakers.
Automatic control of patient systems is a development capability, but can go a long way in terms of commercial viability and acceptability.
The standardized plug and play of medical devices will certainly help to define a standardized communication process, including the language and syntax for communication between devices. But other goods are necessary; in particular, a standardized interface where a medical device can communicate directly with an EMR without requiring a specialized communication transport method to transmit, process and reduce this data.
The advantages of automatic medical device management for the Drager V500 are many in theory, but it needs to be proven in practice. An obvious advantage is the increased uniformity that automatic control brings to the treatment of patient care. Continuous monitoring and responsiveness to changes in the patient’s condition as measured by medical devices can ensure speed and consistency in response to medical devices – something that is difficult for humans to match.
The automatic control of medical devices for the Drager V500 is also a logical extension of clinical decision support, thanks to which the resulting clinical actions can be performed due to specific conditions or criteria in relation to the measured values. The use of automatic control theory is limited only by the accuracy and precision with which the controlled system can be modeled and measured. The human body and physiology, in general, are relatively well understood in terms of basic mechanics.