Hand-held surface ECG and RF apparatus incorporated with a medical device

US6748260B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Medtronic, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Nelson Au · Foster City, US
• Mark Brecht · Imperial Beach, US
• Marion Buchenau · San Francisco, US
• Thomas P. Crowley · Lino Lakes, US
• David L. Karshmer · Menlo Park, US
• Chester Nelson · Plymouth, US
• Nick Oakley · Portland, US
• Edwin Pearce · San Francisco, US
• Nancy Perry Pool · Minnetonka, US
• Richard M. Powell · Mountain View, US
• Elisha Avram TAL · Or Akiva, IL

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 29, 2001
• Grant date: Jun 8, 2004
• Expiry date: Jun 19, 2022

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61B2560/0468
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A hand-holdable structure implementing electrodes to enable good skin-electrode contact to acquire ECG readings is disclosed. Specifically, the structure is shaped to enable patients to apply a simple gentle grip to have a reliable skin-electrode contact and to automatically commence ECG tracing transmission to a patient monitoring station. In one embodiment the structure incorporates an RF telemetry head to simultaneously transfer IMD stored data in conjunction with the ECG tracings. The structure independently or in combination with the RF telemetry head is adaptable to a system of data communications with a programmer or equivalent instrument to transfer ECG and IMD data to a remotely located physician station or patient data storage server. The system is also adaptable for use with a web-enabled network such as, without limitation, the Internet, intranet, World Wide Web, extranet or equivalent.