Demo of the medical device dongle: an open-source standards-based platform for interoperable medical device connectivity

Abstract

Emerging medical applications require networked coordination between medical devices. However, most of the medical devices in use today do not support wireless communication or network connectivity. Currently, hospitals interested in coordinated medical care would have replace existing devices with expensive new devices. We believe that existing medical devices can be extended to support interoperable network connectivity. We demonstrate the Medical Device Dongle (MDD), an open-source platform that enables such extensions to current medical devices. The MDD can attach to any device that has a data output interface (RS-232 or USB) and enables it to connect wirelessly and in an interoperable manner for various applications. We show how multiple medical devices, including pulse oximeters and infusion pumps, can be connected and controlled together using an open-source platform, standards-based connectivity protocols, and model-driven software. The demo setup consists of medical devices attached to an MDD Agent, an MDD Manager device, and a mobile phone running monitoring applications. The MDD components can communicate over Bluetooth, WiFi and Ethernet.