Ubiquitous access to real-time patient monitoring data

The increased availability of standardised, networked computers in hospitals has enabled departments to digitally transport information, such as digital angiographic images. Medical vendors have also increased their efforts to: use standard (hospital) network for communication between their devices as a means for sharing data with hospital applications. The Thoraxcentrum in Rotterdam has worked closely with Siemens EMG to develop a gateway, which can be used to access the vital signs from Siemens' patient monitors. This gateway system has been used as the basis of a number of projects, including a remote bedside viewer and an MIT DB-compatible data collector.