In the medical technology industry, every manufacturer creates its own data construct. This means that ventilators from different manufacturers do not “speak the same language”. To synchronize them, TZM GmbH from Göppingen, a highly innovative software service provider for connectivity and cloud solutions, has developed the Universal Medical Gateway (UMG). It translates these languages into a common standard and – as an overarching interface – establishes a connection between medical devices and platforms such as AIQNET. This makes it possible to collect medical data, analyse it using artificial intelligence (AI), logically structure it and make it accessible to the attending physician – regardless of which programs and devices are being used or which clinic or surgery you are in. BioRegio STERN Management GmbH from Stuttgart is coordinating the entire project, which is being funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

“We are currently mainly active in intensive care units. In the past, the nurse would have to write down the data by hand – from the ventilator, for example. So, of course, transcription errors can occur, which our connection prevents. Everything runs in the background, and the data is automatically transferred to the system,” explains Bastian Mazzoli, Solution Manager Medical Connectivity at TZM GmbH.

As part of the AIQNET project, the start-up TZM was put in touch with the Berlin Simulation and Training Center (BeST). The BeST is a division of Charité, which operates an intensive care unit (ICU) for training, research and development. It provides an opportunity to try out new techniques and treatment methods, including the “walking ICU” concept. The UMG is to be used in this concept from April. Instead of being permanently sedated, the patients are able to move and even get out of bed – hence the name “walking ICU”. The technology and treatment methods have to adapt dynamically to the situation and understand each other. 

“In the AIQNET project, we can really help overcome system boundaries and make medical data accessible, for example by pulling together various devices on a central monitor. The platform also enables users to configure devices in the clinics remotely or launch new drivers,” explains Bastian Mazzoli. Huge volumes of data are collected for medical reasons in every hospital. It is stored in various archive systems, frequently in an unstructured way – doctor’s letters on paper, examination and laboratory results as PDF files, often on CD-ROMs. AIQNET centres on using AI for the automated procurement, structuring and analysis of this data. “It is important that digitalisation makes bigger inroads in clinics,” emphasizes Mazzoli. “This topic has gained further traction in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Dialogue through AIQNET is essential in my opinion. It is vital that multiple clinics make an effort to work together and show how digitalisation and good collaboration can work.”
 

To an in-depth interview with Prof. Rainer Würslin, Senior Advisor, and Bastian Mazzoli, Solution Manager Medical Connectivity, from TZM GmbH.