My Penguin, The Doctor
By: Rob Reilly
Thursday, June 8, 2006 10:33:34 AM EST
URL: http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/reports/6246/1/
The Most Mission-Critical Application. Ever.
Many people in the Linux community know that its an operating system built to handle the most mission-critical of jobs. In fact, Linux is so stable, it can handle the most mission-critical job of all: managing the human heart.
About the size of a small suitcase, the Merlin Patient Care System, contains a motherboard, a medical grade power supply, a thermal chart recorder, and a telemetry wand head. The machine is used to program St. Jude Medical's implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and pace-makers.
The machine uses a current Linux kernel with enhancements to speed up the boot time.
Marinda Gansmoe, IBM Technology Collaboration Solutions (TCS) group spokesman said that the St. Jude Medical Center, brought them in to help develop the machine. Although available worldwide, the system is used primarily in U.S. medical facilities.
ICDs and pace-makers are tiny computer instruments that stimulate and regulate a patient's heartbeat. The roughly one inch diameter wonders watch for unusual beat patterns and then send very small electrical signals directly into the heart, thus maintaining the correct heart rate. In addition to the sophisticated computing technology inside, the tiny implant's housings are made of exotic, laser welded titanium material and sport batteries that run from five to eight years.
Since the heart devices are implanted, programming is done via a telemetry wand that is placed on the chest near the patient's heart device. Data is exchanged wirelessly with the implant and the Merlin system. The St. Jude implants are specifically programmed with the Merlin system.
Other companies in the implant management business include ELA Medical, Medico, and Medtronic.
Linux is Magic on Merlin
Gansmoe said that St. Jude decided to use Linux as the operating system for the Merlin system because of open standards. The system could be easily customized and with the requisite talent, could be optimized for fast boot ups. IBM had several kernel level programmers on staff and they were recruited into the job.
The stability of Linux was also a strong factor in the decision, especially in light of the critical nature of the machine. Tools available in the Linux environment made programming the software application GUI code easier to implement, as well.
Since the Merlin system is purpose built to control the ICDs and pace-makers, the operating system is minimal and specific. Gansmoe said that the machine has networking capabilities, but would not elaborate, for obvious reasons.
The system is portable, although it does require AC power. A battery powered version is not currently available.
Gansmoe said that training was a concern with sales people and so the software was designed to be very easy to use. We all know how impatient (pardon the pun) doctors are these days. The last thing that anybody needed was a difficult to use LCD touch screen interface, especially when the sales person, doctor, and patient were getting the heart implant settings tweaked.
TCS Details
The IBM Technology Collaboration Services group was formed in March of 2006 to help combine the resources of the microelectronics, manufacturing, engineering, and information technology functions.
The TCS is promoting itself as a one-stop-shop for service of client projects.
Projects may be strictly consulting type engagements, on-site co-development of products with the clients, or end-to-end all inclusive product creation. Depending on project type, approval boards are used to monitor and adjust progress.
According to Gansmoe, the Merlin project finished right on time.
Collaborating with St. Jude, the TCS will also act as the business liaison with the third-party manufacturer of the Merlin system.
Wrapping Up
Using the Linux based Merlin Patient Care System, doctors can program and monitor St. Jude brand implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and pace-makers.
The new machine is just one more example of the versatility of the Linux operating system. Its stability and rich programming tools, allowed IBM to develop a custom interface that was quick and easy to use.
Rob Reilly is a consultant, trend spotter, and writer. He is a contributing editor for LinuxToday. He advises clients on portable computing, presentation technology, and business process integration. You can visit his web page at http://home.earthlink.net/~robreilly.