Protocol Micropaq
Wireless Portable Monitor
Eases Recuperation For Cardiac Patients
 As the medical industry enters the wireless/handheld community, innovative products are making the world of medicine more convenient and practical. The Micropaq, designed by IDE Inc. for Protocol Inc., world leader in mission-critical flexible monitoring solutions, is a wireless ambulatory patient monitor developed for use in cardiac-care applications-enabling telemetry based, real-time, wearable patient monitoring. Tugging along a stand-alone monitor during recuperation will soon be a thing of the past.

Protocol's products are used globally by hospitals, paramedic services, and emergency response units. Through their extensive experience Protocol recognized the need for a highly portable monitoring device that would be the next generation in wireless portable care. From the beginning of this project it was clear that the Micropaq should be a progressive step forward.

As a 'guardian' the Micropaq is a product that is placed near or worn by a patient for most of the day. It was important that the Micropaq design present an approachable and comfortable level of technology to the wearer. As a result, the form is soft in its overall lines with no hard edges for patients to lean onto or catch themselves on. The Micropaq is small enough to be worn comfortably on the body and is highly durable and water-resistant. In addition, its smooth surface and minimum number of seams facilitate easy cleaning, which is essential to a smooth running, sanitary hospital environment.

The Micropaq display is integrated within a smooth polycarbonate membrane that helps present the four keys below it. This 'clean' harmony of functions is continued through the waist of the product, which pinches in to encourage it to be held in one hand while reading the display. A serpentined curved plateau presents the display and separates the lower portion of the unit with a balanced, thinner section. The overall aim of the design was to create an approachable and comfortable atmosphere around a high tech medical product.

Inside, all components of significant mass are connected to a rigid chassis, which in turn is fastened to the PCB. This chassis adds great stability to the strength of the product and allows for modularity with both existing and future options. Each unit has an integrated and water-resistant rechargeable battery pack. This allows a hospital staff to maintain a quantity of fully charged replacement batteries.

A Breakthrough In Miniaturization And Application

The Micropaq encompasses the functionality and form of a patient-worn telemetry monitor but also provides common stand alone monitor features including a waveform display, vital sign parameters, and alarm capabilities. According to Robert F. Adrion, Protocol president and CEO, "The Micropaq monitor is a breakthrough product in terms of technology miniaturization and application. We have been able to include many of the critical features of the Propaq portable monitor, such as a wavefform display, multiple vital- sign parameters, and alarm capabilities, into a patient-wearable device approximately the size of a human hand."

Initially, Protocol retained IDE for its industrial design capabilities. Once the industrial design was completed IDE was again retained by Protocol, who expanded IDE's role to include mechanical design and engineering. The Micropaq industrial design was created primarily using NURBS surfacing technology (Rhino 3D). Subsequently the NURBS model was then imported into ProEngineer for the completion of the mechanical design.

The Micropaq is the first of a series of portable products that will be capable of a wide range of monitoring functions. IDE's challenge was to produce a portable device that was durable enough to handle the rigors of an ambulatory environment, and to develop a product whose architecture could support the expansion of the original platform into a family of products.