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NIHON KOHDEN (日本光電) Life Scope monitoring history from the 1990s. This article discussed the attempt to pass off the yellow MULTI sockets as an innovative modular design and using the old modular rack of Life Scope BSS-9800 to mislead the market Life Scope J is a modular monitor.
NIHON KOHDEN Life Scope Patient Monitors Struggling The Disruptive Digital Revolution (V)
THE DENIAL OF REALITY
Where fear is, there is your task - Carl Jung
To avoid being seen as a failure, the company tried to hide the truth
In order not to reveal to the market NIHON KOHDEN had given up development to make modular monitors, the modular Life Scope S and Life Scope M were still being actively promoted on brochures. Since it could not be for sales improvement, its real purpose was to lie that the company is still capable of making modular monitors.
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| The failed modular monitors that still appeared in this brochure was to hide the truth from the market |
About 9 years after the launch of modular Life Scope S Bedside Station, a new Life Scope J (BSM-9101) purporting to be a modular bedside monitor was released for export. The monitor was a bizarre attempt to hide the missing technology platform essential for modular monitors.
Life Scope J (BSM-9101) Bedside Monitor was released in June 2007 using MU-910R as main unit, and an AY-920PA with four yellow MULTI sockets as the input unit.
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| AY-920PA Input Unit with expansion box |
The four yellow MULTI-parameter sockets tells us this input unit has to be equipped with four channels of configured IBP amplifiers. We can conclude the rest of hardware after knowing all parameters that can be measured.
We first filter out the serial kit sets; mainstream CO2, 2nd SpO2, BIS and NMT hardware are supplied as self-contained serial kit sets with digital serial processed data.
The patient monitoring hardware in the AY-920PA Input Unit are concluded as:
(NORMAL BLOCK) The hardware using dedicated sockets and ordinary measurement cables:
- 2 channels of Temperature
- ECG
- SpO2
- NIBP hardware using dedicated sockets.
(MULTI-PARAMETER UNIT BLOCK with four MULTI-parameter sockets) using only Smart Cables for connections:
- 4 channels of IBP (4 MULTI sockets = 4-ch IBP)
- 6 channels of Temperature (3 MULTI sockets = 6-ch TEMP)
- Cardiac Output
- Thermistor Respiration
- FiO2
Note:
Not using the MULTI-parameter sockets are Sidestream CO2, Multi-gas, EEG etc., which are connected using external device interface.
The configured Life Scope J bedside monitor was dressed up to be a modular monitor |
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The market communication was meticulously executed to portray Life Scope J (BSM-9101) bedside monitor as a modular monitor when it is a true-blue configured monitor.
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| Life Scope J bedside monitor appears to be a modular monitor in this brochure image |
In above brochure image, Life Scope J (on the right) is shown using 12 yellow MULTI-parameter sockets, which is an impossible configuration. There is obvious intention to hide the fact only four MULTI-parameter sockets can be added using an external box, because this will expose the solution is analog, not digital.
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| Electrically, AY-920PA Input Unit can only make use of one AA-910P expansion unit |
In the next picture, you can see the AY-920PA Input Unit was designed in a shape that when combined with the recorder make Life Scope J (BSM-9101) bedside monitor (left) closely resemble the Life Scope S (BSS-9800) bedside station with a 8-slot module rack filled with modules (right).
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| Life Scope J bedside monitor was configured while Life Scope S bedside station was modular |
In other words, Life Scope J bedside monitor was specially designed in appearance to look like an updated version of the Life Scope S bedside station.
The components making up a Life Scope J (BSM-9101) bedside monitor system is shown in next picture. The connection from MU-910R Main Unit to AY-920PA Input Unit is using the same connector type utilized by BSS-9800 bedside station; the old modular racks can therefore theoretically be daisy-chained to the AY-920A Input Unit.
Why offer the same old thing that caused the failure of both Life Scope S bedside station and Life Scope M bedside monitor? The problematic module racks and old modules cannot be merchantable since there was no longer any new module under development!
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| Life Scope J Bedside Monitor was not a bona fide modular monitor |
The purpose of the questionable module racks and old modules were there for the powerful association of Life Scope J with modular monitors in the minds of the intended audience (including foreign employees). It was a powerful way to get the audience to nod their heads when making claim that the Life Scope J is a modular monitor.
Without offering a new network infrastructure for measurement data, connecting to the old module racks (from BSS-9800 modular monitor) is meaningless. This pretense can no longer be feigned after discontinuity of old module racks and associated modules without replacements.
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| There was no replacements for discontinued module rack and modules |
The Input Unit and expansion box of Life Scope J bedside monitor is only the equivalence of Life Scope S modular monitor's Saturn module and extension. The rest of the other modules are being solved by using external device interface, a truly configured monitor.
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| Life Scope J bedside monitor has to depend on external device interface for expansion |
The Life Scope J (BSM-9101) Bedside Monitor is relying on using external device interface on the AY-920PA Input Unit or MU-910R Main Unit to third party devices.
