What if my Philips Intellivue patient monitor doesn't have an MIB/RS232 card?

This post is specifically for our customers who are connecting to a Philips Intellivue patient monitor and have discovered that their patient monitors do not have the required hardware.  Click READ MORE below.

For Philips Intellivue patient monitors to export data to MediCollector, they must have an MIB/RS232 card.  These cards are pieces of hardware that are installed into the patient monitor to enable it to stream data out to external systems such as MediCollector.  There are numerous types of MIB/RS232 cards as shown to the right.

These cards are optional, and from our experience, some hospitals neglect to include them when purchasing their monitors from Philips. The result becomes a major headache when it comes time to integrate these patient monitors with other systems.

If your target Philips monitors don't have an MIB/RS232 card, consider the solutions described below (click the READ MORE link). 

​And if you ever need advice on this, please contact us.

Philips MIB/RS232 cards (Click to enlarge)

1. Purchase and install a card in each patient monitor
These cards can be installed after-the-fact. They are easy to install, but the process requires an experienced biomedical engineer with the proper tools. Its not something you can do "on the fly" at the bedside.  MediCollector even sells some of these cards (contact us for a quote). Or you can contact your local Philips representative to purchase these cards.  Upgrading every one of your patient monitors can be costly and time consuming, though.  

2. Install a card in one patient monitor and use it as a portable patient monitor
If you are using MediCollector for a small clinical study, you might consider installing an MIB/RS232 card in only one patient monitor and then using it a portable research station.  If you mount this upgraded patient monitor on a roll stand, you can transport it to the bedside of a consented patient. You would then disconnect their sensors and probes from their patient monitor, and re-connect them to your portable monitor.  Of course, this process will require approval from clinicians and your local Institutional Review Board.  But many of customers use this technique for their studies.  

And one last reminder:
Choosing your MIB/RS232 card and accompanying cables is a complex process.  And we always recommend you "try before you buy" when evaluating our products.  If you need any assistance, please contact us.