Standard medical device data language (MDDL): architecture and applications

A medical device data language (MDDL) is being developed by the P1073 Medical Information Bus (MIB) Standard Committee, under the auspices of the Engineering in Biology and Medicine Society (EMBS) of the IEEE. A review is presented of several significant architectural notions and application issues associated with MDDL. The conflicting requirements of comprehensiveness, flexibility, extensibility, and feasibility (cost, performance) have necessitated the use of a number of methods ranging from object-oriented abstraction to regenerative transformational grammar to substitution of other languages. As a result, significant progress has been made but further work is needed and is continuing to achieve a `survivable´ MDDL. Present emphasis is on specification of the initial version and on extensibility and compatibility of evolved versions