Connectivity

DICOM Devices

Create and manage DICOM devices so HeartLab can recognise and securely connect with any DICOM modality.

Before an imaging device or other DICOM modality can send DICOM studies to HeartLab, a DICOM device must be configured. DICOM devices allow HeartLab to:

Identify incoming DICOM traffic
Provide a secure communication channel
Automatically associate studies with the device's location

Create a DICOM Device

To create a DICOM Device:

Navigate to Settings → Devices → DICOM.
Select Create DICOM Device.
Enter the required information
- Name. A descriptive name used throughout HeartLab. For example, the clinic and room location or the device manufacturer and model.
- AE Title. The DICOM AE Title used by the imaging device. If the device already has an AE Title configured, enter the same value.
Select Save.

Choose a descriptive name to make DICOM devices easier to identify when multiple systems are configured.

Connect a DICOM Device

After creating a DICOM device, retrieve the connection details required to configure it.

Open the required DICOM device.
Select Connect Device.
Select the required connection method, either DICOM TLS or VPN.

HeartLab displays the connection details required to configure the DICOM device.

Connect Using DICOM TLS

When DICOM TLS is selected, the Connect Device window displays the connection details for both the imaging device and the HeartLab server.

Imaging Device

The left-hand side displays:

Device AE Title
Modality certificate (PFX and PEM formats)
Certificate password

HeartLab Server

The right-hand side displays:

Server AE Title
IP address
Port
Server certificate authority

Configure the imaging device to send studies to the server IP address and port, then install the required modality and server certificates.

Some modalities may support anonymous TLS, where the device certificate is not installed on the connecting modality. When using anonymous TLS, it is not possible to use DICOM Modality Worklists or DICOM Query & Retrieve.

Connect Using a VPN

If your organisation communicates with HeartLab using a VPN:

Select VPN as the connection method.
Select the required VPN from the drop-down list.

The connection details for the selected VPN are displayed, including:

Server AE Title
IP address
Port

Configure the imaging device to send studies to the server IP address and port.

The displayed IP address may vary depending on the selected VPN.

Verify the Connection

The Connect Device window displays the current connection status of the DICOM device.

Before the imaging device has successfully connected, HeartLab displays a Waiting for Connection message.

Once a connection has been established, the window displays the date and time of the most recent successful connection.

This information can be used to confirm that the imaging device is communicating successfully with HeartLab.

Manage a DICOM Device

The DICOM device configuration page also allows administrators to:

Enable or disable the device
Delete the device
Configure Allowed Requests
Configure DICOM TLS
Review device configuration

Allowed Requests

Allowed Requests determine which DICOM network operations the DICOM device is permitted to perform. Only allow requests that are required by the DICOM device.

When Anonymous TLS is used by a device to connect to HeartLab, it is only able to store DICOMs and is not permitted to perform any other requests.

Troubleshooting

If a DICOM device cannot connect to HeartLab, verify:

The AE Title matches exactly on both systems.
The destination IP address and port are correct.
The correct connection method has been selected.
The required certificates have been installed when using DICOM TLS.
The selected VPN is connected when using a VPN connection.
The DICOM device is enabled.

The AE Title configured on the imaging device must exactly match the AE Title configured in HeartLab.

Butterfly

Connect Butterfly to HeartLab using DICOM over TLS and configure automatic study export.

GE TLS (Anonymous)

Configure a GE ultrasound system to send DICOM to HeartLab using anonymous TLS.