Apparatus and methods for administering bioactive compositions

• US 20040254527A1
• Filed: 06/10/2003
• Published: 12/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Vitello, Christopher John, King, William F., Ames, Eric L., Ornellas, Frederic Adam
• Granted Patent: US 7,442,180 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/82
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/025 Bubble jet droplet ejection devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1408 in parallel, e.g. manifolds, sequencing valves access sites A61M39/02; tube connectors A61M39/10
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/142 Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16813 by controlling the degree of opening of the flow line
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16827 controlling delivery of multiple fluids, e.g. sequencing, mixing or via separate flow-paths infusion of multiple fluids without using a controller A61M5/1407
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1689 Drip counters
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure

Abstract

Bioactive agents are dosed by a jet dispenser using inkjet technology, such as that used in printing devices. The jet dispenser dispenses precise amounts of bioactive agent into a fluid manifold, in which the bioactive agent can be mixed with an infusion liquid for infusing into a patient. A controller may control delivery of one or more drugs, timing of drug administration, or change drug regimens in response to a changing medical condition of a patient. A drop detector can be used to detect various characteristics of the droplets of the bioactive agent dispensed by the jet dispenser and provide a feedback signal to the controller to determine whether a detected characteristic satisfies a predetermined condition. Methods for administering bioactive agents using a jet dispenser also are disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for administering a bioactive composition to a subject, comprising:

a plurality of jet dispensers, each jet dispenser being operable to dispense droplets of the bioactive composition; and

a mixing unit having a plurality of mixing chambers, each mixing chamber being configured to receive the bioactive composition dispensed from a respective jet dispenser, each mixing chamber having an inlet for receiving an infusion liquid to be mixed with the bioactive composition and an outlet for discharging a mixture of the infusion liquid and the bioactive composition.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of fluid reservoirs for containing the bioactive composition, each fluid reservoir being fluidly connected to a respective jet dispenser.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the jet dispensers are piezoelectric droplet jet dispensers.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the jet dispensers are thermal droplet jet dispensers.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each jet dispenser comprises an ejection orifice, the ejection orifices being formed in a die interposed between the fluid reservoirs and the mixing units, each ejection orifice being fluidly connected to a respective fluid reservoir and operable to eject a controlled amount of the bioactive composition into a respective mixing chamber.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein each jet dispenser further comprises a heating element to heat a quantity of the bioactive composition, thereby causing a droplet of the bioactive composition to be ejected from a respective ejection orifice.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a drop detector operable to detect a characteristic of the droplets of the bioactive composition that are dispensed from at least one of said jet dispensers.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the drop detector is operable to detect the presence of droplets dispensed from at least one of said jet dispensers.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the drop detector is operable to detect the rate at which the droplets are ejected from at least one of said jet dispensers.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the drop detector is operable to detect the volume of the droplets dispensed from at least one of said jet dispensers.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising an alarm operatively connected to the drop detector and operable to provide a warning if the characteristic detected by the drop detector does not satisfy a predetermined condition.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the alarm provides a warning if the drop detector does not detect the presence of droplets.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the drop detector comprises a plurality of the drop detectors for detecting a characteristic of the droplets dispensed from each jet dispenser.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a controller for actuating the jet dispensers.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller is operable to control the jet dispensers to dispense the bioactive composition from each jet dispenser at a different dispensing rate.

16. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the drop detector comprises an optical drop detector including a light source producing a light beam and a light sensor positioned to detect the light beam, the light beam intersecting an ejection path of the droplets ejected from at least one of said jet dispensers.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a drop detector for detecting a characteristic of a droplet dispensed from one said jet dispensers and providing a signal corresponding to the detected characteristic; and

a controller operable to receive said signal from the drop detector and to stop the jet dispenser from dispensing the bioactive composition if the detected characteristic does not satisfy a predetermined condition.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the jet dispensers comprise a first jet dispenser and a second jet dispenser, the first jet dispenser operable to dispense droplets of a predetermined size, the second jet dispenser operable to dispense droplets of a predetermined size different than the size of droplets dispensed from the first jet dispenser.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each mixing chamber has a drip surface and each jet dispenser is configured to dispense droplets of the bioactive composition onto a respective drip surface.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the inlet of each mixing chamber is configured to direct the infusion liquid to flow over a respective drip surface.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of fluid conduits fluidly connected to the outlets of the mixing chambers for delivering mixtures of the infusion liquid and the bioactive composition to the subject.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of pumping chambers for receiving mixtures of the infusion liquid and the bioactive composition from the mixing chambers and pumping said mixtures into the subject.

23. An apparatus for administering a bioactive composition to a subject, comprising:

a jet dispenser for dispensing a controlled amount of the bioactive composition in the form of droplets;

a fluid manifold for receiving the droplets of the bioactive composition dispensed from the jet dispenser; and

a drop detector for detecting a characteristic of the droplets dispensed from the jet dispenser.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising a warning device operatively connected to the drop detector and operable to provide a warning if the characteristic detected by the drop detector does not satisfy a predetermined condition.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the characteristic to be detected by the drop detector is the presence of droplets dispensed from the jet dispenser.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the characteristic to be detected by the drop detector is the rate at which droplets are ejected from the jet dispenser.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the characteristic to be detected by the drop detector is the volume of the droplets dispensed from the jet dispenser.

28. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising a controller operable to control the jet dispenser to dispense the bioactive composition.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the controller is operable to control the jet dispenser to stop dispensing the bioactive composition if the characteristic detected by the drop detector does not satisfy a predetermined condition.

30. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the fluid manifold includes a fluid inlet for receiving an infusion liquid to be mixed with the bioactive composition and a fluid outlet for discharging a solution of the infusion liquid and the bioactive composition.

31. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein:

the jet dispenser comprises a plurality of jet dispensers for dispensing a controlled amount of the bioactive composition in the from of droplets;

the fluid manifold comprises a plurality of mixing chambers, each receiving droplets of the bioactive composition from a respective jet dispenser; and

the drop detector comprises a plurality of drop detectors, each being operable to detect a characteristic of droplets that are dispensed from one of said jet dispensers.

32. An apparatus for administering a bioactive composition to a subject, comprising:

a jet dispenser operable to dispense droplets of the bioactive composition; and

a fluid chamber, the fluid chamber having;

a drip surface;

a first inlet for receiving an infusion liquid such that the infusion liquid is directed onto the drip surface;

a second inlet for receiving the bioactive composition dispensed from the jet dispenser such that the bioactive composition is directed onto the drip surface; and

a fluid outlet for discharging a mixture of the infusion liquid and the bioactive composition.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, further comprising:

a drop detector for detecting a characteristic of the droplets dispensed from the jet dispenser;

and a warning device in communication with the drop detector and operable to provide a warning if the characteristic detected by drop detector does not satisfy a predetermined condition.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, further comprising a controller in communication with the drop detector and operable to stop the jet dispenser from dispensing the bioactive composition if the characteristic detected by drop detector does not satisfy a predetermined condition.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the drop detector is operable to detect the volume of the droplets dispensed from the jet dispenser and the controller is operable to determine the dispensing rate of the jet dispenser based on the volume of the droplets, the controller being operable to stop the jet dispenser from dispensing the bioactive composition if the dispensing rate exceeds a predetermined dispensing rate.

36. An apparatus for administering a bioactive composition to a subject, comprising:

a plurality of fluid reservoirs for dispensing a controlled amount of the bioactive composition;

a plurality of fluid chambers for containing and delivering the bioactive composition to the fluid dispensers; and

a fluid manifold having a first inlet for receiving the bioactive composition dispensed from the fluid dispensers, a second inlet for receiving an infusion liquid to be mixed with the bioactive composition, and an outlet for discharging a mixture of the infusion liquid and the bioactive composition.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the fluid manifold comprises a plurality of mixing chambers, each mixing chamber having a first inlet for receiving the bioactive composition from one of said fluid dispensers, a second inlet for receiving an infusion liquid to be mixed with the bioactive composition, and an outlet for discharging a mixture of the infusion liquid and the bioactive composition.

38. The apparatus of claim 36, further comprising a controller for actuating the fluid dispensers.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the controller controls the fluid dispensers to dispense the bioactive composition at different rates.

40. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the fluid dispensers are jet dispensers.

41. The apparatus of claim 36, further comprising a fluid sensor operable to sense a characteristic of the bioactive composition that is dispensed from at least one of said fluid dispensers.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the fluid dispensers are jet dispensers operable to eject droplets of the bioactive composition into the fluid manifold and the fluid sensor comprises a drop detector operable to detect a characteristic of the droplets of the bioactive composition that are ejected from at least one of said jet dispensers.

43. A method for administering a bioactive composition to a subject, comprising:

dispensing droplets of the bioactive composition from a plurality of jet dispensers into respective mixing chambers of a fluid manifold;

mixing an infusion liquid with the bioactive composition in each mixing chamber; and

discharging a mixture of the infusion liquid and the bioactive composition from each mixing chamber and delivering each mixture to the subject.

44. The method of claim 43, comprising simultaneously dispensing at least two different bioactive compositions from the jet dispensers.

45. The method of claim 43, comprising ejecting droplets of the bioactive compositions from one of said jet dispensers at a first rate and ejecting droplets of the bioactive composition from another of said jet dispensers at a second rate that is different than the first rate.

46. The method of claim 43, further comprising detecting a characteristic of the droplets dispensed from at least one of said jet dispensers and providing a warning if the characteristic does not satisfy a predetermined condition.

47. The method of claim 43, further comprising flowing the mixture from each mixing chamber into the subject.

48. The method of claim 43, further comprising flowing the mixture from each mixing chamber into a respective pump and pumping each mixture into the subject.

49. A method for administering a bioactive composition to a subject, comprising:

dispensing from a jet dispenser droplets of the bioactive composition;

detecting a characteristic of the droplets dispensed from the jet dispenser; and

delivering the bioactive composition to the subject.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein detecting a characteristic of the droplets comprises detecting for the presence of droplets dispensed from the jet dispenser.

51. The method of claim 49, wherein detecting a characteristic of the droplets comprises detecting the rate at which the droplets are dispensed from the jet dispenser.

52. The method of claim 49, wherein detecting a characteristic of the droplets comprises detecting the volume of the droplets dispensed from the jet dispenser.

53. The method of claim 49, further comprising:

determining the dispensing rate of the jet dispenser; and

stopping the jet dispenser from dispensing the bioactive composition if the dispensing rate exceeds a prescribed dispensing rate.

54. The method of claim 49, further comprising providing a warning if the detected characteristic does not satisfy a predetermined condition.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein providing a warning comprises automatically activating an alarm if the detected characteristic does not satisfy a predetermined condition.

56. The method of claim 49, further comprising:

dispensing the droplets of the bioactive composition into a fluid manifold prior to delivering the bioactive composition to the subject;

mixing the bioactive composition with an infusion liquid in the fluid manifold; and

delivering a mixture of the infusion liquid and the bioactive composition to the subject.

57. The method of claim 56, comprising:

dispensing droplets of the bioactive composition from a plurality of jet dispensers into respective mixing chambers of the fluid manifold;

mixing an infusion liquid with the bioactive composition in each mixing chamber; and

simultaneously discharging a mixture of the infusion liquid and the bioactive composition from each mixing chamber for administering to the subject.

58. The method of claim 57, comprising dispensing at least two different bioactive compositions from the jet dispensers.

59. An infusion system for administering bioactive compositions to a subject, comprising:

a plurality of containers for containing an infusion liquid;

a dispensing apparatus comprising a fluid reservoir unit having a plurality of fluid reservoirs for storing the bioactive composition, a fluid manifold having plurality of mixing chambers, and a plurality of jet dispensers, each jet dispenser being fluidly connected to a respective fluid reservoir and being operable to dispense a controlled amount of the bioactive composition into a respective mixing chamber in the form of droplets, each mixing chamber having a first inlet for receiving the bioactive composition from a respective jet dispenser, a second inlet for receiving the infusion liquid from one of said containers for mixing with the bioactive composition, and an outlet for discharging a mixture of the infusion liquid and the bioactive composition; and

a plurality of independent fluid conduits for delivering the infusion liquid of each container to a respective mixing chamber;

a controller for controlling the jet dispensers;

a plurality of drop detectors, each drop detector positioned in one of said mixing chambers and operable to detect a characteristic of the droplets dispensed from one of said jet dispensers, each drop detector operable to provide a feedback signal to the controller corresponding to a detected characteristic; and

an alarm device operatively connected to the controller, the controller being operable to active the alarm to provide a warning if a characteristic detected by one of said drop detectors does not satisfy a predetermined condition.