Powerhead Control in a Power Injection System

• US 20070100282A1
• Filed: 10/23/2006
• Published: 05/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liebel Flarsheim Co LLC (Mallinckrodt plc)
• Original Assignee: Mallinckrodt Incorporated (Mallinckrodt plc)
• Inventors: Brooks, David, Neer, Charles, Fago, Frank, Wagner, Gary, Small, James, Borgemenke, Elaine, Lafferty, Sean
• Granted Patent: US 8,900,187 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/151
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/13 with means for the detection of operative contact with patient, e.g. lip sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3362 with minimised length of fluid lines; Taking into account the elastic expansion of fluid lines to increase accuracy
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/505 Touch-screens; Virtual keyboard or keypads; Virtual buttons; Soft keys; Mouse touches
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/583 by visual feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6018 providing set-up signals for the apparatus configuration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/007 for contrast media
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14566 with a replaceable reservoir for receiving a piston rod of the pump
• 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: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection

Abstract

A dual head contrast media injection system performs a patency check or test injection, determining flow rate and/or flow volume from the programmed protocol. The tubing that connects syringes to a patient shares only a short common section near to the patient. Appropriate injection steps are taken to compensate for tubing elasticity. A wireless remote control and a touch screen control are provided, improving functionality and information delivery. The display brightness is controlled based on the ambient light, and the display panel includes a double swivel permitting re-orientation. The orientation of the display may also be controlled based on, e.g., the current step, the tilt angle of the powerhead, or a manual control. Furthermore, the display is customizable to identify the type of fluid (contrast, saline, etc.) on either side of the injector, to provide matched color coding, and to provide a folder/tab analogy for retrieving injection protocol parameters.

Claims

10. A method for controlling the display of a contrast media injector system, comprising the steps of:

detecting an ambient light level within an environment in which the injector system is operating;

determining a brightness level for at least one display element of a user interface display in the injector system based on the ambient light level; and

controlling the at least one display element based on the brightness level using a control circuit within the contrast media injector system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the user interface display is provided in a powerhead of the contrast media injector system.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the user interface display is provided in a console of the contrast media injector system.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the user interface display comprises a plurality of display items.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of display items include an LED.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the control circuit controls a duty cycle of a signal to the LED based on the ambient light level.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of display items include a LCD driver circuit and LCD display.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the LCD driver circuit pulse-width-modulates a signal to control the LCD display based on the ambient light level.

18. A contrast media injector system comprising:

a powerhead configured to control delivery of a fluid via a fluid container, comprising a fluid container mounting and a motorized drive for performing a fluid injection with said fluid container; and

a touch screen display incorporated into said powerhead and configured to provide an interactive user interface for controlling substantially all aspects of the contrast media injector system.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the interactive user interface provides a series of displays screens having a plurality of input regions.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the interactive user interface duplicates the functionality of a console of the contrast media injector system.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the interactive user interface provides a redundant source for the functionality of a console of the contrast media injector system.

22. The system of claim 18 wherein the interactive user interface provides one or more of the functions from the list of:

entering a protocol;

saving a protocol;

editing a protocol;

identifying total patient contrast volume;

displaying historical injection data;

displaying injection phase information;

displaying injection delay information;

orientation of the display and selecting a language setting.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the interactive user interface provides contextual help information for one or more of the display screens.

24. A contrast media injector system comprising:

a powerhead including a display screen;

the powerhead configured to control injection of a fluid within a fluid container coupled thereto; and

a graphical element within the display screen corresponding to the fluid container and the fluid, wherein a color of the graphical element is selected based on an identity of the fluid.

1. A contrast media injector system comprising:

a display for a user interface for an operator of the contrast media injector system;

an ambient light sensor configured to detect an ambient light level; and

a control circuit coupled with the ambient light sensor and configured to control a brightness level for the display based on the ambient light level.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the display is provided in a powerhead of the contrast media injector system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the display is provided in a console of the contrast media injector system.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the display comprises a plurality of display items.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of display items include an LED.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the control circuit controls a duty cycle of a signal to the LED based on the ambient light level.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of display items include a LCD driver circuit and LCD display.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the LCD driver circuit pulse-width-modulates a signal to control the LCD display based on the ambient light level.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

an override setting circuit configured to set the brightness level to a value different than the control circuit.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein a color of the graphical element is yellow if the fluid is saline.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein a color of the graphical element is purple if the fluid is contrast media.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein a color of the graphical element is black if the fluid is air.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the graphical element indicates a level of the fluid within the syringe and connected tubing.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein respective first and second tubing is connected to the first and second syringes and the first and second tubing is colored substantially similar to the color of the first and second graphical elements, respectively.

28-1. The system of claim 24, wherein the powerhead is a dual head powerhead and the display screen includes a first graphical element for a first syringe connected thereto and a second graphical element for a second syringe connected thereto, wherein a respective color for each of the first and second graphical elements is dependent on a respective fluid associated with each of the first and second syringes.

30. A contrast media injector system comprising:

a processor;

a non-volatile storage coupled with the processor;

an application stored within the non-volatile storage configured to execute on said processor to;

display a graphical element on a connected display screen, the graphical element corresponding to a syringe for a particular fluid; and

;

control a color of the graphical element on the display screen based on the particular fluid.

31. A powerhead for a contrast media injector system comprising:

a drive mechanism for operating a syringe ram according to a control signal from a control circuit;

a receiver located local to the control circuit and coupled to the control circuit; and

a remote control having a transmitter located remotely from the receiver and configured to wirelessly transmit a command to the receiver related to moving the syringe ram, wherein the receiver forwards the command to the control circuit.

32. The powerhead of claim 31, wherein the transmitter and receiver communicate via one of RF, UHF, VHF, infrared, and ultrasonic signals.

33. The powerhead of claim 31, further comprising:

a tether configured to securely attach the remote control to the powerhead.

34. The powerhead of claim 33, wherein the tether further includes a signal bearing medium coupling the transmitter to the receiver.

35. The powerhead of claim 31, wherein the remote control includes:

a first button to control the syringe ram in a first direction; and

a second button to control the syringe ram in a second direction opposite the first.

36. The powerhead of claim 31, wherein the remote control is sized to fit substantially within one hand of an operator of the contrast media injector system.

37. Within a contrast media injector system, a method comprising the steps of:

receiving a command to move a syringe ram of a powerhead, the command wirelessly transmitted from a location remote from the powerhead; and

moving the syringe ram of the powerhead based on the command.

38. A tubing assembly for a dual head contrast media injector system comprising:

first tubing providing a first fluid path between a first syringe and a patient fitting, for a first fluid;

second tubing providing a second fluid path, separate from the first fluid path, between a second syringe and the patient fitting, for a second fluid; and

the fitting configured to provide fluid communication between each of the first tubing and second tubing with a common fluid path for delivery of either the first or second fluid to a patient.

39. The tubing assembly of claim 38, wherein:

the first and second tubing are connected for at least a portion between the first and second syringes and the patient fitting while maintaining separation between the first fluid path and the second fluid path.

40. The tubing assembly of claim 38 wherein the patient fitting includes a luer fitting.

41. The tubing assembly of claim 39 wherein the portion includes a round outer tubing separated into two longitudinal chambers by a way substantially bisecting an internal diameter of the round outer tubing.

42. The tubing assembly of claim 39, wherein the portion includes two substantially similar tubes connected together on a respective outside edge of each tube.

43. A method within a dual head contrast media injector system, comprising the steps of:

connecting a first fluid container to a patient fitting via first tubing providing a first fluid path between the first fluid container and the patient fitting, for a first fluid;

connecting a second fluid container to the patient fitting via second tubing providing a second fluid path, separate from the first fluid path, between the second syringe and the patient fitting, for a second fluid; and

connecting the first fluid path and the second fluid path with the patient fitting via a common chamber in fluid communication with both the first and second tubing;

driving the first fluid container to deliver the first fluid to the patient via the patient fitting; and

concurrently with driving the first fluid container, driving the second fluid container to oppose reverse flow of the second fluid as a result of pressures induced by driving the first fluid container.

44. A method for performing a preliminary injection within a dual head contrast media injector system comprising the steps of:

identifying a selected injection protocol;

determining injection parameters for fluid flows defined by the injection protocol; and

setting injection parameters for a preliminary injection based on the determined injection parameters.

45. The method of claim 44 wherein the determined injection parameters are selected from the group including identity of fluid delivered, volume of fluid delivered and flow rate of fluid delivered.

46. The method of claim 44 applied to the performance of a saline patency check, further comprising the step of determining whether a syringe holding saline has enough saline to perform the patency check and the selected protocol.

47. The method of claim 46 further comprising, in the event of insufficient saline to perform the patency check and the selected protocol, a step selected from the group of terminating the patency check or issuing a warning prior to performing the patency check.

48. The method of claim 44, further comprising the steps of:

providing the determined injection parameters to an operator via a user interface;

receiving instructions back from the operator via the user interface; and

performing the patency check according to the instructions.

49. A dual head contrast media injector system, the system comprising:

a processor for controlling operation of the injector system;

a memory coupled to the processor and storing a plurality of injection protocols, each protocol including respective injection parameters;

a first head for driving injection of fluid from a first syringe;

a second head for driving injection of fluid from a second syringe;

the processor configured to selectively perform a preliminary injection prior to performing an injection protocol, wherein a flow rate for the preliminary injection is based on injection parameters for a particular injection protocol selected to follow said preliminary injection.

50. The dual head contrast media injector system of claim 49 wherein said first syringe contains saline fluid and said preliminary injection is a patency check and utilizes saline fluid from said first syringe of said injector system.

51. The dual head contrast media injector system of claim 50 wherein said patency check preliminary injection utilizes a flow rate equal to a maximum flow rate of said particular injection protocol.

52. The dual head contrast media injector system of claim 49 wherein said preliminary injection is a test injection and initially utilizes the same head of said injector system as is initially used by said particular injection protocol.

53. The dual head contrast media injector system of claim 52 wherein said test preliminary injection utilizes a flow rate equal to an initial flow rate of said particular injection protocol.

54. The dual head contrast media injector system of claim 49 wherein said preliminary injection is separately enabled from said particular injection protocol, said processor configured to selectively not perform the preliminary injection upon instruction from an operator.

55. The dual head contrast media injector system of claim 49 wherein said test injection may be selectively performed without modification of said particular injection protocol.

56. The dual head contrast media injector system of claim 49 wherein said processor is configured to calculate fluid requirements of said preliminary injection and said particular injection protocol, and to generate an operator indication of insufficient fluid.

57. The dual head contrast media injector system of claim 49 wherein said first and second syringes are connected by a common length of tubing to a patient injection site, and said processor is configured to perform injection steps as part of said preliminary injection to fill said common length of tubing with a predetermined one of saline, contrast and a mixture thereof.

58. An injector system comprising:

a powerhead configured to control delivery of a fluid via a syringe, comprising a syringe drive for driving a syringe for injection of fluid;

a display on said powerhead configured to provide an interactive user interface; and

a mount connecting said powerhead and display screen, said mount permitting said display to be positioned flush with a surface of said powerhead and permitting said display to be moved to a position extending from the surface of the injector.

59. The injector system of claim 58 wherein

said mount provides a double swivel permitting said display to be swiveled away from said injector surface and pivoted about its axis.

60. The injector system of claim 58 wherein said display is capable of presenting a display in one of at least two orientations.

61. The injector system of claim 60 further comprising a controller for controlling said powerhead in accordance with a sequence of steps, and generating display information for said display, said controller providing a display in a first orientation during a first of said sequence of steps and generating display information for said display in a second orientation during a second of said sequence of steps.

62. An injector system comprising:

a powerhead configured to control delivery of a fluid via a syringe, comprising a syringe drive for driving a syringe for injection of fluid in accordance with a sequence of steps;

a display on said powerhead configured to provide an interactive user interface, said display capable of presenting a display in one of at least two orientations; and

a controller within said powerhead for controlling said powerhead through said sequence of steps, and generating display information for said display, said controller providing a display in a first orientation and/or scale during a first of said sequence of steps and generating display information for said display in a second orientation and/or scale during a second of said sequence of steps.

63. The injector system of claim 62 wherein said powerhead further comprises a tilt sensor for generating a tilt angle signal delivered to said controller, said tilt angle signal indicative of an angle of tilt of said powerhead relative to a direction of Earth gravitation, and said controller provides a display in a first or second orientation during an injection step based upon said tilt angle signal.

64. A contrast media injector system comprising:

a processor;

a non-volatile storage coupled with the processor;

an application stored within the non-volatile storage configured to execute on said processor to;

display on a connected display screen, an identification of a fluid type contained in a syringe mounted to said injector; and

modify the identification of fluid type in said display based upon operator input.

65. The contrast media injector system of claim 64 wherein said injector system comprises mountings for mounting first and second syringes thereto, and said application generates a display with an identification of a fluid type in each of said syringes, said identification for each syringe being selectable to identify at least contrast media or saline solution for each said syringe.

66. A method of displaying stored injection parameters in a contrast media injector system comprising:

displaying on a connected display screen of said injector system, an identification of each of a plurality of stored sets of injection parameters;

displaying on said display screen, an identification of a group, and an association of each of said displayed sets of injection parameters with said group; and

displaying on said display screen, identifications of additional groups.

67. The method of claim 66 wherein said displaying steps are performed simultaneously.

68. The method of claim 66 further comprising responding to actuation of the identification of a given group of said additional groups, by displaying an identification of a plurality of stored sets of injection parameters associated with said given group.

69. The method of claim 66 wherein each of said group identification is displayed on a graphical folder tab on said display, and the contents of a currently selected folder tab are displayed as including said identifications of said sets of display parameters.

70. The method of claim 66 wherein said identifications of said sets of injection parameters are each associated with a display of one or more of said injection parameters.