Medication management system

• US 20070214003A1
• Filed: 02/20/2004
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ICU Medical Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ICU Medical Incorporated
• Inventors: Pelletier, Jeff, McNeela, Martin, Keely, Patrick, Holland, Geoffrey, Cassidy, David, Howard, Gary, Dovydaitis, Vincent, Franz, Eric
• Application Number:
  US10/783,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20070214003A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage

Abstract

A medication management system (MMS) includes a medication management unit (MMU) associated with a medical device. The MMU downloads a medication order to the medical device only if information from a first input matches information from a second input. The medical,device receives delivery information only from the MMU. The medication order is performed only after delivery data validation. The MMU also determines drug-drug incompatibility. The MMU can modulate (start, stop, and dynamically adjust) medication order performance. The medical device wirelessly receives a patient ID to automatically associate with the patient. During delivery, the medical device caches an updated drug library to replace an existing one. The medical device displays a patient picture for validation. The MMU evaluates the performance of medical devices and caregivers based medical device feedback. The MMU adjusts the output of medical device information conveyed to a caregiver.

Claims

1. A method for downloading a drug library from a medication management unit to a medical infusion device having a primary memory and an existing drug library stored in the primary memory, comprising:

determining that a drug library update needed event has occurred;

transmitting a new drug library from the medication management unit to the medical infusion device upon occurrence of the drug library update needed event;

storing the new drug library in a cache memory of the medical infusion device while maintaining the existing drug library in the primary memory;

determining that a specific trigger event has occurred; and

replacing the existing drug library in the primary memory with the new drug library upon occurrence of the trigger event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger event is selected from the group consisting of a completed infusion, a stopped infusion, a determination that the device is in a configurable mode, elapsed time, a specific date and time, creation of the new drug library, a download of a modified drug library to the medication management unit, and a determination that the existing drug library at the medical device needs updating.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the configurable mode is selected from a group of device modes consisting of a power-on sleeping mode and a power-off mode.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the drug library update needed event is selected from the group consisting of a completed infusion, a stopped infusion, elapsed time, a specific date and time, creation of the new drug library, a download of a modified drug library to the medication management unit, and a determination that the existing drug library at the medical device needs updating.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining when the trigger event has occurred is done by the medication management unit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining when the trigger event has occurred is done by the medical device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining when the drug library update needed event has occurred is done by the medication management unit.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining when the drug library update needed event has occurred is done by the medical device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of performing an infusion with the medical device using the existing drug library during the transmitting step.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the new drug library is stored in the cache memory while the medical device is performing an infusion.

11. A medication management system for downloading a drug library from a medication management unit to a medical device having a primary memory and an existing drug library stored in the primary memory, comprising:

a medication management unit having a processing unit and a storage medium coupled to the processing unit, the storage medium containing programming code executed by the processing unit to;

determine that a drug library update needed event has occurred, and

transmit a new drug library from the medication management unit to a medical device upon occurrence of the drug library update needed event; and

a medical device in electronic communication with the medication management unit, having a processor and a primary memory coupled to the processor, the primary memory containing an existing drug library and programming code executed by the processor to;

store the new drug library in a cache memory of the medical device while maintaining the existing drug library in the primary memory,

determine that a specific trigger event has occurred, and

replace the existing drug library in the primary memory with the new drug library upon occurrence of the trigger event.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the trigger event is selected from the group consisting of a completed infusion, a stopped infusion, a determination that the device is in a configurable mode, elapsed time, a specific date and time, creation of the new drug library, a download of a modified drug library to the medication management unit, and a determination that the existing drug library at the medical device needs updating.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the configurable mode is selected from a group of device modes consisting of a power-on sleeping mode and a power-off mode.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the drug library update needed event is selected from the group consisting of a completed infusion, a stopped infusion, elapsed time, a specific date and time, creation of the new drug library, a download of a modified drug library to the medication management unit, and a determination that the existing drug library at the medical device needs updating.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the medical device is adapted to perform an infusion using the existing drug library while the new drug library is transmitted.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the new drug library is stored in the cache memory while the medical device is performing an infusion.