DEVICE AND METHOD FOR THE DETECTION OF AN OCCLUSION

• US 20070270747A1
• Filed: 10/13/2006
• Published: 11/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diagnostics International AG (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Remde, Axel
• Granted Patent: US 7,881,883 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/131
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/16863 Occlusion detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16854 by monitoring line pressure

Abstract

A method for detecting occlusions including providing a signal that characterizes a conveying status of a fluid, and determining from a difference between two such signals whether an occlusion has occurred. The invention encompasses a device for detecting an occlusion including a sensor for sensing a fluid flow parameter and/or an operational parameter of the device and an evaluation unit for processing the output of the sensor.

Claims

1. A method for detecting an occlusion, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a signal that characterizes a conveying status of a fluid; and

comparing the signal and another signal, wherein a difference between the signal and the another signal indicates whether an occlusion has occurred.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a fluid pressure in one of an ampule, a catheter and a cannula is measured to provide the signal.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the signal is filtered.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a force is measured to provide the signal.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the force is a gear mechanism reaction force.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the signal is filtered.

7. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the filtering is accomplished by limiting a pressure rise between chronologically successive signals.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the providing of the signal is carried out either continuously or discretely.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a respective delivery rate is taken into account in comparing the signal and the another signal.

10. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein a disturbance level of the pressure is taken into account for at least one of filtering and comparing the signal.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an occlusion is indicated by a threshold operator on the basis of the provided signal.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an occlusion is indicated by using the Page-Hinkley stopping rule.

13. A device for detecting an occlusion, the device comprising a sensor for sensing at least one of a fluid pressure of a fluid and a force characteristic of a conveying status of a fluid and providing a signal, and an evaluation unit for comparing the signal and another value, wherein a difference between the signal and the value indicates whether an occlusion has occurred.