Angiographic Injector System with Multiple Processor Redundancy

• US 20080103437A1
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/1995
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ACIST Medical Systems Incorporated (Bracco SPA)
• Original Assignee: ACIST Medical Systems Incorporated (Bracco SPA)
• Inventors: Smith, James P., Wilson, Robert F., Duchon, Douglas J., Anderson, Katherine H., Liu, Jiyan
• Application Number:
  US11/756,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20080103437A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/67
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/481 involving the use of contrast agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/504 for diagnosis of blood vessels, e.g. by angiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/548 Remote control of the apparatus or devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/1403 Flushing or purging
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3561 local, e.g. within room or hospital
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2209/01 Remote controllers for specific apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/04 Heartbeat characteristics, e.g. ECG, blood pressure modulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/001 Apparatus specially adapted for cleaning or sterilising syringes or needles
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/007 for contrast media
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14216 Reciprocating piston type
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14232 Roller pumps
• 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 5/172 electrical or electronic A61M5/16804, A61M5/16831 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1723 using feedback of body parameters, e.g. blood-sugar, pressure measurement of body parameters A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/36 with means for eliminating or preventing injection or infusion of air into body dialysis systems, blood oxygenators A61M1/14; haemofiltration equipment A61M1/34; automatic tube cut-off A61M39/281
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/365 Air detectors A61M5/1684 takes precedence; in extracorporeal blood circuits A61M1/3626
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/01 Motorized syringe

Abstract

An angiographic injector system and a method of controllably delivering medical fluid to a patient from an angiographic injector system are disclosed. A multiple processor control system is used to actively control the injection process and to monitor sensed functions of the system. The multiple processors provide dual redundancy safety circuits for critical control functions such as syringe motor drive speed and current. A motor/servo-amplifier nested control function is also disclosed. A unique method and apparatus are disclosed for establishing injection parameter default values just prior to an injection procedure that are based on physiological values of the patient to be treated. The injector system uses an interactive display panel that presents sequenced set-up screens to the user and which enables the user to select injection procedures, parameters and other modes of operation directly through the interactive panel.

Claims

1. A method of controllably delivering medical fluid from an angiographic injection apparatus to a patient, comprising:

a. providing the angiographic injection apparatus with a fluid delivery mechanism for injecting the medical fluid into a patient; and

b. controlling the medical fluid injection from the fluid delivery mechanism with at least two computers operatively connected with said fluid delivery mechanism.

2. The method of claim 1, including the steps of:

monitoring key operative functions of said delivery mechanism with said computers; and

controlling said medical fluid injection in response to said monitoring;

wherein more than one of said computers can effect control of the injection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said computers is a PC-type computer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said computers is an embedded core type computer.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one of said computers is an embedded core type computer.

6. The method of claim 1, including the step of providing independent dual redundancy control of key operative functions of said delivery mechanism by separate ones of said at least two computers.

7. An angiographic injector system, comprising:

a. a device for injecting a medical fluid into a patient;

b. drive means operatively connected with said device for causing said device to inject said medical fluid; and

c. a plurality of computers operatively connected with said drive means for actively controlling said drive means.

8. The injector system of claim 7, wherein said computers actively control said drive means to control key injection parameters of said device.

9. The injector system of claim 8, wherein one of said key injection parameters is flow rate of the medical fluid.

10. The injector system of claim 8, wherein one of said key injection parameters is volume of the medical fluid.

11. The injector system of claim 7, wherein one of said computers is a PC-type computer.

12. The injector system of claim 11, wherein said PC-type computer includes an interface for providing interactive communications between the PC computer and a user.

13. The injector system of claim 12, wherein said interface includes a visual display and associated touch screen interface.

14. The injector system of claim 7, wherein one of said computers is an embedded core type computer.

15. The injector system of claim 14, wherein said embedded core type computer is operatively connected to provide hardware control within said system.

16. The injector system of claim 11, wherein one of said computers is an embedded core type computer;

and wherein said system further includes circuit means operatively connecting said PC type and said embedded core type computers for communication with one another.

17. The injector system of claim 7, wherein said device comprises a syringe having a moveable piston;

and wherein said drive means includes a motor operatively connected to move said piston.

18. The injector system of claim 17, wherein at least two of said computers each actively monitors operable parameters of said motor and provides said control of said device in response thereto.

19. The injector system of claim 18, wherein one of said monitored parameters of said motor is motor speed.

20. The injector system of claim 19, further including an optical encoder operatively connected to sense actual speed of said motor and to provide encoder output signals responsive thereto;

and wherein said encoder output signals are processed by each of said at least two computers, thereby establishing a motor overspeed safety circuit.

21. The injector system of claim 18, wherein one of said monitored parameters of said motor is motor torque.

22. The injector system of claim 7, further including a plurality of sensors connected to provide sensed signals indicative of hardware or operative conditions associated with the system;

and wherein said plurality of computers are independently connected to receive and process said sensed signals.

23. A control system for use in combination with an angiographic injection system of the type having a syringe apparatus for discharging a medical fluid into a patient, a syringe control network operatively connected to the syringe apparatus for causing said syringe apparatus to controllably discharge said fluid;

comprising;

at least two computers of a type having independent intelligence processing capability, operatively connected to said syringe control network for monitoring operation of said syringe apparatus and said syringe control network for independently providing control signals to said syringe control network.

24. The control system of claim 23, wherein a first of said computers is an embedded core type computer.

25. The control system of claim 24, wherein a second of said computers is a PC type computer.

26. The control system of claim 25, wherein said syringe control network includes a first dual redundancy safety circuit operatively connected to provided monitored signals to both said PC type and said embedded core type computers for preventing discharge of said fluid from said syringe apparatus above a predetermined delivery rate.

27. The control system of claim 25, wherein said syringe control network includes a second dual redundancy safety circuit operatively connected to provide monitored signals to both said PC type and said embedded core type computers for preventing delivery of said fluid from said syringe apparatus above a predetermined volume.

28. A method for injection of medical fluid into a patient, comprising the steps of:

a. providing an angiographic injection machine;

b. entering at least one patient value into the machine prior to an injection;

c. calculating within the machine at least one injection parameter in response to said entered patient value; and

d. displaying said calculated injection parameter to a user of the machine prior to the injection.

29. The method of claim 28, further including the step of entering said calculated injection parameter into the machine as a default value for said injection parameter, usable by the machine in performing an injection.

30. The method of claim 29, including the step of performing an injection with the machine, using said entered injection parameter.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the step of entering said calculated injection parameter is performed automatically after the parameter has been calculated.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein said patient value is weight.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein said injection parameter is injection flow rate of said medical fluid.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein said injection parameter is volume of said medical fluid.

35. The method of claim 28, wherein said injection parameter is rise time of injection flow rate of said medical fluid.

36. The method of claim 28, wherein said injection parameter is a pressure limit of said medical fluid.

37. An angiographic injector system, comprising:

a. a device for injecting a medical fluid into a patient;

b. control means operatively connected with said device for controllably causing said device to inject said medical fluid in response to at least one injection parameter;

c. input means suitable for receiving an input signal corresponding to a patient physiological value and for providing a patient value signal in response thereto;

d. calculating means operatively connected to receive said patient value signal and for determining a patient related injection parameter in response thereto; and

e. display means operatively connected with said calculating means for displaying said patient related injection parameter external of said injection system.

38. The injector system of claim 37, further including:

a. means operatively connected with said calculating means and with said control means for delivering said patient related injection parameter to said control means;

wherein said control means controls said device at least partially in response to said patient related injection parameter.

39. The injection system of claim 37, wherein said input signal corresponds to patient weight.

40. The injection system of claim 37, wherein said patient related injection parameter is injection flow rate of said medical fluid.

41. The injection system of claim 37, wherein said patient related injection parameter is volume of said medical fluid.

42. The injection system of claim 37, wherein said patient related injection parameter is rise time of injection flow rate of said medical fluid.

43. The injection system of claim 37, wherein said patient related injection parameter is a pressure limit of said medical fluid.

44. An angiographic injecting system comprising:

a. a device for injection a medical fluid into a patient;

b. drive means operatively connected with said device for causing said device to inject said medical fluid;

c. at least one computer operatively connected with said drive means for actively controlling said drive means to cause said device to controllably inject said medical fluid;

d. a user interface display operatively coupled with said computer for receiving input signals from a user and for displaying information to the user; and

e. means operatively connecting said user interface display with said computer to provide said input signals to said computer and for providing said information from the computer to said display.

45. The injector system of claim 44, wherein said user interface display includes a touch pad overlying a visual display screen.

46. The injector system of claim 45, wherein said visual display screen is a liquid crystal device.

47. The injector system of claim 44, wherein said computer provides said information to said user interface display that is configured to display a sequence of interactive set-up screens to a user.

48. The injector system of claim 44, wherein said user interface display includes selectable input receptors, activatable by a user to select different injection procedures.

49. The injector system of claim 48, wherein one of said injection procedures corresponds to an injection of medical fluid into a left coronary study portion of a human anatomy.

50. The injector system of claim 48, wherein one of said injector procedures corresponds to an injection of medical fluid into a right coronary study portion of a human anatomy.

51. The injector system of claim 48, wherein one of said injector procedures corresponds to an injection of medical fluid into a left ventricle and aorta study portion of a human anatomy.

52. The injector system of claim 44, wherein said computer provides said information to said user interface display that contains data for displaying real-time output parameters related to an injection procedure of said system.

53. The injector system of claim 52, wherein one of said real-time output parameters is an accumulated injection volume indicator for a treatment case.

54. The injector system of claim 52, wherein one of said real-time output parameters is an indicator of the instantaneous flow rate occurring during an injection.

55. The injector system of claim 44, wherein said user interface display includes selectable input receptors activatable by a user, to select different injection parameters.

56. The injector system of claim 44, wherein said user interface display includes selectable input receptors, activatable by a user to select either fixed rate or variable rate injection modes of operation.

57. The injector system of claim 44, wherein said drive means includes:

a. a motor operatively connected to actuate said device;

b. a servo-amplifier operatively connected to control said motor, wherein said servo-amplifier receives control signals from said computer; and

c. nested control loop circuitry operatively connecting the motor, servo-amplifier and computer for providing accurate operative control of the motor.