Catheter Fluid Control System

• US 20080183131A1
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ACIST Medical Systems Incorporated (Bracco SPA)
• Original Assignee: ACIST Medical Systems Incorporated (Bracco SPA)
• Inventors: Wilson, Robert F., Duchon, Douglas J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,262,610 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/97.02
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/1402 Priming
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/1403 Flushing or purging
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/00 Catheters; Hollow probes dilators A61M29/00; peritoneal catheters A61M1/285; tracheal tubes A61M16/04; for drainage A61M27/00; for uterus, vagina or rectum A61M31/00 ; for measuring or testing A61B; materials for catheters A61L29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/10184 Means for controlling or monitoring inflation or deflation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/10185 Valves
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/007 for contrast media
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14 Infusion devices, e.g. infusing by gravity; Blood infusion; Accessories therefor
• 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 5/14216 Reciprocating piston type
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14546 Front-loading type injectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/172 electrical or electronic A61M5/16804, A61M5/16831 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/365 Air detectors A61M5/1684 takes precedence; in extracorporeal blood circuits A61M1/3626

Abstract

A system and method is provided including a fluid communications network that sends priming and waste fluid to a waste bag, obviating the presence of open fluid containers in an operating room or catheter lab. The fluid communications network is constructed and arranged to allow nearly automated priming and bubble removal, thereby reducing the possibility of operator caused errors in set-up and reducing the time required for set-up. The fluid communications network is useable for attachment to a balloon catheter for inflation thereof. In order to provide greater control and automation of the inflation of the balloon catheter, a conversion kit is provided that can be used to convert an existing automatic injector into an injector useable for automatically controlling the small amount of injection fluid typically associated with balloon catheters.

Claims

1-39. -39. (canceled)

40. An automatic medical balloon inflation device comprising:

a fluid pump, attachable to a balloon catheter, and capable of providing fluid pressure to a balloon at a distal end of the balloon catheter;

a computer, operably attached to the pump, and capable of controlling the fluid pressure created by the pump;

a pressure detector, operably attached to the computer, and capable of providing data to the computer corresponding to the fluid pressure created by the pump.

41. The automatic medical balloon inflation device of claim 40 further comprising a program segment, stored in a computer readable medium readable by said computer, that when executed enables said computer to determine the existence of predetermined characteristics of the data received by the computer from the pressure detector, and to react to the characteristics in a predetermined manner.

42. The automatic medical balloon inflation device of claim 40 further comprising a monitor operably connected to the computer and capable of displaying data representative of the data received from the pressure sensor.

43. The automatic medical balloon inflation device of claim 42 further comprising a program segment, stored in a computer readable medium readable by said computer, that when executed enables said computer to send signals to the monitor to display a graph of fluid pressure versus time.

44. The automatic medical balloon inflation device of claim 42 further comprising a program segment, stored in a computer readable medium readable by said computer, that when executed enables said computer to send signals to the monitor to display a graph of balloon volume versus time.

45. The automatic medical balloon inflation device of claim 41 further comprising a second program segment, readable by said computer, enabling said computer to receive data representative of baseline inflation characteristics of a balloon catheter under a no-load condition, such that said computer is useable to compare data representative of actual inflation characteristics against said baseline data.

46. The automatic medical balloon inflation device of claim 45 further comprising a bar code reader useable to upload said baseline data into said computer.

47. A fluid delivery system, comprising:

one or more syringes;

a linear actuator operatively coupled to the syringe for causing the syringe to deliver a fluid;

a computer configured to control the linear actuator to deliver fluid from the syringe in either

an automatic fluid injection mode for injecting the fluid into a patient, or

an automatic balloon inflation mode for inflating a balloon at a distal end of a balloon catheter, the automatic balloon inflation mode being available only when at least one of the one or more syringes is a balloon inflation syringe.

48. The system of claim 47 wherein the balloon inflation syringe has a pumping chamber volume that is 5-40 mL.

49. The system of claim 47 further comprising a syringe holder, the syringe holder being adapted to hold either:

a fluid injection syringe for use in the automatic fluid injection mode, or

an adapter sleeve, the adapter sleeve having interior dimensions to hold the balloon inflation syringe when in the automatic balloon inflation mode.

50. The system of claim 49 wherein the computer automatically detects the presence of the adapter sleeve and configures the system to deliver fluid in the automatic balloon inflation mode.

51. The system of claim 47 further comprising a pressure sensor communicatively coupled to the computer, the pressure sensor being capable of providing data to the computer corresponding to a fluid pressure in the balloon.

52. The system of claim 51 wherein the pressure sensor is a strain gage.

53. The system of claim 51 wherein the computer is adapted to control the linear actuator using a feedback loop that compares the fluid pressure in the balloon to baseline characteristics of the balloon and the balloon catheter.

54. The system of claim 53 wherein the computer is adapted to detect a sudden decrease in the fluid pressure and to stop balloon inflation in response thereto.

55. A balloon inflation device adapted to be coupled to an automatic fluid injection system, the balloon inflation device comprising:

a balloon inflation syringe;

a linear actuator module operatively coupled to the syringe, the linear actuator adapted to move a plunger slidably disposed within the syringe; and

connector means for coupling the balloon inflation device to the automatic fluid injection system, the connectors means enabling power to be supplied by the automatic fluid injection system to the linear actuator module, the connector means further enabling the linear actuator to receive and respond to commands from a computer of the automatic fluid injection system,

the computer of the automatic fluid injection system being configured to control the linear actuator module to deliver fluid from the syringe to inflate a balloon at a distal end of a balloon catheter.

56. The device of claim 55 wherein the balloon inflation syringe has a pumping chamber volume that is 5-40 mL.

57. The device of claim 55 wherein the computer of the automatic fluid injection system automatically detects an operable connection to the balloon inflation device.

58. The device of claim 55 further comprising a pressure sensor communicatively coupled to the computer, the pressure sensor being capable of providing data to the computer corresponding to a fluid pressure in the balloon.

59. The device of claim 58 wherein the pressure sensor is a strain gage.

60. The device of claim 58 wherein the computer is adapted to control the linear actuator module using a feedback loop that compares the fluid pressure in the balloon to baseline characteristics of the balloon and the balloon catheter.