INFUSION APPARATUS

• US 20090043252A1
• Filed: 07/13/2005
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carefusion 303 Incorporated (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Alaris Medical U.K. Limited (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Lloyd, Alexander, Haylor, Nicholas Bryant, Ruedi, Rene Werner, Everleigh, Simon Francis, Shearn, James Gower Johnson
• Granted Patent: US 8,118,778 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/67
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/18 with alarm
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6045 having complementary physical shapes for indexing or registration purposes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6081 Colour codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/84 for treating several patients simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2209/082 Mounting brackets, arm supports for equipment
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1413 Modular systems comprising interconnecting elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1415 Stands, brackets or the like for supporting infusion accessories
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14228 with linear peristaltic action, i.e. comprising at least three pressurising members or a helical member
• CPC Class Codes: E05D 7/1061 in a radial direction E05D7/1005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/132 Doors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0234 Feet; Stands; Pedestals, e.g. wheels for moving casing on floor

Abstract

In a peristaltic medical infusion pump unit, comprising a peristaltic assembly and a counter surface or anvil facing said peristaltic assembly and provided by the inner surface of a door (30) pivotally mounted on a housing (12) of the unit, the door (30) is readily non-destructively removable and replaceable. In use of the peristaltic pump unit, a flexible resilient tube (36) forming part of a medical fluid delivery line is extended between the peristaltic assembly and the counter surface or anvil provided by the door. The medical is fluid delivery line has first and second colour coded fittings (38, 40) spaced therealong upstream and downstream of the peristaltic assembly (26) and the region of the housing of the pump unit across which the infusion line is extended is provided, correspondingly spaced above and below the peristaltic assembly (26) with correspondingly colour coded support means (22, 24) for these fittings.

Claims

1. A peristaltic pump unit for medical infusion, comprising a peristaltic assembly, a counter surface or anvil facing said peristaltic assembly, a support for supporting, between said peristaltic assembly and said counter surface or anvil, a flexible resilient tube forming part of a medical fluid delivery line and a driving mechanism operable to drive said peristaltic assembly and said mechanism are incorporated in a housing and wherein said anvil or counter surface is provided by a door or cover hingedly connected with said housing so that in an open position of said door or cover, said anvil or counter surface is spaced from the peristaltic assembly to allow the introduction of such flexible resilient tube across the peristaltic assembly, or to allow the removal of such flexible resilient tube from the unit, and so that in a closed position of said door or cover, such flexible resilient tube extended across the peristaltic assembly will be positioned between the peristaltic assembly and said anvil or counter surface, characterised in that said door is readily non-destructively removable, e.g. for cleaning purposed, and replaceable and wherein the housing carries at least one journal or hinge pin and the door carries a complementary bearing arrangement, (or the door carries at least one journal or hinge pin and the housing carries a complementary bearing arrangement), said bearing arrangement including a first part having an open-ended transverse slot termination in a bearing surface for said journal and a second part moveable with respect to said first part and which in a first position discloses said transverse slot to allow said journal to pass transversely through said slot into co-operation with said bearing surface, said second part being movable into a second position in which it obstructs such transverse slot and provides a further bearing surface co-operating with said journal.

2. A pump unit according to claim 1 wherein said first part and said second part each have an open-sided transverse slot terminating in the respective bearing surface the second part being rotatable between a position in which the transverse slot are in alignment to allow transverse passage of said journal in co-operation with said bearing surfaces and a second position in which said second part obstructs movement of the journal out of said first part.

3. A pump unit according to claim 1 wherein said first part is fixed with respect to the door and said bearing surface of said first part is arcuate about an axis fixed with respect to the door about said axis and wherein said journal or hinge pin is carried by said housing is coaxial with said bearing surfaces when the door is in position on the housing.

4. A pump unit according to claim 2 wherein said first part is fixed with respect to the housing and said bearing surface of said first part is arcuate about an axis fixed with respect to the housing about said axis and wherein said journal or hinge pin is carried by said door and is coaxial with said bearing surfaces when the door is in position on the housing.

5. A pump unit according to claim 3 wherein said second part has a boss which is cylindrical about said axis, apart from the interruption due to said slot in the second part, said boss being journaled in a recess provided in a face of said first part, which recess, apart from the interruption due to said slot in the first part, is also cylindrical about said axis.

6. A pump unit according to claim 5 wherein said first part comprises a base structure of said door and said face providing said cylindrical recess is at an edge of said base structure and wherein a cover plate or trim secured to said base structure has a wall or flange which extends at least partly over said second part, on the side of the second part remote from said cylindrical recess, whereby said second part is held captive between said base structure and said wall or flange.

7. A pump unit according to claim 1 wherein said second part has an operating lever for moving the second part between said first and said second positions and wherein a fastener releasably secured to said first part normally acts on said lever to maintain said lever in the position in which said second part is in said second position with respect to said first part.

10. A pump unit according to any of claim 1 in which at least one sensor, and a bracket arrangement for supporting a respective part of an infusion line, are incorporated in a module designed for ready fitting to the remainder of the apparatus.

17. A pump unit according to claim 4 wherein said second part has a boss which is cylindrical about said axis, apart from the interruption due to said slot in the second part, said boss being journaled in a recess provided in a face of said first part, which recess, apart from the interruption due to said slot in the first part, is also cylindrical about said axis.

18. A pump unit according to claim 17 wherein said first part comprises a base structure of said door and said face providing said cylindrical recess is at an edge of said base structure and wherein a cover plate or trim secured to said base structure has a wall or flange which extends at least partly over said second part, on the side of the second part remote from said cylindrical recess, whereby said second part is held captive between said base structure and said wall or flange.

8. A peristaltic pump unit for medical infusion, comprising a peristaltic assembly, a counter surface or anvil facing said peristaltic assembly a support for supporting, between said peristaltic assembly and said counter surface or anvil, a flexible resilient tube forming part of a medical fluid delivery line and driving mechanism operable to drive said peristaltic assembly to pinch such flexible tube against said anvil or counter surface at different positions along the flexible resilient tube, and wherein said peristaltic assembly and said mechanism are incorporated in a housing of said unit and in which the medical fluid delivery line has first and second colour coded fittings spaced therealong upstream and downstream of said flexible resilient flexible tube and wherein the region of said housing pump unit across which the infusion line is to be extended is provided, correspondingly spaced above and below the peristaltic assembly, with correspondingly colour coded support means for said fittings.

9. A pump unit according to claim 8 wherein said first colour-coded fitting has a first approximately cylindrical form configured for engagement in a groove or recess of complementary form in the correspondingly colour-coded support means provided on said housing, and wherein said second colour-coded fitting has a second approximately cylindrical form configured for engagement in a groove or recess of complementary form in the correspondingly colour-coded support means provided on said housing, said colour-coded support means being in the form of resilient clips configured to embrace their respective colour-coded fittings and wherein the forms of said colour-coded fittings and said grooves in the support means are selected to resist the first colour-coded fitting being fitted in the groove in the second support means and to resist the second color-coded fitting being fitted in the groove in the first support means.

11. A peristaltic pump unit for medical infusion, comprising a peristaltic assembly, a counter surface or anvil facing said peristaltic assembly, a support for supporting, between said peristaltic assembly and said counter surface or anvil, a flexible resilient tube forming part of a medical fluid delivery line, a driving mechanism operable to drive said peristaltic assembly to pinch such flexible tube against said anvil or counter surface at different positions along the flexible resilient tube, and wherein said peristaltic assembly and said mechanism are incorporated in a housing of said unit and wherein said housing carries, spaced from said peristaltic assembly, but in line therewith, a support bracket for supporting a complementary part of said flexible tube extended across the peristaltic assembly, and wherein said bracket is in the form of a replaceable module which incorporates one or more of a pressure sensor of sensing the pressure of fluid in such flexible tube and a bubble detector, for detecting bubbles in such flexible tube.

12. An infusion pump for infusion of a medical fluid to a patient, the pump including an external casing in the form of a shell of predetermined thickness provided, in a base portion thereof, with a plurality of apertures receiving respective feet, each said foot comprising a body having a circumferential groove or a rebate receiving an edge portion of the respective said aperture, a lower part below said circumferential groove or rebate, extending from said casing and an upper part, above said circumferential groove or rebate, within said casing, said upper and lower parts being larger than the respective said aperture, whereby the foot is retained against displacement from the casing.

13. An infusion pump according to claim 12 wherein said casing includes a first part and a second part having respective edges which meet in the assembled condition of the pump and wherein at least one of said apertures receiving a said foot is defined jointly by co-operating notches in respective said edges of said first and second parts of said casing.

14. An infusion pump according to claim 12 wherein said feet are of elastomeric material.

15. A docking station for supporting a plurality of medical infusion having respective output signal connectors, and wherein said docking station includes electronic processing means for receiving signals from said output signal connectors and further includes visual alarm sign means and information display means such that where a plurality of such infusion pump units are mounted on such docking station and connected with said processing means, and of said infusion pump units produces an alarm signal, a corresponding output signal is provided to said processing means, causing the latter to activate said alarm means to present, on said display means, an indication as to which of the pump units mounted on the docking system is generating the alarm.

16. A peristaltic pump unit for medical infusion, comprising a peristaltic assembly, a counter surface or anvil facing said peristaltic assembly, a support for supporting, between said peristaltic assembly and said counter surface or anvil, a flexile resilient tube forming a part of a medical fluid delivery line, a driving mechanism operable to drive said peristaltic assembly to pinch such flexible tube against said anvil or counter surface at different positions along the flexible resilient tube, and wherein said peristaltic assembly and said mechanism are incorporated in housing of said unit and wherein said housing, houses an electric motor driving the peristaltic assembly and carries at least a pressure sensor for sensing the pressure in the fluid being delivered along said fluid delivery line, and input device for setting the pump unit, the pump unit including electronic processing means controlling operation of the motor driving the peristaltic assembly, and receiving signal from said pressure sensor, the electronic processing means comprising a central processing unit running a program stored in electric memory within the pump unit, and wherein at least part of said memory is carried in a readily replaceable, non-volatile memory card, received in a complementary socket within the pump unit, whereby the operating program of the central processing unit may readily be changed, for example to provide for different medication administration regimes or improved control algorithms, by exchanging said memory card for another.