Method and device for controlling several infusion pumps

• US 20090177188A1
• Filed: 05/11/2006
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: B Braun Medizinelektronik GmbH & Company KG
• Original Assignee: B Braun Medizinelektronik GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Steinkogler, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 8,388,598 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/890.100
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/14208 with a programmable infusion control system, characterised by the infusion program
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1413 Modular systems comprising interconnecting elements
• 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: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection

Abstract

The invention concerns a method and device for controlling a number of infusion pumps (2-10), whereby each infusion pump (2-10) has an infusate assigned to it which is administered within a pre-determinable period of time assigned to it as an infusion at a pre-determinable infusion rate to a living being, whereby the infusion pumps (2-10) exchange control data for activating and deactivating the various infusions in a chronologically coordinated manner autonomously.

Claims

1. Method for controlling several infusion pumps, whereby each infusion pump has an infusate assigned to it which is administered to a living being with a pre-determinable period of time assigned to it as an infusion at a pre-determinable infusion rate characterised by the fact that infusion pumps exchange control data for coordinating activating and deactivating the various infusions chronologically amongst themselves of their own accord.

2. Method as in claim 1 characterised by the fact that each infusion pump processes the control data via a control unit assigned to it and sends it to at least one of the other infusion pumps.

3. Method as in claim 1 characterised by the fact that each infusion pump is connected to a central control device and processes control data via the central control device and processes control data via the central control device and sends it to at least one of the other infusion points.

4. Method as in claim 1 characterised by the fact that the central control device is composed of a number of individual control units.

5. Method as in claim 1 characterised by the fact that the infusion from at least one of the infusion pumps is always activated.

6. Method as in claim 1 characterised by the fact that the infusion from all infusion pumps is activated and/or deactivated simultaneously.

7. Method as in claim 2 characterised by the fact that controls on the control unit or central control device are used to input at least one control process to control activating and deactivating the different infusions for at least two infusion pumps.

8. Method as in claim 7 characterised by the fact that the central control process activates and/or deactivates and/or interrupts the infusion by the two or more infusion pumps.

9. Methods as in claim 7 characterised by the fact that selecting a treatment regime to which a control process is assigned selects the infusion pumps assignable to that treatment regime autonomously or displays them to an operator to select.

10. Method as in claim 1 characterised by the fact that at least one of the infusion pumps administers a dilutant to the living being in addition to a pharmaceutically active agent which is administered via another infusion pump.

11. Method as in claim 1 characterized by the fact that the control data deactivate the infusion of the dilutant while keeping the pharmaceutically active agent activated.

12. Method as in claim 1 characterized by the fact that measured or estimated physiological data of the living being are used to change the infusion rates, time periods and/or activation and deactivation times.

13. Method as in claim 1 characterized by the fact that a display device displays the infusion rates of the infusion pumps and/or measured or estimated physiological data of the living being and/or control data and/or activation and deactivation times of the infusion pumps and/or infusion periods.

14. Device for controlling a number of infusion pumps, whereby each infusion pump has an infusate assigned to it which can be administered within a pre-determinable period of time assigned to it as an infusion at a pre-determinable infusion rate to a living being characterized by the fact that control data for activating and deactivating the various infusions in chronologically coordinated fashion can be exchanged between infusion pumps via control units or a central control device autonomously.

15. Device as in claim 14 characterised by the fact that each infusion pump (2-10) has one of the control units which processes the control data and sends it directly to control units of other infusion pumps (2-10).

16. Device as in claim 14 characterised by the fact that the central control device, infusion pumps and sending control data between infusion pumps are controlled chronologically dependent on one another.

17. Device as in claim 14 characterised by the fact that controls on the infusion pumps and/or the central control device for entering control commands, selecting control processes, selecting infusion pumps involved in those control processes and/or entering physiological data from the living being.

18. Device as in claim 14 characterised by the fact that a display device on each infusion pump and/or central display device for displaying control data, measured or estimated physiological data of the living being, the times when infusion pumps are activated and deactivated, infusion periods and/or infusion rates.