MEDICAL PUMP WITH FIXED STROKE LENGTH

• US 20100280447A1
• Filed: 04/07/2010
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Whitehead, Nicholas R., Hovind, Thomas W., Young, Dale A., Gray, John Michael, Haase, James M., Nelson Konen, Cynthia R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,162,874 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/67
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6018 providing set-up signals for the apparatus configuration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1413 Modular systems comprising interconnecting elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14216 Reciprocating piston type
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14276 specially adapted for implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16877 Adjusting flow; Devices for setting a flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A method comprises measuring a volume of fluid delivered per pump stroke for each of a plurality of substantially identical medical pumps. The substantially identical medical pumps each have a fixed stroke length. The method further comprises: storing indications of the measured volumes on one or more data storage mediums; and for each of the plurality of substantially identical medical pumps, generating a separate therapy control program based on the indication of the measured volume associated with that one of the plurality of substantially identical medical pumps.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

measuring a volume of fluid delivered per pump stroke for each of a plurality of substantially identical medical pumps, wherein the substantially identical medical pumps each have a fixed stroke length;

storing indications of the measured volumes on one or more data storage mediums; and

for each of the plurality of substantially identical medical pumps, generating a separate therapy control program based on the indication of the measured volume associated with that one of the plurality of substantially identical medical pumps.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling each medical pump to deliver a specified quantity of therapeutic fluid based on the therapy control program associated with that medical pump.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the specified quantity of therapeutic fluid is defined as a flow rate.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the specified quantity of therapeutic fluid is defined as a volume of therapeutic fluid.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the medical pumps are part of implantable medical devices (IMDs), and wherein storing indications of the measured volumes on one or more data storage mediums comprises storing each indication in a memory associated with the IMD corresponding to the medical pump associated with that indication.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the memory is part of an external programmer that communicates wirelessly with the IMD to control delivery of a therapeutic fluid by the medical pump.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the memory is part of the IMD.

8. A computer-readable data-storage medium comprising instructions that cause a programmable processor to:

access an indication of a volume of fluid delivered per pump stroke of a medical pump; and

control the medical pump to deliver a specified quantity of therapeutic fluid to a target site within a patient based on the indication.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the computer-readable medium comprises further instructions that cause the programmable processor to access a therapy program to determine the specified quantity.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the computer-readable medium is a component of an implantable medical device (IMD) that includes the medical pump.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the computer-readable medium is a component an external controller for an implantable medical device (IMD) that includes the medical pump.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein controlling the medical pump to deliver the specified quantity comprises issuing one or more commands specifying a number of pump strokes corresponding to the specified quantity of therapeutic fluid.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the computer-readable medium comprises further instructions that cause the programmable processor to store the indication of the volume of fluid delivered per pump stroke of the medical pump.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the computer-readable medium comprises:

the indication of the volume of fluid delivered per pump stroke of the medical pump; and

further instructions that cause the programmable processor to retrieve the indication of the volume of fluid delivered per pump stroke of the medical pump from the computer-readable medium.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the medical pump is one of a plurality of substantially identical medical pumps, each of the plurality of medical pumps having a fixed stroke length, wherein the computer-readable medium comprises further instructions that cause the programmable processor to:

for each of the plurality of substantially identical medical pumps, retrieve an indication of a measured volume of fluid delivered per pump stroke of the medical pump; and

for each of the plurality of substantially identical medical pumps, issue one or more commands that cause the medical pump to deliver a specified quantity of therapeutic fluid to a target site within a patient based on the retrieved indication.

16. A medical pump assembly comprising:

a magnetic cup forming a recess, wherein the magnetic cup includes a protrusion within the recess, wherein the cup forms a central aperture through the protrusion;

a one-way valve that controls fluid flow within the central aperture;

an electromagnetic coil within the recess and circumscribing the protrusion;

a piston within the central aperture;

a magnetic pole attached to the piston; and

a cover enclosing the magnetic pole between an interior surface of the cover and the electromagnetic coil,

wherein the cover includes one or more fixed protrusions on the interior surface of the cover, and wherein the protrusions set a stroke length of the piston.

17. The medical pump assembly of claim 16, further comprising a barrier plate between the magnetic cup and the pole, wherein the barrier plate fluidically separates an interior of the cup from the external surface of the barrier plate.

18. The medical pump assembly of claim 17, further comprising:

a sleeve within the central aperture of the magnetic cup;

a band fixed to the magnetic cup and surrounding the recess;

a first seal between the sleeve and the barrier plate; and

a first seal between the band and the barrier plate.

19. The medical pump assembly of claim 16, further comprising a bulkhead that forms a cup-mounting bay, wherein the cup is mounted within the cup-mounting bay.

20. The medical pump assembly of claim 19, wherein the bulkhead forms a filter-mounting bay and a fluid passageway that connects the filter-mounting bay to the cup-mounting bay, the medical pump assembly further comprising a filter mounted within the filter-mounting bay.

21. The medical pump assembly of claim 16, wherein the cover includes a filter within an inlet flow path of the medical pump assembly.

22. A system comprising:

a medical pump with a fixed stroke length; and

a means for delivering a specified quantity of therapeutic fluid to a patient with the medical pump according to an indication of a volume of fluid delivered per pump stroke of the medical pump.

23. A system comprising:

a medical pump with a fixed stroke length;

a memory storing an indication of a volume of fluid delivered per pump stroke of the medical pump;

a programmer including a user interface to receive an indication of a specified quantity of fluid to be transferred by the pump from a user; and

a processor that generates a therapy control program for operating the medical pump based on the indication stored in the memory and the indication of the specified quantity of fluid.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the medical pump is included in an implantable medical device that also includes the memory.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the medical pump is included in an implantable medical device that also includes the memory and the processor.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the programmer includes the memory.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the programmer includes the memory and the processor.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the medical pump is configured to deliver a therapeutic fluid to a patient.