Methods for Controlling Medical Fluid Injections

• US 20110166441A1
• Filed: 04/28/2008
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liebel-Flarsheim Company (Mallinckrodt plc)
• Original Assignee: Mallinckrodt Incorporated (Mallinckrodt plc)
• Inventors: Knipper, James E., Fago, Frank M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,439,863 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/420
• 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: A61M 2005/14208 with a programmable infusion control system, characterised by the infusion program
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3362 with minimised length of fluid lines; Taking into account the elastic expansion of fluid lines to increase accuracy
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6018 providing set-up signals for the apparatus configuration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6054 Magnetic identification systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/70 with testing or calibration facilities
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 31/005 for contrast media
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/007 for contrast media
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14546 Front-loading type injectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14566 with a replaceable reservoir for receiving a piston rod of the pump
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/172 electrical or electronic A61M5/16804, A61M5/16831 take precedence

Abstract

The present invention is directed to control of medical fluid injection systems. For instance, in some embodiments, an injection protocol may be initiated, and an actual flow rate of the medical fluid utilized in the injection protocol may be adjusted based, at least in part, on an inherent system elasticity of the injection system.

Claims

1. A method of operation for a contrast media injection system, the method comprising:

initiating an injection protocol comprising a desired flow rate for the contrast media; and

adjusting an actual flow rate of the contrast media to follow the desired flow rate for the contrast media based, at least in part, on an inherent system elasticity of the injection system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises accounting for elasticity of a syringe plunger.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises accounting for elasticity of a syringe barrel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises accounting for elasticity of a contrast media container,

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises accounting for elasticity of extension tubing.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising predicting the inherent system elasticity for the injection system prior to the adjusting.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising performing a test injection prior to the initiating.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the predicting is based, at least in part, on data from the test injection.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the predicting occurs prior to the initiating.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the inherent system elasticity is predicted based, at least in part, on elasticity data related to a container, syringe, tubing, or a combination thereof utilized in the system.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the inherent system elasticity is predicted based, at least in part, on viscosity data related to the contrast media.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating the inherent system elasticity using an algorithm.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sensing an elastic component associated with the injection system; and

retrieving a predetermined elasticity factor for the component.

14. The method of claim 13, where the component comprises a contrast media container, a syringe, tubing, or a combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the sensing comprises reading data from an RF-ID data tag that contains information about the component.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the information comprises at least one of pressure profile data and elasticity data.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a flow rate correction factor for the injection protocol based, at least in part, on the inherent system elasticity, wherein the adjusting is based, at least in part, upon the flow rate correction factor.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the flow rate correction factor is dependent upon viscosity of the contrast media.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the flow rate correction factor is dependent upon catheter size.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises increasing an actual motor speed of the injection system more than a motor speed corresponding with the desired flow rate.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting comprises reversing a direction of motion of a motor of the injection system.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the desired flow rate comprises a plurality of flow rates.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the plurality of flow rates is communicated between the injection system and a medical imaging system via a common interface.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the common interface is a CAN interface.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the common interface is an RS-232 interface.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the common interface is an RS-422 interface.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the injection protocol is carried out during medical imaging of the patient.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the medical imaging comprises CT scanning of the patient.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the medical imaging comprises magnetic resonance imaging of the patient.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the medical imaging comprises angiographic imaging of the patient.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the medical imaging comprises ultrasound imaging of the patient.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein the medical imaging comprises optical imaging of the patient.

21. The method of 1, wherein the adjusting comprises decreasing an actual motor speed of the injection system more than a motor speed corresponding with the desired flow rate.

34-66. -66. (canceled)