Infusion Pump and Slide Clamp Apparatus and Method

• US 20120035581A1
• Filed: 08/06/2010
• Published: 02/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WalkMed Infusion LLC
• Original Assignee: WalkMed Infusion LLC
• Inventors: Travis, Lee W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,465,464 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/500
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 39/28 Clamping means for squeezing flexible tubes, e.g. roller clamps tube strippers A61M1/83
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 39/287 Wedge formed by a slot having varying width, e.g. slide clamps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16813 by controlling the degree of opening of the flow line

Abstract

An infusion pump for metering fluid flow through an delivery tube of an infusion tubing set has an internal occlusion clamp which clamps the delivery tube to prevent the free flow of fluid through the tube when access to the delivery tube in the infusion pump is possible. To release the delivery tube from the infusion pump, a slide clamp is manually used to release the occlusion clamp to an open, non-occluding position while simultaneously occluding the delivery tube to prevent the free flow of fluid.

Claims

1. A method of preventing free flow of fluid through a delivery tube of an infusion tubing set used with an infusion pump to regulate the flow of fluid delivered to a patient, the infusion pump having an internal occlusion clamp having an occluding position for occluding the delivery tube upon gaining access to a portion of the delivery tube within the infusion pump and a non-occluding position for allowing fluid movement through the delivery tube when the portion of the delivery tube within the infusion pump is not accessable to a user of the infusion pump, the method comprising:

positioning a slide clamp on the delivery tube at a location outside of the infusion pump with the delivery tube extending initially through a non-occluding opening; and

manually moving the slide clamp to release the occlusion clamp to the non-occluding position while simultaneously moving the delivery tube from the non-occluding opening into an occluding opening in the slide clamp to occlude fluid flow through the delivery tube.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the singular manual movement of the slide clamp simultaneously releases the occlusion clamp and moves the delivery tube from the non-occluding opening into the occluding opening.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

moving the occlusion clamp to the non-occluding position by insertion movement of the slide clamp into an access opening; and

moving the portion of the delivery tube into the occluding portion of the slide clamp by stationarily retaining a portion of the delivery tube relative to the access opening while moving the slide clamp with insertion movement.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, further comprising:

stationarily supporting the delivery tube on opposite sides of the slide clamp against tube supports on opposite sides of the access opening to move the portion of the delivery tube into the occluding opening of the slide clamp by the insertion movement.

5. A method as defined in claim 4, further comprising:

guiding the slide clamp into the access opening by moving projections on opposite sides of the slide clamp into guide channels formed in the tube supports.

6. A method as defined in claim 3, further comprising:

stationarily supporting a portion of the delivery tube on at least one side of the slide clamp while moving the slide clamp with insertion movement to move the portion of the delivery tube into the occluding opening of the slide clamp.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, further comprising:

stationarily supporting the portion of the delivery tube on the at least one side of the slide clamp by a tube support; and

guiding the slide clamp into the access opening by moving a projection from the slide clamp along a guide channel formed in the tube support.

8. A method as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

locking the occlusion clamp in the non-occluding position after manually moving the slide clamp to release the occlusion clamp.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein the infusion pump includes a door which opens to provide the access to the portion of the delivery tube within the infusion pump, and the method further comprises:

moving the occlusion clamp from the non-occluding position upon closing the door.

10. A method as defined in claim 9, further comprising:

inserting a door release tab connected to the door into the access opening to release the occlusion clamp to the non-occluding position when the door is closed.

11. A method as defined in claim 8, further comprising:

positioning the portion of the delivery tube within the infusion pump in a tubing channel; and

locating the slide clamp on the delivery tube at a sufficient distance from the portion of the delivery tube contained in the tubing channel to allow manual movement of the slide clamp to the position for the insertion movement without disturbing the portion of the delivery tube contained in the tubing channel.

12. A method as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

positioning the portion of the delivery tube within the infusion pump in a tubing channel;

occluding the delivery tube with the occlusion clamp by pinching the delivery tube between an anvil and a compression edge of the occlusion clamp; and

preventing removal of the delivery tube from between the anvil and the compression edge while the occlusion clamp is in the occluding position by extending a blocking lip across the delivery tube between the anvil and the compression edge.

13. An infusion pump having an internal occlusion clamp for preventing free flow of medicinal fluid through an delivery tube of an infusion tubing set used with the infusion pump to regulate the flow of fluid delivered to a patient, the infusion pump including an internal occlusion clamp having an occluding position for occluding the delivery tube upon gaining access to a first portion of the delivery tube within a tubing channel of the infusion pump and a non-occluding position for allowing fluid movement through the delivery tube when the first portion of the delivery tube within the tubing channel is not accessable to the user of the infusion pump, the internal occlusion clamp having a movable release mechanism by which to move the internal occlusion clamp from the occluding position to the non-occluding position, the tubing set including a slide clamp connected to a second portion of the delivery tube, the slide clamp having a non-occluding opening which does not occlude the delivery tube when the delivery tube located in the non-occluding opening and then an occluding opening which occludes the delivery tube when the delivery tube is located in the occluding opening;

and an improvement comprising;

an access opening into the infusion pump by which to move the release mechanism from the occluding position to the non-occluding position;

a release tab extending from the slide clamp by which to extend within the access opening and move the release mechanism of the internal occlusion clamp to the non-occluding position upon insertion movement of the slide clamp; and

at least one tube support located adjacent to the access opening to support the delivery tube adjacent to the slide clamp to move the delivery tube from the non-occluding opening into the occluding opening of the slide clamp simultaneously during insertion movement of the slide clamp sufficient to move the release mechanism of the internal occlusion clamp from the occluding position to the non-occluding position.

14. An invention as defined in claim 13, wherein the infusion pump further comprises:

a pumping device in communication with the tubing channel for moving the fluid through the delivery tube;

an anvil attached on one side of the tubing channel;

a pivotal lever of the release mechanism having a compression edge which moves from the side of the tubing channel opposite the anvil into adjacency with the anvil when the internal occlusion clamp is in the occluding position and which moves away from adjacency with the anvil when the internal occlusion clamp is in the non-occluding position, the lever also having a release surface which is located behind the access opening within the housing;

at least one tube support positioned adjacent to the access opening to contact and maintain the delivery tube in a stationary position during the insertion movement of the slide clamp; and

a lever lock mechanism to releasably hold the lever in the non-occluding position of the occlusion clamp; and

wherein;

the release tab of the slide clamp contacts the release surface of the lever and moves the lever from the occluding position to the non-occluding position with insertion movement of the slide clamp; and

the tube support causes the delivery tube to move from the non-occluding opening into the occluding opening of the slide clamp simultaneously with insertion movement of the slide clamp.

15. An invention as defined in claim 14, further comprising:

a door pivotally attached to the housing and pivotable between a closed position which prevents access to the first portion of the delivery tube in the tubing channel and an open position which provides access to the first portion of the delivery tube in the tubing channel; and

a door release tab which protrudes from the door into the access opening to contact the release surface and move the lever from the occluding position to the non-occluding position when the door is pivoted closed.

16. An invention as defined in claim 14, wherein:

the pivotal lever of the release mechanism further includes a blocking lip extending from the compression edge to the anvil to block removal of the delivery tube between the compression edge and the anvil when the internal occlusion clamp is in the occluding position.

17. An invention as defined in claim 14 wherein:

the tube support includes a guide channel which extends toward the access opening; and

the slide clamp includes a projection adjacent to the release tab which moves within the guide channel during insertion movement of the slide clamp.

18. An invention as defined in claim 14, wherein the lever lock mechanism further comprises:

a plunger having a retaining edge which is transversely movable to overlap the retaining edge with the release surface of the lever;

a slide pin extending transversely from the plunger; and

wherein the infusion pump further comprises;

an release opening adjacent to the slide pin by which to gain access to the slide pin; and

wherein;

the door further includes a door release projection which protrudes from the door into the release opening to contact the slide pin and move the plunger to separate the retaining edge from the overlapping relationship with the release surface of the lever and allow the internal occlusion clamp to assume the non-occluding position when the door is closed.

19. A slide clamp for selectively occluding a tube, comprising:

a body having a length in a longitudinal dimension which extends from a proximal end to a distal end, the body having a width in a lateral dimension perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension, the width being less than the length, the body having a height in a dimension perpendicular to the longitudinal and lateral dimensions, the height being less than the width, the height of the body at the proximal end being greater than the height of the body at the distal end;

a non-occluding opening defined in the body and having a width in the lateral dimension that is insufficient to pinch and occlude the tube upon movement of the tube into the non-occluding opening;

an occluding opening defined in the body and extending proximally from the non-occluding opening, the occluding opening having a width in the lateral dimension that is sufficient to pinch and occlude the tube upon movement of the tube into the occluding opening.

20. A slide clamp as defined in claim 19, further comprising:

a trapezoidal shaped release tab located at the distal end of the body which has a width which is less than the width of the body proximal of the release tab.

21. A slide clamp as defined in claim 19, wherein:

the proximal end of the body is formed as a wedge-shaped portion which extends progressively greater in height from distal portion of the occluding opening to the proximal end of the body.

22. A slide clamp as defined in claim 21, further comprising:

a trapezoidal shaped release tab located at the distal end of the body which has a width which is less than the width of the body proximal of the release tab; and

wherein;

the wedge-shaped portion extends proximally of the proximal end of the occluding opening; and

the wedge-shaped portion increases in height by an amount which is at least two times the height of the body in the location of the occluding and non-occluding openings.

23. A slide clamp as defined in claim 19, further comprising:

a projection extending in the height dimension above the portion of the body in which the occluding and non-occluding openings are defined, the projection extending from the body at a location distal of the non-occluding opening and proximal of the tab.

24. An infusion tubing set which includes the slide clamp defined in claim 19, comprising:

a collapsible fluid bag which defines an interior for containing fluid to infused into a patient;

an delivery tube having a first end connected to the fluid bag and a second end for connection to a connector for infusing the fluid into the patient, the delivery tube conducting the fluid from the fluid bag into the connector; and

wherein;

the delivery tube extends through at least one of the occluding and non-occluding openings in the slide clamp.