DISTRIBUTED MEDICATION DELIVERY SYSTEM AND METHOD HAVING AUTONOMOUS DELIVERY DEVICES

• US 20120323212A1
• Filed: 06/20/2012
• Published: 12/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Richard H. Salzar, William H. Murphy Jr
• Original Assignee: Renaudia Medical, LLC
• Inventors: Murphy, William H., Salzar, Richard H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,089,642 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/500
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/505 Touch-screens; Virtual keyboard or keypads; Virtual buttons; Soft keys; Mouse touches
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/00 Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests vaccination appliances for veterinary use A61D1/025 ; tube connectors, tube couplings, valves or branch units specially adapted for medical use A61M39/00; containers specially adapted for medical or pharmaceutical purposes A61J1/00; combinations of vial and syringe for mixing or transferring their contents A61J1/20; holders for containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1408 in parallel, e.g. manifolds, sequencing valves access sites A61M39/02; tube connectors A61M39/10
• 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: A61M 5/172 electrical or electronic A61M5/16804, A61M5/16831 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1723 using feedback of body parameters, e.g. blood-sugar, pressure measurement of body parameters A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2270/0421 Controlled or regulated
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/20 relating to practices or guidelines

Abstract

A pump operations module having a base function includes only base function programming in the module itself but is configured to receive advanced delivery programs in a buffer for execution autonomously. An advanced interface module (AIM) is used to prepare advanced delivery programs and upload them to one or more delivery modules as well as monitor the performance of those modules. However, the advanced interface module does not control the execution of those advanced delivery programs by the pump operations modules. The AIM includes a touch screen and access to drug libraries. The AIM will generate graphical slide controls on the touch screen with the minimum and maximum values on the touch screen for the user to create an advanced delivery program for upload, to greatly lessen the risk of errors. Support for PK applications is provided.

Claims

1. A system for the delivery of medication, the system comprising:

a medical delivery operations module having a base function of medication delivery, the medical delivery operations module comprising a delivery mechanism, a user interface, a buffer memory, a communications system, an operations module processor, and a base function control program stored in a non-volatile memory that is configured to program the medical delivery operations module for the base function;

wherein the communications system is configured to receive an advanced medication delivery program from a source outside the medical delivery operations module and store the advanced program in the buffer memory; and

wherein the operations module processor is programmed to access the buffer memory and when the advanced medication delivery program has been completely loaded into the buffer, to execute the advanced medication delivery program autonomously.

2. The medication delivery system of claim 1 wherein the operation module processor is further programmed to override execution of an executing advanced medication delivery program by receiving a STOP signal from the user interface.

3. The medication delivery system of claim 1 wherein the advanced medication delivery program stored in the buffer memory comprises a sequence of varying base function operations that may be performed one at a time, with the operations module processor being programmed to access the buffer memory to retrieve a base function operation after an earlier one has been executed.

4. The medication delivery system of claim 1 further comprising an advanced interface module (“

AIM”

) configured to create advanced medication delivery programs, the AIM comprising;

an input device;

a display;

a medication delivery library containing delivery parameters and acceptable values for medications; and

an AIM processor configured to prepare an advanced medication delivery program including varying base functions.

5. The medication delivery system of claim 4 wherein the display of the AIM includes a graphical touch screen, wherein the AIM processor is further programmed to display an acceptable range of values for a selected medication on the touch screen and accept a touch of a user to select a particular value in the range.

6. The medication delivery system of claim 5 wherein the graphical touch screen displays slide controls for parameters related to an accessed delivery parameter from the medication library, and receives movement of a cursor within the slide control to select a value for the medication.

7. The medication delivery system of claim 4 wherein the advanced interface module is located in a housing that is separate from the medication delivery operations module.

8. The medication delivery system of claim 4 wherein the advanced interface module is located in a housing that also contains the medication delivery operations module.

9. The medication delivery system of claim 1 wherein the operations processor is programmed to ignore control data from outside the medication delivery operations module when the operations processor is executing an advanced program.

10. The medication delivery system of claim 4 wherein:

the operations module comprises an infusion pump operations module configured to deliver medication by pumping, wherein the base function of the pump operations module is delivery rate and volume-to-be-infused; and

wherein the advanced interface module processor is programmed to prepare an advanced pumping program for the pump operations module comprising a sequence of varying delivery rate and/or VTBI.

11. A method for the delivery of medication, the method comprising:

programming a processor of a medication delivery operations module to perform a base function of the operations module;

programming the operations module processor to check a buffer memory for the existence of a complete advanced medication delivery program;

upon finding a complete advanced medication delivery program existing in the buffer, executing the advanced delivery program on the delivery operations module autonomously; and

ignoring control signals received from an external source during the execution of the advanced delivery program.

12. The medical delivery method of claim 11 further comprising overriding execution of an advanced medication delivery program upon receiving a STOP signal from a user interface of the operations module.

13. The medical delivery method of claim 11 further comprising:

preparing an advanced medication delivery program in an advanced interface module that is separate from the operations module;

wherein preparing the advanced program comprises assembling a sequence of varying base function operations.

14. The medical delivery method of claim 13 further comprises displaying a graphical image of a range of values from which an operator may select a value for preparing he advanced program.

15. The medical delivery method of claim 14 wherein the displayed range of values is retrieved from a library of acceptable values for a particular medication.

16. The medical delivery method of claim 14 comprising the step of displaying a cursor within the range of acceptable values, and programming the cursor to be movable to a selected position within the acceptable range by the touch of a user.