FROTH DETECTION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20130085689A1
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Published: 04/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ICU Medical Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Iii, John Hicks Dumas
• Inventors: Sur, Kunal, Kotnik, Paul T., Belkin, Anatoly S., Dumas, John Hicks III, Ruchti, Timothy L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,498,583 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/50
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3626 Gas bubble detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3375 Acoustical, e.g. ultrasonic, measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/142 Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/365 Air detectors A61M5/1684 takes precedence; in extracorporeal blood circuits A61M1/3626
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture

Abstract

An infusion system includes a pump, a fluid delivery line, at least one sensor, a processor, and a memory. The fluid delivery line is connected to the pump for delivering fluid. The at least one sensor is connected to the fluid delivery line for emitting and receiving signals to detect whether there is air in the fluid delivery line. The processor is in electronic communication with the pump and the at least one sensor. The memory is in electronic communication with the processor. The memory comprises programming code for execution by the processor. The programming code is configured to determine a percentage of the air within an observed volume of the fluid delivery line.

Claims

1. An infusion system comprising:

a pump;

a fluid delivery line connected to the pump for delivering fluid;

at least one sensor connected to the fluid delivery line for emitting and receiving signals to detect whether there is air in the fluid delivery line;

a processor in electronic communication with the pump and the at least one sensor; and

a memory in electronic communication with the processor, wherein the memory comprises programming code for execution by the processor, and the programming code is configured to determine a percentage of the air within an observed volume of the fluid delivery line.

2. The infusion system of claim 1 wherein the programming code is configured to trigger an alarm if the percentage of the air within the observed volume exceeds a froth threshold.

3. The infusion system of claim 2 wherein the memory comprises a plurality of saved pair settings comprising different froth thresholds for different observed volumes, and the programming code is configured to accept a user input which determines which of the saved pair settings is applied by the programming code.

4. The infusion system of claim 1 wherein the programming is configured to determine a dynamic froth threshold, and is configured to trigger an alarm if the percentage of the air within the observed volume exceeds the dynamic froth threshold.

5. The infusion system of claim 1 wherein the observed volume comprises a window of a set volume, wherein the programming code is configured to continually analyze the percentage of the air which is disposed within the window at various points in time as the fluid moves through the fluid delivery line.

6. The infusion system of claim 1 wherein the programming code is configured to analyze a plurality of analog-to-digital count readings taken by the at least one sensor to determine what number of the plurality of the analog-to-digital count readings exceed an air-fluid threshold.

7. The infusion system of claim 6 wherein the programming code is configured to multiply the number of the plurality of the analog-to-digital count readings which exceed the air-fluid threshold by a calibrated volume per analog-to-digital count reading to determine a froth volume within the observed volume.

8. The infusion system of claim 7 wherein the programming code is configured to trigger an alarm if the froth volume exceeds a froth threshold.

9. The infusion system of claim 1 wherein the programming code is configured to analyze a plurality of analog-to-digital count readings taken by the at least one sensor to determine what measurement-weighted number, which is weighted by a weighting factor to account for a confidence level that the particular analog-to-digital count reading comprises either the air or the fluid, of the plurality of the analog-to-digital count readings exceed an air-fluid threshold.

10. A method for detecting froth in a fluid delivery line of an infusion system comprising:

pumping fluid through a fluid delivery line over at least one sensor;

emitting and receiving signals from the at least one sensor into and from the fluid delivery line; and

processing measurements of the signals, using a processor, to determine a percentage of air within an observed volume of the fluid delivery line.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the processor triggering an alarm if the percentage of the air within the observed volume exceeds a froth threshold.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the processor processing a user input and determining, based on the user input, which of a plurality of saved pair settings, comprising different froth thresholds for different observed volumes, will be used by the processor to determine the percentage of the air within the observed volume of the fluid delivery line.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising the processor determining a dynamic froth threshold and triggering an alarm if the percentage of the air within the observed volume exceeds the dynamic froth threshold.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising the processor continually analyzing the percentage of the air which is disposed within the observed volume, comprising a window of a set volume, at various points in time as the fluid moves through the fluid delivery line.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising the processor analyzing a plurality of analog-to-digital count readings taken by the at least one sensor and determining what number of the plurality of the analog-to-digital count readings exceed an air-fluid threshold.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the processor multiplying the number of the plurality of the analog-to-digital count readings which exceed the air-fluid threshold by a calibrated volume per analog-to-digital count reading to determine a froth volume within the observed volume.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the processor triggering an alarm if the froth volume exceeds a froth threshold.

18. The method of claim 10 further comprising the processor analyzing a plurality of analog-to-digital count readings taken by the at least one sensor to determine what measurement-weighted number, which is weighted by a weighting factor to account for a confidence level that the particular analog-to-digital count reading comprises either the air or the fluid, of the plurality of the analog-to-digital count readings exceed an air-fluid threshold.

19. A programming code, stored on a computer readable memory, which is programmed to determine a percentage of air within an observed volume of a fluid delivery line of an infusion system.

20. The programming code of claim 19 programmed to trigger an alarm if the percentage of the air within the observed volume exceeds a froth threshold.

21. The programming code of claim 20 programmed to accept a user input which determines which of a plurality of saved pair settings, comprising different froth thresholds for different observed volumes, is applied by the programming code.

22. The programming code of claim 19 programmed to determine a dynamic froth threshold and to trigger an alarm if the percentage of the air within the observed volume exceeds the dynamic froth threshold.

23. The programming code of claim 19 programmed to continually analyze the percentage of the air which is disposed within the observed volume, comprising a window of a set volume, at various points in time as fluid moves through the fluid delivery line.

24. The programming code of claim 19 programmed to analyze a plurality of analog-to-digital count readings taken by at least one sensor to determine what number of the plurality of the analog-to-digital count readings exceed an air-fluid threshold.

25. The programming code of claim 24 programmed to multiply the number of the plurality of the analog-to-digital count readings which exceed the air-fluid threshold by a calibrated volume per analog-to-digital count reading to determine a froth volume within the observed volume.

26. The programming code of claim 25 programmed to trigger an alarm if the froth volume exceeds a froth threshold.

27. The programming code of claim 19 programmed to analyze a plurality of analog-to-digital count readings taken by at least one sensor to determine what measurement-weighted number, which is weighted by a weighting factor to account for a confidence level that the particular analog-to-digital count reading comprises either the air or a fluid, of the plurality of the analog-to-digital count readings exceed an air-fluid threshold.