SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING NOTIFICATIONS IN DIALYSIS SYSTEMS

• US 20130132977A1
• Filed: 11/18/2011
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Incorporated (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Original Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Incorporated (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Inventors: Doyle, Matthew J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,992,777 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1601 Control or regulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3623 Means for actively controlling temperature of blood
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/32 Controlling or regulating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/50 Adding; Subtracting G06F7/483 - G06F7/491, G06F7/544 - G06F7/556 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A system and method provide information in response to at least one current event related to a treatment performed by a dialysis system. A first number is displayed at a treatment display in communication with the dialysis system. The first number corresponds to a set of current notifications. Each current notification is generated in response to at least one current event related to the treatment. A new event is detected that is related to the treatment. The first number is increased to a second number in response to detecting the new event. The second number corresponds to a new notification generated in response to the new event and corresponds to the set of current notifications. A highest priority event is determined between the new event and the at least one current event. The treatment display displays at least one notification corresponding to the highest priority event.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of displaying information in response to at least one event related to a treatment performed by a dialysis system, comprising:

displaying a first number at a treatment display, the first number corresponding to a set of current notifications generated in response to at least one current event related to the treatment;

detecting a new event related to the treatment;

increasing the first number to a second number in response to detecting the new event, the second number corresponding to a combination of a new notification generated in response to the new event and the set of current notifications;

determining a highest priority event between the new event and the at least one current event; and

displaying at the treatment display at least one notification corresponding to the highest priority event.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring the treatment display to include a status box, a dialog box, and a notification summary box;

displaying at least one of the first number and the second number at the notification summary box; and

displaying the at least one notification corresponding to the highest priority event at the status box or the dialog box.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the at least one of the first number and the second number is displayed at a first region of the notification summary box corresponding to a set of alarm notifications, or is displayed at a second region of the notification summary box corresponding to a set of advisory notifications, or is displayed at a third region of the notification summary box corresponding to a set of dialog messages.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the set of advisory notifications include at least one of a warning message and a status advisory message.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

displaying an alarm notification, warning notification, or a status advisory notification of the set of alarm notifications and the advisory notifications, respectively, at the status box of the treatment display.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

displaying a dialog message of the set of dialog messages at the dialog box of the treatment display.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising displaying at the notification summary box a time of occurrence of the highest priority event.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

cycling between the at least one notification corresponding to the highest priority event and the current notifications corresponding to lower priority events; and

displaying at the treatment display a current notification of the set of current notifications during the cycling.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising displaying a help screen at the treatment display corresponding to the displayed current notification of the set of current notifications or the displayed at least one notification corresponding to the highest priority event.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

displaying at the notification summary box a time of occurrence of an event of the at least one current event from which the displayed current notification of the set of current notifications is generated.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing the set of current notifications and the at least one notification corresponding to the highest priority event at a storage device; and

retrieving the stored current notification of the current notifications for display during the cycling between the at least one notification corresponding to the highest priority event and the current notifications.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the highest priority event complies with a color code, each color in the color code referring to a severity of the event, and wherein the current notification is displayed during the cycling at a region of the treatment display that displays a color of the color code corresponding to the highest priority event.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a first notification corresponding to the highest priority event;

selecting for display a second notification corresponding to a lower priority event between the new event and the at least one current event;

configuring a timer to display the second notification for a predefined period of time;

displaying the second notification during the predefined period of time; and

automatically displaying the first notification following the predefined period of time.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first number is zero, and wherein a default status advisory message is displayed at the treatment display.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining a highest priority event includes determining a highest priority between different alarms, warnings, status advisory messages, dialog messages, or a combination thereof.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least one current event is an incorrectly entered parameter for configuring the dialysis system or an event capable of endangering a patient during a dialysis procedure.

17-26. -26. (canceled)

27. A notification system for a dialysis system, comprising:

an event signal detector that receives event signals generated in response to detected events related to a treatment performed by the dialysis system;

a notification generator that processes the event signals to generate a set of notifications; and

a notification summary generator that generates a number corresponding to the set of notifications and outputs the number to a treatment display.

28. The notification system of claim 27, wherein the notification summary generator generates a first number corresponding to zero or more current notifications of the set of notifications, and generates a second number in response to a detected new event, the second number corresponding to a combination of a new notification generated from the new event and the set of current notifications.

29. The notification system of claim 28, wherein the notification summary generator forms a notification summary box that is displayed at the treatment display and that is populated with at least one of the first number and the second number.

30. The notification system of claim 29, wherein the notification summary generator provides the at least one of the first number and the second number at a first region of the notification summary box corresponding to a set of alarm notifications, or at a second region of the notification summary box corresponding to a set of advisory notifications, or at a third region of the notification summary box corresponding to a set of dialog messages.

31. The notification system of claim 30, wherein the notification generator outputs to the notification summary box a time of occurrence of an event to which a currently displayed notification corresponds.

32. The computer-implemented method of claim 31, wherein the set of advisory notifications includes at least one of a warning message and a status advisory message.

33. The notification system of claim 27, further comprising a notification priority module that determines a priority of each event of the plurality of events.

34. The notification system of claim 33, wherein the notification generator outputs a notification to the treatment display that corresponds to a highest priority event of the plurality of events.

35. The notification system of claim 33, further comprising:

a timer that establishes a period of time during which a different notification than the notification corresponding to the highest priority event is displayed at the treatment display, and the timer automatically displays the notification corresponding to the highest priority event at the treatment display at the end of the period of time.

36. The notification system of claim 33, wherein the notification priority module determines a highest priority between different alarms, warnings, status advisory messages, dialog messages, or a combination thereof.

37. The notification system of claim 27, further comprising a notification cycling module and a data repository, the data repository storing the set of notifications, the notification cycling module retrieving a notification of the stored set of notifications for display during a cycling between the set of notifications.

38. The notification system of claim 37, wherein the notification cycling module retrieves help screen data corresponding to the set of notifications from the data repository and outputs the help screen data to the treatment display.

39. A computer-implemented method of determining a notification for display, the notification corresponding to an event related to a treatment performed by a dialysis system, the method comprising:

generating at least two notifications, each notification generated in response to an event related to the treatment;

displaying at least one number corresponding to the at least two notifications at a first region of a treatment display;

displaying a first highest priority notification of the at least two notifications at a second region of the treatment display; and

cycling between the first highest priority notification and other notifications of the at least two notifications to display at least one other notification of the other notifications at the treatment display.

40. The computer-implemented method of claim 39, wherein cycling between the first highest priority notification and other notifications includes:

cycling between at least two alarms, warnings, status advisory messages, or a combination thereof; and

displaying the at least two alarms, warnings, status advisory messages, or a combination thereof, one at a time, at a status box of the treatment display.

41. The computer-implemented method of claim 40, further comprising:

cycling between the at least two alarms; and

automatically activating a warning field at the first region of the treatment display to display one or more warnings, status advisory messages, or a combination thereof, at the status box.

42. The computer-implemented method of claim 41, further comprising:

cycling between at least two warnings, status advisory messages, or a combination thereof, at the status box.

43. The computer-implemented method of claim 40, further comprising:

cycling between the at least two alarms; and

manually selecting a warning field at the first region of the treatment display to display one or more warnings, status advisory messages, or a combination thereof, at the status box.

44. The computer-implemented method of claim 43, further comprising:

cycling between at least two warnings, status advisory messages, or a combination thereof, at the status box.

45. The computer-implemented method of claim 39, wherein cycling between the first highest priority notification and other notifications includes:

cycling between at least two dialog messages; and

displaying the at least two dialog messages, one at a time, at a dialog box of the treatment display.

46. The computer-implemented method of claim 39, wherein displaying the at least one number comprises:

displaying a first number at the treatment display, the first number corresponding to the at least two notifications;

detecting a new event related to the treatment;

replacing the first number with a second number in response to detecting the new event, the second number corresponding to a combination of a new notification generated in response to the new event and the at least two notifications;

determining a second highest priority notification between the new notification and the first highest priority notification; and

displaying at the treatment display the second highest priority notification.

47. The computer-implemented method of claim 46, further comprising providing a notification summary box at the first region of the treatment display, wherein the at least one of the first number and the second number is displayed at a first section of the notification summary box corresponding to a set of alarm notifications, or is displayed at a second section of the notification summary box corresponding to a set of advisory notifications, or is displayed at a third section of the notification summary box corresponding to a set of dialog messages.

48. The computer-implemented method of claim 47, wherein the notification generator outputs to the notification summary box a time of occurrence of an event to which a currently displayed notification corresponds.

49. The computer-implemented method of claim 47, wherein the set of advisory notifications include at least one of a warning message and a status advisory message.

50. The computer-implemented method of claim 39, further comprising displaying a help screen at the treatment display corresponding to the displayed first highest priority notification.

51. The computer-implemented method of claim 39, further comprising displaying a help screen at the treatment display corresponding to the at least one other notification.

52. The computer-implemented method of claim 39, wherein displaying at least one other notification of the other notifications at the treatment display includes displaying each of the at least two notifications in an order of a predetermined priority of each notification.

53. The computer-implemented method of claim 39, wherein the first highest priority event complies with a color code, each color in the color code referring to a severity of the event, and wherein the other notification is displayed during the cycling at a region of the treatment display that displays a color of the color code corresponding to the first highest priority event.

54. (canceled)