APPARATUS FOR QUANTIFYING AND DISPLAYING A PATIENT'S TIME BUFFER, BLOOD TREATMENT APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20140067416A1
• Filed: 09/04/2013
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Italia S.p.A. (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Original Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Deutschland GmbH (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA), Fresenius Medical Care Italia S.p.A. (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Inventors: WEHMEYER, Wolfgang, DUELSNER, Erik, MARAZZI, Marcello
• Granted Patent: US 9,977,868 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/14 Dialysis systems; Artificial kidneys; Blood oxygenators semi-permeable membranes characterised by the material, manufacturing processes therefor B01D71/00; Reciprocating systems for treatment of body fluids, e.g. single needle systems for hemofiltration or pheresis
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1613 Profiling or modelling of patient or predicted treatment evolution or outcome
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/34 Filtering material out of the blood by passing it through a membrane, i.e. hemofiltration or diafiltration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3561 local, e.g. within room or hospital
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/60 with identification means
• 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 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

An apparatus configured to quantify and display a time buffer for at least one patient during a blood treatment session is described. A blood treatment apparatus which includes such an apparatus or is in signal communication therewith, and a method for quantifying and presenting the time buffer for at least one patient at a blood treatment session are also described, as well as a computer program, a computer program product and a digital storage medium.

Claims

1. An apparatus adapted to quantify and display a time buffer or a need for urgency in a treatment of at least one patient during a blood treatment session, the apparatus comprising:

a device adapted for reading in or importing a treatment duration;

a device adapted for reading in or importing, at least once, a target end time for the blood treatment session;

a device adapted for calculating, identifying or classifying the time buffer or the need for urgency, at least once, on a basis of at least a current time, the treatment duration and the end time; and

a device adapted for outputting or displaying, at least once, a signal which indicates or codes for the time buffer or the need for urgency.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a device adapted to specify the time buffer or a start time of the blood treatment session, taking into account a total time needed to carry out further required steps of the treatment or the blood treatment session during which no treatment of the blood takes place, or to correct the signal which indicates or codes for the time buffer or the need for urgency by the total time needed to carry out the further required steps.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a device adapted to read in or import a total treatment duration prescribed for a patient, the total treatment duration being distributed over a predetermined number of consecutive treatment sessions;

a device adapted to add up previous treatment durations that the patient was actually treated during previous treatment sessions; and

a device adapted for determining or amending the read in or imported treatment duration for an upcoming blood treatment session, taking into consideration the read in total treatment duration and the added up previous treatment durations that the patient was actually treated.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a device adapted to input a shortened or extended treatment duration in place of the read in or imported treatment duration, whereby the apparatus is adapted to calculate, identify or classify the time buffer or the need for urgency, on a basis of at least the current time, the shortened or extended treatment duration and the end time.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a device adapted for multiple queries or multiple identifications of a progress of the patient'"'"'s treatment by use of an interrogator which identifies interruptions to the patient'"'"'s treatment during the blood treatment session via reading out or identifying interruptions completed or initiated by the treatment apparatus;

a device adapted for identifying a total length of interruptions to the treatment identified by the interrogator; and

a device adapted to calculate, identify or classify the time buffer or the need for urgency, on a basis of at least the current time, the treatment duration, the total length of interruptions and the end time.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a device adapted to compare the time buffers or the need for urgency for multiple patients and to determine a treatment order for the multiple patients based on an outcome of the comparison.

7. A blood treatment apparatus, comprising or connected therewith in signal communication:

at least one apparatus according to claim 1.

8. A method for quantifying and displaying a time buffer or a need for urgency of at least one patient during a blood treatment session, whereby the method is carried out by a correspondingly configured apparatus, the method comprising:

reading in or importing a treatment duration using the apparatus;

reading in or importing, at least once, an end time for the blood treatment session using the apparatus;

calculating, identifying or classifying, at least once, the time buffer or the need for urgency, via the apparatus, on a basis of a current time, the treatment duration and the end time; and

at least once outputting a signal which specifies or codes for the time buffer or the need for urgency.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

determining a start of the blood treatment session, taking into consideration further required steps for execution of the blood treatment session, or

adjusting the time buffer, the need for urgency or the signal which indicates the time buffer or the need for urgency by an amount of time necessary for executing the further required steps.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

reading in a total treatment duration prescribed for a patient, the total treatment duration being distributed over a predetermined number of consecutive treatment sessions;

adding up previous treatment durations that the patient has actually been treated during previous treatment sessions; and

determining or revising the read in or imported treatment duration for an upcoming blood treatment session, taking into account the total treatment duration and the previous treatment durations that the patient has actually been treated.

11. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

newly specifying or setting anew the end time and/or the treatment duration via the apparatus on a basis of a time buffer which falls under a predetermined threshold or if such a time buffer is detected.

12. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

extending the treatment duration, via the apparatus, on a basis of a time buffer which exceeds a predetermined threshold, or on a basis of a classification that indicates there is little need for urgency.

13. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

performing multiple queries or multiple identifications of a progress of a patient'"'"'s treatment by use of an interrogator of the apparatus during the blood treatment session, the interrogator identifying interruptions to the patient'"'"'s treatment by reading out or identifying interruptions completed or initiated by the apparatus;

identifying a total length of the identified interruptions to the treatment by the interrogator; and

calculating, identifying, or classifying, at least once, the time buffer or the need for urgency, on a basis of at least the treatment duration, the total length of the identified interruptions and the end time.

14. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

comparing the time buffers or the need for urgency for multiple patients via the apparatus; and

specifying a treatment order for the multiple patients, via the apparatus, on a basis of an outcome of the comparison.

15. A computer program product having an executable program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium insertable into a computer, wherein the program instructs the computer to perform the method according to claim 8.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable digital storage medium with an executable program stored thereon, wherein the program instructs a programmable computer system to perform the method according to claim 8.