SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING OCCLUSIONS IN A MEDICATION INFUSION SYSTEM USING PULSEWISE PRESSURE SIGNALS

• US 20140107613A1
• Filed: 10/09/2013
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Original Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Inventors: Pettis, Ronald J., Klug, Richard J., Sullivan, Vincent J., Ferriter, Matthew S., Keith, Steven, McVey, Elaine, Tong, Frances, Herr, Joshua, Rini, Christopher, Bolick, Natasha, Harvey, Alfred Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 9,480,794 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/506
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/16863 Occlusion detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/18 with alarm
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3355 Controlling downstream pump pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/142 Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16854 by monitoring line pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16859 Evaluation of pressure response, e.g. to an applied pulse
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/5086 for indicating if defective, used, tampered with or unsterile

Abstract

A medical fluid communication system is disclosed comprising a pump controller and a fluid detector. The fluid detector detects characteristics of the fluid and provides fluid measurements to the pump controller, which detects if the fluid is flowing in the medication delivery system. In the event fluid is not flowing due to an occlusion, the pump controller may attempt to resolve the occlusion or may provide a warning to a user that an occlusion is occurring.

Claims

1. A method of detecting occlusions in a medical fluid communication system comprising a fluid reservoir, a fluid path connected between the fluid reservoir and a patient, a fluid delivery device, and a pressure sensor measuring a pressure of the fluid within the fluid path, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring pressure of a medication fluid in a fluid path of a medical fluid communication system during a current interval;

based on the pressure measurements, determining if a flow of the medication fluid is successful or unsuccessful.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if a flow of the medication fluid is successful or unsuccessful further comprises:

calculating a minimum pressure of the current interval; and

comparing a minimum pressure of the current interval to a predetermined threshold pressure,

wherein the flow of the medication fluid is not successful if the minimum pressure exceeds the predetermined threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if the medication fluid is flowing further comprises:

calculating a minimum pressure of the current interval; and

comparing the minimum pressure of the current interval to pressure data of a previous interval,

wherein the flow of the medication fluid is not successful if the minimum pressure exceeds the pressure data of the previous interval.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the pressure data of the previous interval is based on a calculation of a peak pressure of the previous interval and a minimum pressure of the previous interval.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the calculation is W*P_MAX+(1−

W)*P_MIN, where P_MAX is the maximum pressure of the previous interval, P_MIN is the minimum pressure of the previous interval, and W is a weighting factor set based on the sensitivity.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the previous interval is two or more intervals before the current interval.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring pressure of a medication fluid comprises detecting the pressure applied to a pressure sensor in a fluid path connected between the fluid reservoir and a patient.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

if the flow of the medication fluid is unsuccessful, determining if the flow of the medication fluid in the fluid path can be resolved; and

attempting to correct the flow of the medication fluid.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising, if the flow of the medication fluid is unsuccessful, generating an alarm indicating an occlusion has occurred.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising halting further medication fluid from flowing into a patient until the flow of the medication fluid is resolved by a user.

11. A medication infusion system comprising:

a pump controller for providing medication fluid to a patient via a fluid path connected between a fluid reservoir of the pump controller and a patient; and

an in-line fluid detector for measuring pressure of the medication fluid in the fluid path and transmitting the measured pressure to the pump controller,

wherein the pump controller determines if a flow of the medication fluid is successful or unsuccessful based on the pressure measurements in a current interval.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the pump controller determines if a flow of the medication fluid is successful or unsuccessful further comprises:

calculating a minimum pressure of the current interval; and

comparing a minimum pressure of the current interval to a predetermined threshold pressure,

wherein the flow of the medication fluid is not successful if the minimum pressure exceeds the predetermined threshold.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the pump controller determines if a flow of the medication fluid is successful or unsuccessful further comprises:

calculating a minimum pressure of the current interval; and

comparing the minimum pressure of the current interval to pressure data of a previous interval,

wherein the flow of the medication fluid is not successful if the minimum pressure exceeds the pressure data of the previous interval.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the pressure data of the previous interval is based on a calculation of a peak pressure of the previous interval and a minimum pressure of the previous interval.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the calculation is W*P_MAX+(1−

W)*P_MIN, where P_MAX is the maximum pressure of the previous interval, P_MIN is the minimum pressure of the previous interval, and W is a weighting factor set based on the sensitivity.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the previous interval is two intervals before the current interval.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the fluid detector comprises a pressure sensor disposed in the fluid path.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein, if the pump controller determines that the flow of the medication fluid is unsuccessful, the pump controller determines if the flow of the medication fluid in the fluid path can be resolved and attempts to correct the flow of the medication fluid.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein, if the pump controller determines that the medication fluid is unsuccessful, the pump controller generates an alarm indicating that the flow of the medication fluid is unsuccessful and prevents further medication fluid from flowing until the flow of the medication fluid is resolved by a user.

20. A pump controller for use in a medication infusion system, comprising:

a fluid reservoir having a medication fluid disposed therein;

a piston driven via a suitable motor for causing the medication fluid to flow into a patient via fluid path between the fluid reservoir and the patient;

a controller for receiving pressure measurements from an in-line pressure sensor in the fluid path and determining if a flow of the medication fluid in the fluid path is successful or unsuccessful based on the pressure measurements.

21. The pump controller of claim 20, further comprising a transmitter for transmitting instructions to a fluid detector to initiate a pressure measurement of the fluid path and a wireless receiver for receiving the pressure measurement from the fluid detector.

22. The pump controller of claim 20, wherein the controller compares a minimum peak pressure from a current interval with a weighted calculation of pressure of previous pressure measurements to determine if a flow of the medication fluid in the path is successful or unsuccessful.

23. A method of detecting occlusions in a medical fluid communication system comprising a fluid reservoir, a fluid path connected between the fluid reservoir and a patient, a fluid delivery device, and a pressure sensor measuring a pressure of the fluid within the fluid path, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring pressure of a medication fluid in a fluid path of a medication fluid communication system during a current interval;

comparing the minimum pressure of the current interval to a predetermined threshold pressure, wherein the predetermined threshold is based on a calculation of a peak pressure of the previous interval and a minimum pressure of the previous interval; and

determining if a flow of the medication fluid is not successful if the minimum pressure exceeds the predetermined threshold and determining if the flow of the medication fluid is successful if the minimum pressure does not exceed the predetermined threshold.