Medical Vaporizer

• US 20150250961A1
• Filed: 03/05/2014
• Published: 09/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Whitman, Shawn Thomas, Tham, Robert Q., Jones, Michael Eric
• Granted Patent: US 9,566,404 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/00 Sprayers or atomisers specially adapted for therapeutic purposes in general B05B; aerosol containers B65D83/14
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/041 using heaters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 11/042 electrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0051 with alarm devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/01 specially adapted for anaesthetising A61M16/104, A61M16/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/021 operated by electrical means A61M16/202 – A61M16/205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/18 Vaporising devices for anaesthetic preparations
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/048 Anaesthetics
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3379 Masses, volumes, levels of fluids in reservoirs, flow rates
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3386 Low level detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3569 sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/60 with identification means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8243 by induction
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8262 connectable to external power source, e.g. connecting to automobile battery through the cigarette lighter

Abstract

A medical vaporizer includes a liquid drug reservoir configured to receive and hold a liquid drug. A low power graphical display is configured to intermittently receive power. The low power graphical display is operable to visually present information and maintain the visual presentation of information in the absence of power. A controller is configured to intermittently receive power and upon receiving power the controller to operates to determine a status of a medical vaporizer. The controller operates the low power graphical display to present the status of the medical vaporizer as visually presented information.

Claims

1. A medical vaporizer, comprising:

a liquid drug reservoir configured to receive and hold a liquid drug;

a low power graphical display configured to intermittently receive power, the low power graphical display operable to visually present information and maintain the visual presentation of information in the absence of power;

a controller configured to intermittently receive power and upon receiving power, the controller operates to determine a status of the medical vaporizer and operates the low power graphical display to present the status of the medical vaporizer as visually presented information.

2. The medical vaporizer of claim 1, wherein the graphical display is an electronic ink display.

3. The medical vaporizer of claim 1, wherein the medical vaporizer is compatible for use with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine.

4. The medical vaporizer of claim 1, further comprising:

a fluid sensor associated with the liquid drug reservoir and the fluid sensor measures a volume of the liquid drug present in the liquid drug reservoir;

wherein the status of the medical vaporizer comprises the volume of liquid drug present in the liquid drug reservoir.

5. The medical vaporizer of claim 1, further comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) coil configured to receive RF signals; and

a near field power converter connected to the RF coil, the near field power converter is operable to transfer power from received RF signals to the controller and the low power graphical display;

wherein upon receiving the transferred power, the controller operates to update the status of the medical vaporizer and operates the low power graphical display to present the updated status of the medical vaporizer.

6. The medical vaporizer of claim 5, wherein the RF coil is further configured to wirelessly transmit data and the controller operates the RF coil to broadcast the determined updated status of the medical vaporizer.

7. The medical vaporizer of claim 1, wherein the controller further operates the graphical display to present visually presented information comprising at least one of:

a liquid drug type, a vaporizer serial number, a vaporizer manufacturer, a vaporizer manufacture date, a calibration table, a manufacturer website, a liquid agent volume, a last service date, a maintenance log, an operation log, a current vaporizer location, a location log, liquid drug volume history, a date of fill, and a fill log.

8. The medical vaporizer of claim 7, wherein the controller operates the graphical display to present at least a portion of the visually presented information as a two-dimensional matrix code.

9. The medical vaporizer of claim 1, further comprising:

a power supply configured to receive power from an external source and direct the received power to the controller and the low power graphical display; and

an energy storage device connected to the power supply and the controller, and when the power supply receives power from the external source, the power supply operates to charge the energy storage device, and the controller receives power from the energy storage device in the absence of power from the external source.

10. The medical vaporizer of claim 9, further comprising:

a computer readable medium communicatively connected to the controller;

wherein when the controller receives power from the energy storage device, the controller operates to intermittently update the determined status of the medical vaporizer and store the updated determined status in the computer readable memory.

11. The medical vaporizer of claim 9, wherein when the controller receives power from the power supply, the controller operates in a full power operational mode wherein the controller is operable to receive at least one user input and operates to modify the visually presented information on the low power graphical display according to the at least one user input.

12. A method of operation of a medical vaporizer comprising a liquid drug reservoir configured to receive and hold a liquid drug, a low power graphical display, and a controller, the method comprising:

receiving power with medical vaporizer from an external power source external to the medical vaporizer;

determining, with the controller, a status of the medical vaporizer;

operating the low power graphical display to visually present the status of the medical vaporizer;

disconnecting the medical vaporizer from the external power source; and

maintaining the visual presentation of the status of the medical vaporizer on the low power graphical display in the absence of power from the external power source.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a radio frequency (RF) signal at an RF coil of the medical vaporizer;

converting the RF signal to power with a near field power converter and transferring the power to the controller and the low power graphical display;

determining an updated status of the medical vaporizer with the controller, and

operating the low power graphical display to visually present the updated status of the medical vaporizer.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

broadcasting an RF communication signal from the RF coil, the RF communication signal comprising the updated status of the medical vaporizer.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving power at the controller from an energy storage device of the medical vaporizer;

intermittently determining an intermittently updated status of the medical vaporizer with the controller;

storing the intermittently updated status of the medical vaporizer in a computer readable medium of the medical vaporizer communicatively connected to the controller;

maintaining the visual presentation of the status of the medical vaporizer on the low power graphical display.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a radio frequency (RF) signal at an RF coil of the medical vaporizer;

converting the RF signal to power with a near field power converter and transferring the power to the controller; and

broadcasting an RF communication signal from the RF coil, the RF communication signal comprising the intermittently updated status of the medical vaporizer from the computer readable medium.

17. A vaporizer system comprising:

a medical vaporizer comprising;

a liquid drug reservoir configured to receive and hold a liquid drug;

a low power graphical display configured to intermittently receive power, the low power graphical display operable to visually present information and maintain the visual presentation of information in the absence of power; and

a controller configured to intermittently receive power and upon receiving power, the controller operates to determine a status of the medical vaporizer and operates the low power graphical display to present the status of the medical vaporizer as visually presented information; and

an anesthesia delivery machine configured to connect to the medical vaporizer, and configured to supply power to the medical vaporizer when the anesthesia delivery machine is connected to the medical vaporizer.

18. The vaporizer system of claim 17, further comprising:

an auxiliary communication device configured to communicate with the medical vaporizer when the medical vaporizer is disconnected from the anesthesia delivery machine, the auxiliary communication device receives the status of the medical vaporizer from the medical vaporizer.

19. The vaporizer system of claim 18, further comprising:

wherein the anesthesia delivery machine is further configured to communicate anesthesia delivery machine data to the controller when the anesthesia delivery machine is connected to the medical vaporizer,

wherein the medical vaporizer comprises a computer readable medium upon which the controller stores the anesthesia delivery machine data; and

wherein the auxiliary communication device receives the anesthesia delivery machine data from the medical vaporizer.

20. The vaporizer system of claim 18 further comprising:

wherein the auxiliary communication device comprises a first radio frequency coil and the medical vaporizer comprises a second radio frequency coil and the medical vaporizer receives an RF signal from the auxiliary communication device and converts the received RF signal to power with a near field power converter; and

wherein the controller receives the power from the near field power converter, determines an updated status of the medical vaporizer, and operates the low power graphical display to present the updated status of the medical vaporizer.