Short-Range Wireless Communication for a Dialysis System

• US 20170087290A1
• Filed: 09/25/2015
• Published: 03/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2015
• 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: Medina, Carlos E., Yuds, David
• Granted Patent: US 10,532,139 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1603 Regulation parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1613 Profiling or modelling of patient or predicted treatment evolution or outcome
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/282 Operational modes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3561 local, e.g. within room or hospital
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3569 sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3584 using modem, internet or bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/52 with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6009 for matching patient with his treatment, e.g. to improve transfusion security
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6018 providing set-up signals for the apparatus configuration
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A dialysis system comprising: a dialysis machine; a communication module configured to communicate using a short-range wireless technology protocol; data storage configured to store data corresponding to identities of one or more short-range wireless devices; and a processor configured to: identify presence of a short-range wireless device; and cause the dialysis machine to carry out an action when one or both of i) the presence of the short-range wireless device is identified, and ii) the presence of the short-range wireless device is no longer identified.

Claims

1. A dialysis system comprising:

a dialysis machine;

a communication module configured to communicate using a short-range wireless technology protocol;

data storage configured to store data corresponding to identities of one or more short-range wireless devices; and

a processor configured to;

identify presence of a short-range wireless device; and

cause the dialysis machine to carry out an action when one or both of i) the presence of the short-range wireless device is identified, and ii) the presence of the short-range wireless device is no longer identified,

wherein the action comprises initiating a disinfection procedure.

2. The dialysis system of claim 1, wherein the short-range wireless device comprises a communication module configured to communicate with the communication module of the dialysis system.

3. The dialysis system of claim 1, wherein the action comprises initiating a dialysis treatment.

4. The dialysis system of claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to:

identify one or more treatment parameters for the dialysis treatment based on the data corresponding to the identity of the short-range wireless device; and

cause the dialysis machine to carry out the dialysis treatment based on the identified one or more treatment parameters.

5. The dialysis system of claim 1, wherein the dialysis machine is configured to operate a pump of the dialysis system, and wherein the action comprises operation of the pump.

6. The dialysis system of claim 4, wherein the treatment parameter comprises one or more of a dialysate type, a dialysate fill volume, and a dialysate flow rate.

7. The dialysis system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine that the presence of the short-range wireless device has ceased, and in response, automatically carry out the action.

8. The dialysis system of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to:

determine that the presence of the short-range wireless device has ceased before an expected termination of the action; and

in response to determining that the presence of the short-range wireless device has ceased before the expected termination of the action, carry out an emergency procedure.

9. The dialysis system of claim 8, wherein the action comprises a dialysis treatment.

10. The dialysis system of claim 9, wherein the emergency procedure comprises one or both of pausing and ceasing the dialysis treatment.

11. The dialysis system of claim 7, wherein the action comprises stopping operation of a pump of the dialysis system.

13. The dialysis system of claim 1, wherein the action comprises transmitting data representing information about a patient undergoing a dialysis treatment.

14. The dialysis system of claim 13, wherein the data is transmitted to and stored on the short-range wireless device.

15. The dialysis system of claim 1, comprising:

a user interface module, wherein the action comprises causing the user interface module to prompt a user of the dialysis system to indicate whether to cease a dialysis treatment.

16. The dialysis system of claim 1, wherein the short-range wireless device comprises an identification card.

17. The dialysis system of claim 16, wherein the dialysis machine includes a housing, the housing having a surface that allows the identification card to rest thereon, wherein the communication module is within the housing at a location substantially adjacent to the surface.

18. The dialysis system of claim 16, wherein the identification card includes a photograph of a person associated with the identification card.

19. The dialysis system of claim 1, wherein the communication module is configured to communicate using one or more of a Near-Field Communication (NFC) protocol, an RFID protocol, and a Bluetooth™

protocol.

22. The dialysis system of claim 1, wherein the data corresponding to identities of one or more short-range wireless devices comprise data representing a value stored on the short-range wireless device.

23. The dialysis system of claim 1, wherein the data corresponding to identities of one or more short-range wireless devices comprise a portion of a patient record of a patient who will undergo a dialysis treatment.

24. The dialysis system of claim 23, wherein the portion of the patient record comprises the patient'"'"'s name.

25. The dialysis system of claim 23, comprising:

a network communication module, wherein the data storage is configured to receive the portion of the patient record by way of the network communication module, and wherein the portion of the patient record originates at a computer system of a medical facility.

26. The dialysis system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine that the short-range wireless device corresponds to a medical supply associated with the dialysis treatment.

27. The dialysis system of claim 3, wherein the dialysis treatment comprises a hemodialysis treatment.

28. The dialysis system of claim 3, wherein the dialysis treatment comprises a peritoneal dialysis treatment.

12. (canceled)

20. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

29. A method of performing dialysis, comprising:

detecting, using a short-range wireless technology protocol, presence of a short-range wireless device;

determining that the short-range wireless device is associated with a patient;

causing a pump of a dialysis machine to administer a dialysis treatment to the patient; and

automatically performing at least one action in response to one or both of i) determining that the short-range wireless device is present, and ii) determining that the short-range wireless device is no longer present,

wherein the at least one action comprises initiating a disinfection procedure.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the short-range wireless device comprises an identification card of the patient.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein causing the pump to administer the dialysis treatment is one of the at least one actions that is automatically performed.

33. The method of claim 29, comprising:

identifying one or more treatment parameters for the dialysis treatment based on the identity of the patient; and

causing the pump to administer the dialysis treatment based on the identified one or more treatment parameters.

34. The method of claim 29, comprising:

transmitting data representing information about the patient.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the data is transmitted to and stored on the short-range wireless device.

32. (canceled)

36. A dialysis system comprising:

a dialysis machine;

a communication module configured to communicate using a short-range wireless technology protocol;

data storage configured to store data corresponding to identities of one or more short-range wireless devices; and

a processor configured to;

identify presence of a short-range wireless device;

cause the dialysis machine to carry out a first action when the presence of the short-range wireless device is identified;

determine that the presence of the short-range wireless device has ceased, and in response, automatically carry out a second action; and

determine that the presence of the short-range wireless device has ceased before an expected termination of the first action, and in response, carry out an emergency procedure.

37. A dialysis system comprising:

a dialysis machine;

a communication module configured to communicate using a short-range wireless technology protocol;

data storage configured to store data corresponding to identities of one or more short-range wireless devices; and

a processor configured to;

identify presence of a short-range wireless device;

cause the dialysis machine to carry out a first action when the presence of the short-range wireless device is identified;

determine that the presence of the short-range wireless device has ceased, and in response, automatically carry out a second action, wherein the second action comprises stopping operation of a pump of the dialysis system.