LIQUID INFUSION INFILTRATION DETECTION APPARATUS AND METHOD
First Claim
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1. Infusion-infiltration responsive apparatus for use with liquid-infusion equipment comprising:
- liquid-delivery conduit means disposed to be inserted into a blood vessel of a patient for delivering liquid thereto and including control means for stopping liquid infusion into a patient in response to a control signal applied thereto;
a heat-responsive element disposed to be positioned on the skin surface of a patient in the region of the entrance site of a liquid-delivery conduit into a blood vessel of the patient for producing an output indicative of the temperature of skin of the patient in said region; and
circuit means coupled to the output of said element and to said control means for applying a control signal thereto to stop liquid infusion into the patient in response to said output attaining a selected value.
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Abstract
Improved method and means is provided for detecting undesirable infiltration into the perivascular tissue of liquid which is normally administered intravenously or intraarterially.
37 Citations
12 Claims
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1. Infusion-infiltration responsive apparatus for use with liquid-infusion equipment comprising:
- liquid-delivery conduit means disposed to be inserted into a blood vessel of a patient for delivering liquid thereto and including control means for stopping liquid infusion into a patient in response to a control signal applied thereto;
a heat-responsive element disposed to be positioned on the skin surface of a patient in the region of the entrance site of a liquid-delivery conduit into a blood vessel of the patient for producing an output indicative of the temperature of skin of the patient in said region; and
circuit means coupled to the output of said element and to said control means for applying a control signal thereto to stop liquid infusion into the patient in response to said output attaining a selected value.
- liquid-delivery conduit means disposed to be inserted into a blood vessel of a patient for delivering liquid thereto and including control means for stopping liquid infusion into a patient in response to a control signal applied thereto;
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2. Infusion-infiltration responsive apparatus as in claim 1 wherein:
- said control means includes pinching apparatus disposed about a portion of conduit of the liquid-delivery conduit means for occluding the conduit to stop the flow of liquid therethrough in response to said control signal applied to said control means.
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3. Infusion-infiltration responsive apparatus as in claim 1 wherein:
- said liquid-delivery conduit means includes motor-driven liquid-pumping means; and
said control means is coupled to said liquid-pumping means for stopping the pumping of liquid thereby in response to said control signal applied to said control means.
- said liquid-delivery conduit means includes motor-driven liquid-pumping means; and
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4. Infusion-infiltration responsive apparatus as in claim 1 wherein:
- said circuit means includes threshold detection means for producing said control signal only in response to said output attaining a preselected value.
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5. Infusion-infiltration responsive apparatus as in claim 4 wherein:
- said circuit means includes a source of a reference signal which is representative of a selected absolute temperature of the skin surface of a patient; and
said threshold detection means produces said control signal only in response to a selected algebraic combination of the output from said element and said reference signal attaining a predetermined relationship.
- said circuit means includes a source of a reference signal which is representative of a selected absolute temperature of the skin surface of a patient; and
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6. Infusion-infiltration responsive apparatus as in claim 4 wherein:
- said circuit means includes signal storage means for storing a signal representative of the temperature of the skin of a patient in the region of said entrance site prior to liquid infusion into a blood vessel of the patient; and
said circuit produces said control signal in response to the difference between the stored signal prior to liquid infusion and the output of said element following commencement of liquid-infusion attaining a predetermined value.
- said circuit means includes signal storage means for storing a signal representative of the temperature of the skin of a patient in the region of said entrance site prior to liquid infusion into a blood vessel of the patient; and
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7. Infusion-infiltration responsive apparatus as in claim 1 comprising:
- a source of reference signal which is representative of the surface temperature of the skin of a patient at a location remote from said site; and
said circuit means includes threshold response means which produces said control signal in response to said output decreasing below said reference signal by a selected value.
- a source of reference signal which is representative of the surface temperature of the skin of a patient at a location remote from said site; and
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8. Infusion-infiltration responsive apparatus as in claim 7 wherein:
- said source includes An auxiliary heat-responsive element disposed to be positioned at a location on the skin surface of a patient remote from said site for producing said reference signal representative of the skin surface temperature at said location; and
said threshold responsive means includes a differential detector which responds to the difference between said output and said reference signal for producing said control signal in response to said difference attaining a selected value.
- said source includes An auxiliary heat-responsive element disposed to be positioned at a location on the skin surface of a patient remote from said site for producing said reference signal representative of the skin surface temperature at said location; and
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9. The method of liquid-infusion administration comprising the steps of:
- placing a liquid-infusion delivery conduit into a blood vessel of a patient for delivering an infusion liquid into the blood vessel of the patient; and
simultaneously sensing the skin temperature in the region of the entrance site of the conduit into the blood vessel for detecting changes in the skin temperature in said region associated with the liquid infiltration to control liquid infusion into the blood vessel in response to changes in said skin temperature beyond a selected value.
- placing a liquid-infusion delivery conduit into a blood vessel of a patient for delivering an infusion liquid into the blood vessel of the patient; and
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10. The method of liquid-infusion administration as in claim 9 comprising the additional step of:
- discontinuing delivery of the infusion liquid to the blood vessel of the patient in response to the temperature sensed in said region attaining a selected value.
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11. The method of liquid infusion administration as in claim 10 comprising the additional step of sensing the temperature in said region of the entrance site prior to the infusion of liquid and wherein the step of discontinuing delivery of the infusion liquid is performed in response to the temperature sensed in said region following commencement of liquid infusion deviating by a preselected amount from the temperature sensed prior to infusion of liquid.
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12. The method of liquid infusion administration as in claim 10 wherein the step of discontinuing delivery of the infusion liquid is performed by simultaneously sensing the skin temperature of the patient at a location remote from said entrance site;
- and discontinuing the delivery of the infusion liquid in response to the difference between the temperatures about said entrance site and at said location attaining a selected value.
Specification