Medical infusion device

• US 4,838,857 A
• Filed: 02/09/1987
• Issued: 06/13/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Original Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Inventors: Edwards, Floyd V., Strowe, Robert J., Stern, Carl M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohen, Lee S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAY, DAVID M
• Application Number:
  US07/013,182
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 128/DIG. 12, 128/DIG. 13, 128/DIG. 1, 604/51, 604/52, 604/56, 604/65, 604/67, 604/118, 604/121, 604/131, 604/154, 604/155
• US Class Current: 604/67
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/14573 with a replaceable reservoir for quick connection/disconnection with a driving system
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/3125 specific display means, e.g. to indicate dose setting
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6018 providing set-up signals for the apparatus configuration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1456 with a replaceable reservoir comprising a piston rod to be moved into the reservoir, e.g. the piston rod is part of the removable reservoir
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1458 Means for capture of the plunger flange
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/12 Pressure infusion

Abstract

A medication infusion device comprises a retainer for holding a medication-containing receptacle of the type which is actuatable to expel the contents of medication therefrom. A sensor is included for sensing a characteristic related to the amount of medication within the receptacle. A timing device allows the selection of the period of time over which the contents of the receptacle are to be expelled. A control mechanism, associated with the sensor and the timing device, actuates the receptacle to expel its contents at a controlled rate over the selected period of time.

Claims

1. An infusion device for the administration of liquid from a syringe having a barrel for holding liquid and a plunger for expelling liquid comprising:

a housing;

a syringe retainer mounted on said housing for receiving therein a syringe barrel having liquid therein, said retainer including means for receiving syringe barrels of different sizes;

a movable syringe driver mounted on said housing adapted to engage a syringe plunger and push the plunger from a relative initial position into the syringe barrel to a relative final position to thereby force the liquid out of the syringe barrel, said initial position of the plunger being relative according to the amount of liquid within the syringe barrel;

sensor means for determining the size of the syringe barrel mounted on the housing, for determining said final position which is relative depending upon the size of the syringe barrel mounted on the housing, and for determining the relative distance the syringe plunger must travel from said initial position to said final position to expel the liquid from the barrel, and for providing information related to said determined distance;

control means for moving said syringe driver against said plunger to expel the liquid from said syringe barrel over a pre-selectable period of time at a rate of speed governed by said information received from said sensor means relating to the distance determination; and

a visual display for monitoring the period of time over which the liquid from said syringe barrel is expelled.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said retainer includes a manually operative clamp of such size and shape to grasp different diameter syringe barrels.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said clamp is spring-biased in order to facilitate maintaining the barrel in fixed position with respect to said housing.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein said sensor means includes a sensor associated with said driver for determining the initial position of said plunger with respect to said syringe barrel with liquid therein to relate said initial position to the distance said plunger must travel within said barrel to said final position to expel the liquid over the selected period of time.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said driver sensor is a linear position sensor.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein said syringe driver is slidably mounted to said housing and associated with said control means to impart linear motion to the plunger when engaged therewith.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein said syringe driver includes a locking mechanism which normally maintains said driver in actuating engagement with said control means and which is manually releasable to disengage the driver from said control means to permit the driver to freely move so that the syringe barrel may be positioned in the retainer and the driver moved into position against the plunger.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein said sensor means includes a sensor associated with said retainer which scans an outside diameter of the syringe barrel positioned within the retainer.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein said retainer sensor includes means for providing information to said control means that the syringe barrel represents a syringe of one of a series of sizes pre-programmed into said control means.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein said control means includes a controllable motor and drive mechanism for moving the syringe driver.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein said control means further includes a microprocessor regulated servo system for controlling speed of said motor and drive mechanism.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein said control means further includes a variable timing device wherein the period of time, over which the liquid from said syringe barrel is to be expelled, is selectable by a user.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein said timing device includes automatic means for setting the timing device at a pre-determined time period, for expelling the liquid from said syringe barrel, when a syringe is positioned in said retainer.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein said control means includes a timing stepper to permit the user to incrementally select a time period for operation either longer of shorter than the automatically set, pre-determined time.

15. The device of claim 1 wherein said control means includes manually accessible switch means for initiating the movement of the syringe driver.

16. The device of claim 1 wherein the control means includes means for automatically stopping movement of the syringe driver when the period of time for operation has substantially expired.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein the means for automatically stopping movement of the syringe driver is further operable when the period of time has not expired and an event occurs indicative of an impediment to expelling the liquid from the syringe barrel.

18. The device of claim 16 which further includes an alarm which becomes activated if the period of time has not expired and the movement of the syringe driver stops.

19. The device of claim 1 wherein the control means includes manually accessible switch means for stopping the movement of the syringe driver at any time during the period of time of operation.

20. The device of claim 1 wherein said display is a timing mechanism which visually indicates the time remaining to expel the liquid from the syringe barrel.

21. The device of claim 20 wherein said display further includes an indicator which continually displays the original, selected period of time for expelling the liquid from the syringe barrel during the period when liquid is being expelled.

22. A medication infusion device comprising:

means for holding a medication-containing receptacle of the type including linearly movable means for expelling the contents of medication therefrom;

means for sensing a relative beginning point and a relative ending point defining a linear distance that the movable means must travel to expel the medication from the receptacle, said ending point being relative according to the size of the receptacle;

means, associated with said sensing means, for establishing a period of time over which the contents of said receptacle are to be expelled; and

control means associated with said characteristic sensing means and said time establishing means for actuating said receptacle to expel its contents at a controlled rate governed by said established period of time.

23. The device of claim 22 wherein said means for establishing includes timing means for automatically setting the time period for expelling the contents of the receptacle.

24. The device of claim 22 wherein said means for establishing includes timing means for permitting the user to select the time period for expelling contents of the receptacle.

25. The device of claim 22 wherein said means for holding is variable to accept receptacles of different cross-sectional areas and wherein said sensing means includes means for sensing at least one dimension which is a function of cross-sectional area of said receptacle.

26. The device of claim 22 which further includes display means for monitoring the period of time over which the contents of said receptacle are to be expelled.

27. An infusion device for the administration of liquid from a syringe having a barrel for holding liquid and a plunger for expelling liquid from said barrel comprising:

a housing;

a manually operative clamp mounted on said housing for holding a syringe barrel and having such size and shape to grasp syringe barrels having different outside diameters;

a first sensor mounted on said clamp for scanning the outside diameter of the syringe barrel positioned within the clamp to determine the size of the barrel mounted on the housing and for establishing a final position that the syringe plunger is to reach inside the barrel as representative of a reference position, said final position being variable as a function of the size of the barrel, and for providing information related thereto;

a syringe driver slidably mounted on said housing adapted to engage the syringe plunger and impart linear motion thereto for pushing the plunger into the syringe barrel to thereby force the liquid out of the syringe barrel;

a second sensor mounted on said driver for determining a relative position of said plunger with respect to said syringe barrel to relate said relative plunger position to a distance said plunger must travel within the barrel to said final position to expel the liquid therefrom over a pre-selected period of time, said second sensor adapted to provide information related to the determined relative position of said plunger;

a microprocessor regulated servo system, including a motor and drive mechanism, for moving the syringe driver at a controlled speed, further including a variable timing device wherein a period of time, over which the liquid from said syringe barrel is to be expelled, is either selectable by a user of automatically set by the timing device, said servo system being dependent upon said information receiving from the first and second sensors for governing the rate of speed of said driver to expel the liquid from the syringe barrel over the pre-selected period of time; and

a visual display which indicates the current period of time which remains to expel the liquid from the syringe barrel and which continually indicates the originally selected period of time for expelling the liquid from the syringe barrel.

30. The device of claim 27 wherein the stored information related to syringe barrels of the following sizes:

3,5,10,20,30 and 60 cubic centimeters.

28. An infusion device for the administration of liquid from a syringe having a barrel for holding liquid and a plunger for expelling liquid comprising:

a housing;

a syringe retainer mounted on said housing for receiving a syringe barrel having liquid therein, said retainer including means for receiving syringe barrels of different sizes;

a movable syringe driver mounted on said housing for engaging a syringe plunger and for pushing the plunger into the syringe barrel to thereby force the liquid out of the syringe barrel;

means for measuring the size of the syringe barrel mounted on the housing;

microprocessor control means for storing information representative of a plurality of different size syringe barrels and for comparing the measured syringe barrel with the stored information to categorize the mounted syringe barrel as being of a certain size; and

means for moving said syringe driver against said plunger to expel the liquid from the syringe barrel.

29. The device of claim 28 wherein the microprocessor means for storing is programmable to store information therein representative of standard, conventional size syringe barrels.

31. The device of claim 28 wherein the microprocessor means for storing is programmable to store information therein representative of at least three different size syringe barrels.

32. The device of claim 28 wherein the means for storing and the means for comparing are included in microprocessor means.

33. The device of claim 28 wherein the means for measuring the size of the syringe barrel includes stationary means and movable means associated with said syringe retainer for contacting each other at different positions relative to the size of the syringe barrel received in the syringe retainer.

34. The device of claim 33 wherein the stationary means includes a plurality of electrical pads maintained in fixed position on the syringe retainer.

35. The device of claim 34 wherein the movable means includes a plurality of electrical tabs maintained in movable position on the syringe retainer so that the size of the syringe barrel received in the syringe retainer is related to the arrangement of electrical contact between the pads and the tabs.

36. The device of claim 28 wherein the means for moving the syringe driver is movable to expel the liquid from the syringe barrel over a pre-selected period of time at a rate of speed governed by the categorized size of the syringe barrel received in the syringe retainer.