Ambulatory medication delivery system
First Claim
1. An ambulatory medication delivery system for delivering at least one fluid to a patient, comprising:
- portable infusion means comprising, in combination;
at least one reservoir means for storing a supply of fluid to be delivered to the patient;
tube communication means for delivering said fluid to the patientat least one controllable pump means having a fluid inlet for receiving said fluid from said at least one reservoir means and a fluid outlet for discharging said fluid received at said pump inlet, said controllable pump means including;
an axially elongated main housing having an inlet end portion connected with the fluid inlet, an outlet end portion connected with the fluid outlet and a cylinder bore extending therethrough between said inlet and said outlet end portions;
piston means slidably mounted within said main housing cylinder bore for reciprocating motion along on axial path having end points respectively in the inlet and outlet end portions, the piston means and the cylinder bore defining a variable volume pumping chamber between the piston means and the outlet end portion of the housing and communicating with the fluid outlet;
spring means connected with the piston means for moving said piston means along the axial path toward said outlet end portion of the housing in a pumping stroke;
drive means for moving said piston means along the axial path toward the inlet end portion of the housing in an intake stroke and in opposition to the spring means;
each intake stroke and pumping stroke of the piston means between the end points of the axial path causing a predetermined incremental volume of fluid to be pumped from the variable volume pumping chamber into the fluid outlet;
shutoff valve means defined at the outlet end portion of the housing and actuated by the motion of the piston means along the axial path in the cylinder bore at the outlet end portion of the housing for cutting off fluid communication between the variable volume pumping chamber and the fluid outlet when the piston means reaches the end point in the outlet end portion of the housing;
whereby fluid in said variable volume pumping chamber is expelled from said fluid outlet when said piston is moved along the axial path in a direction from said inlet end portion to said outlet end portion and fluid is prevented by the shutoff valve means from flowing from said fluid outlet when said piston means is at rest at the end point of the path in the outlet end portion of the housing;
means for coupling said pump fluid inlet to said at least one reservoir means;
means for coupling said pump fluid outlet to said tube communication means;
control means coupled to said at least one controllable pump means for activating said pump means to pump said predetermined incremental volume of fluid from said reservoir in response to a pump control signal generated by said control means, andfirst memory means coupled to said control means for receiving and storing a program instruction set for directing the operation of said control means in accordance with a predetermined delivery schedule whereby said predetermined incremental volume of fluid is pumped from said at least one reservoir means during a predetermined time interval such that the total of the incremental volumes pumped during the predetermined time interval is equal to a volume specified in the medication delivery schedule.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An ambulatory medication delivery system includes an ambulatory pump unit having a computer control linear motor pump for pumping predetermined volumes of fluid in accordance with a programmed delivery schedule which may be altered through communication with a remote monitoring location via a telephone data access line or via radio frequency communication. A clinician communication unit and a patient communication unit receive and send information to the ambulatory pump unit and also communicate via a telephone data modem access to the computer at a remote monitoring location at which trained health personnel can monitor a number of patient locations and alter or change medication delivery profiles as required.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. An ambulatory medication delivery system for delivering at least one fluid to a patient, comprising:
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portable infusion means comprising, in combination; at least one reservoir means for storing a supply of fluid to be delivered to the patient; tube communication means for delivering said fluid to the patient at least one controllable pump means having a fluid inlet for receiving said fluid from said at least one reservoir means and a fluid outlet for discharging said fluid received at said pump inlet, said controllable pump means including; an axially elongated main housing having an inlet end portion connected with the fluid inlet, an outlet end portion connected with the fluid outlet and a cylinder bore extending therethrough between said inlet and said outlet end portions; piston means slidably mounted within said main housing cylinder bore for reciprocating motion along on axial path having end points respectively in the inlet and outlet end portions, the piston means and the cylinder bore defining a variable volume pumping chamber between the piston means and the outlet end portion of the housing and communicating with the fluid outlet; spring means connected with the piston means for moving said piston means along the axial path toward said outlet end portion of the housing in a pumping stroke; drive means for moving said piston means along the axial path toward the inlet end portion of the housing in an intake stroke and in opposition to the spring means; each intake stroke and pumping stroke of the piston means between the end points of the axial path causing a predetermined incremental volume of fluid to be pumped from the variable volume pumping chamber into the fluid outlet; shutoff valve means defined at the outlet end portion of the housing and actuated by the motion of the piston means along the axial path in the cylinder bore at the outlet end portion of the housing for cutting off fluid communication between the variable volume pumping chamber and the fluid outlet when the piston means reaches the end point in the outlet end portion of the housing; whereby fluid in said variable volume pumping chamber is expelled from said fluid outlet when said piston is moved along the axial path in a direction from said inlet end portion to said outlet end portion and fluid is prevented by the shutoff valve means from flowing from said fluid outlet when said piston means is at rest at the end point of the path in the outlet end portion of the housing; means for coupling said pump fluid inlet to said at least one reservoir means; means for coupling said pump fluid outlet to said tube communication means; control means coupled to said at least one controllable pump means for activating said pump means to pump said predetermined incremental volume of fluid from said reservoir in response to a pump control signal generated by said control means, and first memory means coupled to said control means for receiving and storing a program instruction set for directing the operation of said control means in accordance with a predetermined delivery schedule whereby said predetermined incremental volume of fluid is pumped from said at least one reservoir means during a predetermined time interval such that the total of the incremental volumes pumped during the predetermined time interval is equal to a volume specified in the medication delivery schedule. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23)
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21. An ambulatory medication delivery system as defined in claim 21 further comprising said axially elongated housing body and said piston means being removable as an assembled unit from a said at least one controllable pump means and directly replaceable with another assembled unit.
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24. An ambulatory medication delivery system comprising:
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an ambulatory pumping unit carried by a patient and having a cyclically operated linear motor pumping means and a control computer connected to the pumping means for pumping a predetermined incremental volume of medication fluid into the patient in each cycle of operation, the pumping unit also having a memory for receiving and storing a program instruction set for directing the operation of the pumping means in accordance with a predetermined delivery schedule; a full-authority remote clinician communication unit for establishing a communication link with the ambulatory pumping unit and sending new program instruction sets to the memory of the ambulatory pumping unit to change the predetermined delivery schedule; and a patient communication unit for establishing a communication link between the ambulatory pumping unit and the full-authority clinician unit, and providing patient vital sign data, the communication link with the ambulatory pumping unit and the clinician unit being established at the initiative of the patient and independently of the link between the clinician communication unit and the ambulatory pumping unit for sending new instruction sets. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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Specification