Infusion system with air-in-line clear function

• US 5,616,124 A
• Filed: 01/13/1995
• Issued: 04/01/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Carefusion 303 Incorporated (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: IVAC Medical Systems, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Hague, Clifford W., Koenig, Paul A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Green, Randall L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KNIGHTS, LAIRD
• Application Number:
  US08/372,513
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 604/65-67, 604/122-125, 604/151, 128/DIG. 13, 73/19.01
• US Class Current: 604/65
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/365 Air detectors A61M5/1684 takes precedence; in extracorporeal blood circuits A61M1/3626
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/13 Infusion monitoring

Abstract

An infusion system with an air-in-line sensor is provided with improved apparatus and method for quickly and easily clearing small quantities of undissolved gas such as air from the sensor detection field. The infusion system includes an infusion pump having control components responsive to the air-in-line sensor to activate an alarm and/or to cease pump operation when undissolved gas is detected. A "clear air" key or switch is provided on the pump for actuation by medical personnel to operate the pump in a manner delivering a small pulse of the infusion liquid to move a small detected quantity of gas past the air-in-line sensor. The system can be adapted for actuation of the "clear air" key up to a selected number of times, while monitoring and accumulating the total fluid quantity delivered to a patient.

Claims

1. A method of delivering a selected medical fluid to a patient, said method comprising the steps of:

delivering the medical fluid by a pump through a fluid line adapted for connection to the patient;

monitoring a short length of the line with a detection field of an air-in-line sensor to detect gas within the line;

responding to the air-in-line sensor upon detection of gas along the short length of the line within the sensor detection field to activate an alarm;

clearing the detected gas from the sensor detection field by operating the pump to deliver an output pulse of the medical fluid to the line to move the detected gas along the line to a position downstream of the sensor detection field; and

,

infusing the cleared gas and the output pulse of medical fluid into the patient.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said clearing step comprises:

manually actuating a switch on the pump at least one time to control the pump to deliver the output pulse.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said clearing step comprises:

manually actuating a switch on the pump a plurality of times up to a predetermined maximum number to deliver a plurality of the output pulses to the line.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of limiting the number of times that the switch can be actuated.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

the step of maintaining an accumulated fluid record representing the total amount of the fluid delivered to a patient, the maintaining step including decrementing the record in accordance with gas detected by the sensor and increasing the record in accordance with each output pulse delivered to the line.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of clearing the detected gas includes the step of delivering a plurality of output pulses of the fluid to the line in order to move the detected gas.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of limiting the number of output pulses that can be delivered to the line.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of enabling the pump to deliver the output pulses after the alarm has been activated.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of enabling the pump to deliver the output pulse after the alarm has been activated.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of enabling a pump to deliver the output pulse when the detected gas has a volume larger than a predetermined quantity.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of responding to the air-in-line-sensor includes the step of activating the alarm when the detected gas has a volume larger than a first predetermined quantity.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of halting the delivery of the fluid when the detected gas has a volume larger than a second predetermined quantity which is greater than the first predetermined quantity.

13. A method of dislodging and infusing a gas positioned within a selected length of a medical fluid line operated on by a fluid control device that controls the flow of fluid through the line, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring the selected length of the fluid line to detect gas within the selected length of the fluid line;

operating the fluid control device to deliver a pulse of the fluid through the fluid line in response to the detection of the gas in the selected length to dislodge and move the detected gas through the fluid line to a position beyond the selected length of the fluid line; and

,

infusing the dislodged gas and the pulse of the fluid into a patent.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of operating the fluid control device includes delivering a plurality of pulses of the fluid.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of delivering a plurality of pulses of the fluid includes limiting the plurality of pulses to a predetermined maximum number.

16. The method of claim 13 further including the step of enabling the fluid control device to deliver the pulse of fluid when the detected gas has a volume larger than a predetermined quantity.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of generating an alarm when the detected gas has a volume larger than a first predetermined quantity.

18. The method of claim 17 further including the step of enabling the fluid control device to deliver the pulse of fluid after generating the alarm.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of halting operation of the fluid control device when the detected gas has a volume larger than a second predetermined quantity which is greater than the first predetermined quantity.

20. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

maintaining an accumulated record representing the amount of fluid moved through the fluid line;

decrementing the record in accordance with the detected amount of gas; and

incrementing the record in accordance with the number of pulses delivered.

21. A method of dislodging and moving a gas positioned within a selected length of a medical fluid line operated on by a fluid control device that controls the flow of fluid through the line, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring the selected length of the fluid line to detect gas within the selected length of the fluid line;

operating the fluid control device to move a bolus of fluid along the fluid line in response to the detection of the gas in the selected length of the fluid line to dislodge the detected gas and move the detected gas along the fluid line to a position outside of the selected length of the fluid line.

22. The method as defined in claim 21 further comprising the step of:

maintaining an accumulated fluid record representing the total amount of the fluid delivered to a patient, including decrementing the record in accordance with gas detected by the sensor and changing the record in accordance with each bolus delivered to the line.

23. The method of claim 21 further comprising the step of operating the fluid control device to move multiple boluses of fluid along the fluid line.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the step of operating the fluid control device to move multiple boluses of fluid along the fluid line includes the step of limiting the number of boluses to a predetermined maximum number.

25. The method of claim 21 further comprising the steps of:

generating an alarm when the detected gas has a volume larger than a predetermined quantity; and

enabling the fluid control device to move at least one bolus of fluid along the fluid line after the alarm has been activated.

26. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of operating the fluid control device comprises the steps of manually activating the fluid control device to move the bolus of fluid.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising the step of manually actuating the fluid control device to move multiple boluses of fluid along the fluid line.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the step of operating the fluid control device to move multiple boluses of fluid along the fluid line includes the step of limiting the number of boluses to a predetermined maximum number.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising the steps of:

generating an alarm when the detected gas has a volume larger than a predetermined quantity; and

enabling the fluid control device to move at least one bolus of fluid along the fluid line after the alarm has been activated.

30. A method of delivering a selected medical fluid to a patient, said method comprising the steps of:

delivering the medical fluid by a pump through a fluid line adapted for connection to the patient;

monitoring a short length of the line with a detection field of an air-in-line sensor to detect gas within the line;

responding to the air-in-line sensor upon detection of gas along the short length of the line within the sensor detection field to activate an alarm;

clearing the detected gas from the sensor detection field by operating the pump to deliver an output pulse of the medical fluid to the line to move the detected gas along the line to a position downstream of the sensor detection field; and

maintaining an accumulated fluid record representing the total amount of the fluid delivered to a patient, including decrementing the record in accordance with gas detected by the sensor and increasing the record in accordance with each output pulse delivered to the line.

31. A method of delivering a selected medical fluid to a patient, said method comprising the steps of:

delivering the medical fluid by a pump through a fluid line adapted for connection to the patient;

monitoring a short length of the line with a detection field of an air-in-line sensor to detect gas within the line;

responding to the air-in-line sensor upon detection of gas along the short length of the line within the sensor detection field to activate an alarm;

clearing the detected gas from the sensor detection field by operating the pump to deliver at least one output pulse of the medical fluid to the line to move the detected gas along the line to a position downstream of the sensor detection field; and

limiting the number of output pulses that can be delivered to the line.

32. A method of delivering a selected medical fluid to a patient, said method comprising the steps of:

delivering the medical fluid by a pump through a fluid line adapted for connection to the patient;

monitoring a short length of the line with a detection field of an air-in-line sensor to detect gas within the line;

responding to the air-in-line sensor upon detection of gas along the short length of the line within the sensor detection field to activate an alarm;

clearing the detected gas from the sensor detection field by operating the pump to deliver at least one output pulse of the medical fluid to the line to move the detected gas along the line to a position downstream of the sensor detection field;

manually actuating a switch on the pump to deliver each output pulse to the line; and

limiting the number of times that the switch can be actuated.