Methods and apparatus for adjustment of blood drip chamber of dialysis machines using touchscreen interface
First Claim
1. A method of adjusting the level of fluid in a chamber in an extracorporeal circuit of a dialysis machine, said chamber in communication with level adjustment apparatus for adjusting the level of fluid in said chamber, said dialysis machine having a user interface comprising a touch screen, comprising the steps of:
- (a) prompting a user of said machine to indicate on said touch screen the current level of fluid in said chamber;
(b) in response to said prompting, indicating on said touch screen the current level of fluid in said chamber;
(c) comparing said level indicated at step (b) with a predetermined desired level of fluid in said chamber, and(d) responsively operating said level adjustment apparatus automatically to adjust the current level of fluid in said chamber up or down so as to bring the level of fluid in said chamber closer to said predetermined desired level.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method for raising or lowering the fluid level in a chamber in an extracorporeal circuit of a dialysis machine, such as an air trap or compliance chamber, is provided which uses a touch screen. The user of the machine is prompted to indicate on the touch screen the current or actual level of fluid (e.g., blood) in the drip chamber. The user then touches the touch screen to indicate the level, such as by touching an illustration of the chamber at a level corresponding to the actual level. The control system for the machine determines from the level indicated on the touch screen whether the level in the chamber needs to be raised or lowered, and by how much, and responsively operates chamber level adjustment apparatus (such as pressure adjustment apparatus in air communication with the chamber) to raise or lower the level closer to the proper level.
144 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method of adjusting the level of fluid in a chamber in an extracorporeal circuit of a dialysis machine, said chamber in communication with level adjustment apparatus for adjusting the level of fluid in said chamber, said dialysis machine having a user interface comprising a touch screen, comprising the steps of:
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(a) prompting a user of said machine to indicate on said touch screen the current level of fluid in said chamber; (b) in response to said prompting, indicating on said touch screen the current level of fluid in said chamber; (c) comparing said level indicated at step (b) with a predetermined desired level of fluid in said chamber, and (d) responsively operating said level adjustment apparatus automatically to adjust the current level of fluid in said chamber up or down so as to bring the level of fluid in said chamber closer to said predetermined desired level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of adjusting the level of fluid in a chamber of an extracorporeal circuit of a dialysis machine, said dialysis machine having a touch screen user interface, comprising the steps of:
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(a) displaying on said touch screen an illustration of said chamber and prompting a user of said machine to indicate on said illustration a location corresponding to the current fluid level in said chamber; (b) touching the touch screen to indicate in said illustration a level corresponding to the current fluid level in said chamber; (c) determining, from the location touched in step (b), whether the current level of fluid in said chamber is above or below a predetermined desired level of fluid in said chamber, and responsively (d) raising or lowering said fluid level in said chamber so as to bring said fluid level closer to said predetermined desired level. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. In a dialysis machine, apparatus for adjusting the level of fluid in a chamber in an extracorporeal circuit of said dialysis machine, comprising:
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a touch screen; said touch screen displaying a fluid level setting indication icon and a message prompting a user of said machine to touch said fluid level setting indication icon so as to indicate the current level of fluid in said chamber; a control system responsive to said touch screen, said control system comparing the current level of fluid indicated on said touch screen with a predetermined desired level of fluid in said chamber and determining whether the fluid level in said chamber should be raised or lowered in order to bring the fluid level closer to said predetermined desired level, and level adjusting apparatus for said chamber responsive to said control system raising or lowering the fluid level in said chamber to bring said fluid level closer to said predetermined desired level. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of adjusting the level of fluid in a chamber of an extracorporeal circuit of a dialysis machine, said dialysis machine having a user interface permitting a user of said dialysis machine to enter commands and information into a central computer system controlling operation of said dialysis machine, comprising the steps of:
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(a) prompting a user of said machine to enter via said user interface the current level of fluid in said chamber; (b) in response to said prompting, operating said user interface to enter information into said central computer system associated with the current level of fluid in said chamber; (c) comparing with said central computer system said current level indicated at step (b) with a predetermined desired level of fluid for said chamber stored in said central computer system, and (d) commanding with said central computer system a chamber level adjustment apparatus operatively connected to said chamber so as to adjust the current level of fluid in said chamber up or down so as to bring the level of fluid in said chamber closer to said predetermined desired level.
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Specification