Wearable intravenous fluid heater
First Claim
1. A fluid heater, said heater comprising:
- a. a heat exchanger defining a flow path through said heater for fluid to be infused to a patient via a fluid infusion situs of said patient;
b. at least one controllable heating element for heating the fluid in the flow path by heat conduction thereto through said heat exchanger; and
c. a controller for controlling, based upon at least one temperature of the fluid in the flow path, heating of the fluid in the flow path by the heating element, said heating causing the fluid in the flow path to be substantially uniformly heated to a desired infusion temperature prior to exiting said heater, the at least one temperature of the fluid in the flow path being sensed by at least one temperature sensor that provides an indication of said at least one temperature to the controller;
wherein the heat exchanger, the at least one heating element and the controller are all housed in a single housing dimensioned to be wearable by the patient adjacent the situs, and the controller also determines whether gas is present in the fluid based, at least partially, upon the at least one temperature.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An intravenous fluid heater is provided that is dimensioned so as to be wearable adjacent a patient'"'"'s intravenous fluid infusion situs. In one embodiment, the heater includes a heat exchanger for defining a flow path through the heater for fluid to be infused via the infusion situs. At least one controllable heating element is provided for heating the fluid in the flow path by heat conduction thereto through the heat exchanger. Sensors are included for sensing respective temperatures of entering and exiting fluids of the flow path. A controller controls, based upon the temperatures of the exiting fluids, heating of the fluid in the flow path by the heating element so as to cause the fluid in the flow path to be substantially uniformly heated to a desired infusion temperature prior to exiting the heater.
260 Citations
51 Claims
-
1. A fluid heater, said heater comprising:
-
a. a heat exchanger defining a flow path through said heater for fluid to be infused to a patient via a fluid infusion situs of said patient;
b. at least one controllable heating element for heating the fluid in the flow path by heat conduction thereto through said heat exchanger; and
c. a controller for controlling, based upon at least one temperature of the fluid in the flow path, heating of the fluid in the flow path by the heating element, said heating causing the fluid in the flow path to be substantially uniformly heated to a desired infusion temperature prior to exiting said heater, the at least one temperature of the fluid in the flow path being sensed by at least one temperature sensor that provides an indication of said at least one temperature to the controller;
wherein the heat exchanger, the at least one heating element and the controller are all housed in a single housing dimensioned to be wearable by the patient adjacent the situs, and the controller also determines whether gas is present in the fluid based, at least partially, upon the at least one temperature. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A fluid heater, said heater comprising:
-
a. a heat exchanger defining a flow path through said heater of fluid to be infused to a patient via a fluid infusion situs of said patient;
b. at least one controllable heating element for uniformly heating the fluid in the flow path;
c. a controller for controlling, based upon a temperature of the fluid in the flow path, heating of the fluid in the flow path by the heating element so as to cause the fluid in the flow path to be heated to a desired infusion temperature, the temperature of the fluid in the flow path being sensed by a temperature sensor that provides to the controller an indication of the temperature of the fluid in the flow path; and
d. an attachment mechanism for releasably attaching a housing, containing the heating exchanger, the at least one heating element and the controller, to said patient adjacent to said fluid infusion situs;
wherein the controller also detects presence of gas in the fluid based, at least partially, upon the temperature. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
-
- 24. A fluid heater dimensioned so as to be wearable by a patient adjacent a fluid infusion situs of said patient, said heater comprising a completely solid heating element for heating to a desired temperature, by heat conduction, a fluid flowing in a flow path through said heater for infusion into said patient via said situs, the heater heating the fluid based upon at least one temperature of the fluid sensed by a temperature sensor, and a system for detecting presence of gas in the fluid based, at least partially, upon the at least one temperature of said fluid.
-
31. A fluid heater comprising:
-
a. a heating element for heating a fluid to be infused into a patient based upon a sensed temperature of the fluid; and
b. a gas presence detection and warning system for detecting presence of gas in said fluid prior to infusion into said patient based, at least partially, upon the sensed temperature of said fluid and for providing a user-appreciable indication of when said gas is present in said fluid. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
-
-
39. An apparatus for heating fluid to be infused into a patient, comprising:
-
a. a heating element for heating, based upon a sensed temperature of the fluid, a flow of said fluid prior to being infused into said patient; and
b. a system for detecting when flow rate of said flow is below a minimum desired flow rate, for detecting presence of gas in the fluid based, at least partially, upon the sensed temperature of the fluid, and for providing a user-appreciation indication of when the flow rate of said flow is below said minimum desired flow rate and when the presence of gas is detected. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
-
-
46. An apparatus for heating fluid to be infused into a patient, comprising:
-
a. a heating element for heating a flow of said fluid prior to being infused into said patient based upon a sensed temperature of the fluid; and
b. a system for detecting flow rate of said fluid, for detecting presence of gas in the fluid based at, least partially, upon the sensed temperature of the fluid, and for providing user-appreciable indication of said flow rate and said presence. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
-
Specification