Method for purging a medical fluid administration system
First Claim
1. A method for purging undesired fluid from a fluid administration system, the fluid administration system having a normal operating mode in which a fluid administered by the system is passed through the system from a source to breathing gases inspired by the patient during an inspiration phase of the respiratory cycle of the patient, the respiratory cycle of the patient having an expiration phase in which breathing gases are expired by the patient, said method comprising the steps of:
- sensing a state of a patient'"'"'s respiratory cycle;
operating the fluid administration system to pass administered fluid through the system to remove undesired fluid from the fluid administration system, the operation of the fluid administration system being carried out responsive to the respiratory cycle sensing in a discrete interval within a respiratory cycle of the patient that results in the removed, undesired fluid being subsequently carried away from the patient with expired breathing gases of the patient; and
supplying undesired fluid removed from the system by the passage of the administered fluid to the breathing gases of the patient.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for purging an undesired fluid, such as NO2, from a fluid gas administration system, such as an NO gas administration system. In normal operation, the system supplies NO to the patient with the breathing gases inspired during the inspiration phase of the respiratory cycle. Breathing gases are expired during the expiration phase of the respiratory cycle. In the method, the expiration phase of the patient'"'"'s respiratory cycle is sensed and the administration system is operated in the expiration phase to pass NO through the system to flush out the system, including any NO2 present, into the expired breathing gases of the patient. Since the contents of the system are discharged during the expiration phase, the NO2 gas so removed is carried away from the patient with the expired breathing gases. The purging of the system is typically carried out at startup of the system and during an expiration phase prior to administering NO during the inspiration phases of the patient'"'"'s respiratory cycle for medicinal purposes. The method may be used with administration systems for other types of fluids, such as diagnostic gases and nebulized liquids.
28 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method for purging undesired fluid from a fluid administration system, the fluid administration system having a normal operating mode in which a fluid administered by the system is passed through the system from a source to breathing gases inspired by the patient during an inspiration phase of the respiratory cycle of the patient, the respiratory cycle of the patient having an expiration phase in which breathing gases are expired by the patient, said method comprising the steps of:
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sensing a state of a patient'"'"'s respiratory cycle;
operating the fluid administration system to pass administered fluid through the system to remove undesired fluid from the fluid administration system, the operation of the fluid administration system being carried out responsive to the respiratory cycle sensing in a discrete interval within a respiratory cycle of the patient that results in the removed, undesired fluid being subsequently carried away from the patient with expired breathing gases of the patient; and
supplying undesired fluid removed from the system by the passage of the administered fluid to the breathing gases of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method for purging undesired gas from an NO gas administration system, the administration system having a normal operating mode in which NO gas is passed through the system from a gas source to the breathing gases inspired by a patient during an inspiration phase of the respiratory cycle of the patient, the respiratory cycle of the patient having an expiration phase in which breathing gases are expired by the patient, the NO gas administration system having an internal gas volume, said method comprising the steps of:
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sensing the expiration phase of a patient'"'"'s respiratory cycle;
operating the NO gas administration system during the expiration phase to pass at least one pulse of NO gas through the system to flush the system of undesired gas, a volume of the pulse or pulses being greater than the internal gas volume of the system; and
supplying gases removed from the system by the passage of the NO gas to the breathing gases of the patient for being carried away from the patient with expired breathing gases of the patient.
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Specification