Smart modular anesthesia respiratory system

• US 6,571,792 B1
• Filed: 03/13/1998
• Issued: 06/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Datex-Ohmeda Incorporated (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Datex-Ohmeda Incorporated (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pernetti, Denise L., Sullivan, Terrance P., Michell, Brian C., Garland, Ross G., Hendrickson, Carl H., Mashak, James N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, Aaron J.
• Application Number:
  US09/042,241
• Time in Patent Office: 1,908 Days
• Field of Search: 128/202.27, 128/202.22, 128/203.12, 128/909, 128/911, 128/205.23
• US Class Current: 128/203.12
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/01 specially adapted for anaesthetising A61M16/104, A61M16/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/08 Bellows; Connecting tubes having means for taking samples G01N1/22; Water traps; Patient circuits
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/22 Carbon dioxide-absorbing devices ; Other means for removing carbon dioxidecartridges with absorbing substances for respiratory apparatus A62B19/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/12 with interchangeable cassettes forming partially or totally the fluid circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6063 Optical identification systems

Abstract

An anesthesia system wherein the respiratory system is fitted with interchangeable patient circuit modules that allows a generic fitting in the machine to have affixed, hereto, a module that has ports suitable for connection to various patient breathing circuits. As such, the anesthesia machine can have the patient circuit modules easily changed and thus be adaptable for use with patient breathing circuits such as the circle system, the open/nonrebreathing circuit and the Bain or Mapleson D circuits. A detector system is provided that identifies that particular patient module installed in the anesthesia machine to alert the main CPU and to thus provide the correct flow sensing schemes and flows to the patient breathing circuit then being used.

Claims

1. An anesthesia machine connectable to a selected one of a plurality of patient breathing circuits, the patient breathing circuits having one or more conduits providing differing characteristic gas flow paths for supplying fresh gas containing an anesthetic agent and for supplying and receiving breathing gas to and from a patient, said anesthesia machine comprising:

an anesthesia delivery unit (10) having ports (34, 36) providing and receiving breathing gases for the patient and providing the fresh gas containing an anesthetic agent;

a flow sensor module (26), said flow sensor module having ports (28, 30) suitable for connection to the conduit or conduits of a selected one of the plurality of patient breathing circuits;

a selected one of a plurality of interchangeable patient circuit modules (12) provided in accordance with the selected one of the plurality of patient breathing circuits, said selected patient circuit module being interposed intermediate said anesthesia delivery unit and said flow sensor module, said selected patient circuit module containing flow paths extending between said anesthesia delivery unit and said flow sensor module for establishing the characteristic breathing gas and fresh gas flow paths for the selected one of the plurality of patient breathing circuits; and

a detector for providing an indication of which one of the plurality of patient circuit modules is interposed intermediate said anesthesia delivery unit and said flow sensor module, said detector comprising first means (38) mounted on said patient circuit module and second means (40) mounted on said anesthesia delivery unit, said first and second means being so mounted on said patient circuit module and said anesthesia delivery unit, respectively, as to be brought into proximity with each other when said patient circuit module is interposed intermediate said anesthesia delivery unit and said flow sensor module, said first and second means coacting when in proximity with each other for providing said indication.

2. An anesthesia machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said detector comprises an optical detection means.

3. An anesthesia machine as defined in claim 2 wherein said optical detection means comprises an array of individual optical detectors (42), the means (38) on said patient circuit module operating certain ones of the optical detectors of said array to provide said indication of which one of the plurality of patient circuit modules is interposed intermediate said anesthesia delivery unit and said flow sensor module.

4. An anesthesia machine as defined in claim 3 wherein said individual optical detectors comprise a light source and a light detector forming a light path between said source and detector, said patient circuit module having means interrupting the light path between certain ones of said individual optical detectors when said patient circuit module is interposed intermediate said anesthesia delivery unit and said flow sensor module.

5. An anesthesia machine as defined in claim 4 wherein each of said patient circuit modules includes a unique configuration of one or more tabs extending outwardly therefrom for interrupting the light paths of said optical detectors when said selected patient circuit module is interposed intermediate said anesthesia delivery unit and said flow sensor module.

6. An anesthesia machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said anesthesia delivery unit includes a central processing unit, said detector being coupled to said central processing unit to provide the indication of which one of the plurality of patient circuit modules is interposed intermediate said anesthesia delivery unit and said flow sensor module.

7. An anesthesia machine as defined in claim 6 wherein said central processing unit contains anesthesia delivery unit operating algorithms for the plurality of patient breathing circuits and means for selecting an operating algorithm in accordance with the indication provided by said detector.

8. An anesthesia machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said patient circuit module is further defined as containing flow paths suitable for establishing the characteristic gas flow paths for a non-rebreathing or open patient breathing circuit in which the gas flow paths of the patient breathing circuit are formed such that the breathing gas and fresh gas are discharged from the patient breathing circuit.

9. An anesthesia machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said patient circuit module is further defined as containing flow paths suitable for establishing the characteristic gas flow paths for a re-circulating patient breathing circuit in which the gas flow paths of the patient breathing circuit are formed such the that breathing gas and fresh gas can be re-circulated in the patient breathing circuit.

10. An anesthesia machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said patient circuit module is further defined as containing flow paths suitable for establishing the characteristic gas flow paths for a Bain or Mapleson D patient breathing circuit.