System and method for blockage detection for medication infusion
First Claim
1. A system for percutaneous infusion of an internal wound site, the system comprising:
- a first reservoir shaped to contain a first fluid;
a tube having a preferentially distendable portion formed of a single material, wherein at the preferentially distendable portion, distention of a diameter of the tube in response to blockage of the tube is amplified, the preferentially distendable portion having a noncircular cross sectional shape in the absence of blockage of the tube;
a motor operable to urge the first fluid toward the internal wound site via the tube; and
a blockage sensor comprising a first conductor in direct contact with the exterior of the tube and a second conductor, wherein at least one of the first and second conductors is configured to be urged into contact with the other to form a switch, the switch configured to be actuated between an open circuit condition and a closed circuit condition in response to direct receipt of mechanical force exerted by distention of the tube;
wherein the switch is operable without the preferentially distendable portion being fully surrounded.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A medication infusion system may include a controller and a reservoir module including a reservoir containing medication to be delivered to an internal wound site via the controller. The controller may have a peristaltic pump driven by a motor to urge medication to flow toward the internal wound site, through a conduit. A blockage sensor disables the motor and provides an alarm if the tube is blocked. The blockage sensor detects distention of a preferentially distendable portion of the tube, which may be routed about a constraining member. When blockage occurs, the tube distends preferentially along a direction generally parallel to the radius about which the tube bends. The blockage sensor may include a variety of switching elements, such as a pushbutton switch, a metal ring encircling the tube to make contact between conductors, and/or a metal bridge bendable to make contact between conductors.
-
Citations
37 Claims
-
1. A system for percutaneous infusion of an internal wound site, the system comprising:
-
a first reservoir shaped to contain a first fluid; a tube having a preferentially distendable portion formed of a single material, wherein at the preferentially distendable portion, distention of a diameter of the tube in response to blockage of the tube is amplified, the preferentially distendable portion having a noncircular cross sectional shape in the absence of blockage of the tube; a motor operable to urge the first fluid toward the internal wound site via the tube; and a blockage sensor comprising a first conductor in direct contact with the exterior of the tube and a second conductor, wherein at least one of the first and second conductors is configured to be urged into contact with the other to form a switch, the switch configured to be actuated between an open circuit condition and a closed circuit condition in response to direct receipt of mechanical force exerted by distention of the tube; wherein the switch is operable without the preferentially distendable portion being fully surrounded. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. A controller of a system for percutaneous infusion of an internal wound site, the controller comprising:
-
a motor operable to urge a first fluid from a first reservoir toward the internal wound site via a tube, wherein the motor is further operable to draw a second fluid from the internal wound site; and a blockage sensor that detects blockage of the tube by measuring distention of the tube at a preferentially distendable portion along a direction perpendicular to an axis of the tube, wherein at the preferentially distendable portion the tube is routed such that the tube bends along a substantially arcuate pathway, wherein the blockage sensor comprises a conductor external to the tube, wherein the conductor moves to actuate a switch between an open circuit condition and a closed circuit condition in response to direct receipt of mechanical force exerted by distention of the tube; wherein the switch is operable without the preferentially distendable portion of the tube being fully surrounded. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
-
23. A method for detecting blockage of a tube of a system for percutaneous infusion of an internal wound site, the system comprising a controller having a motor operable to urge a first fluid from a first reservoir toward the internal wound site via the tube, the method comprising:
-
routing a preferentially distendable portion of the tube such that the preferentially distendable portion bends along a substantially arcuate pathway, wherein the preferentially distendable portion is formed of a single material, the preferentially distendable portion having a noncircular cross sectional shape in the absence of blockage of the tube; distending the preferentially distendable portion to exert mechanical force; and directly receiving the mechanical force with a switch comprising a first conductor and a second conductor, wherein the mechanical force urges at least one of the conductors into contact with the other to actuate the switch between an open circuit condition and a closed circuit condition to detect blockage of the tube; wherein the switch is operable without the preferentially distendable portion being fully surrounded. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
-
-
31. A system for percutaneous infusion of an internal wound site, the system comprising:
-
a reservoir module comprising a first reservoir shaped to contain a first fluid; and a controller designed to receive the reservoir module, the controller comprising a motor and a peristaltic pump driven by the motor to urge the first fluid toward the internal wound site via a tube, the tube having a preferentially distendable portion at which the tube is routed about a fixed constraining member such that a diameter of the tube is constrained along a direction generally parallel to a radius about which the tube bends along a substantially arcuate pathway, the controller further comprising a blockage sensor that detects blockage of the tube by measuring preferential distention of the preferentially distendable portion along the direction. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
-
Specification