Infusion pump with an electronically loadable drug library and label reader

• US 7,471,994 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2001
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Baxter International Inc., The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Baxter International Inc., The General Hospital Corporation (Mass General Brigham, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mandro, Marc A., Sims, Nathaniel M., Ford, Alan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jarrett; Ryan A
• Application Number:
  US09/877,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20020077852A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,762 Days
• Field of Search: 604/151, 604/500, 700/282, 705 2- 3
• US Class Current: 700/282
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/14208 with a programmable infusion control system, characterised by the infusion program
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/14 Detection of the presence or absence of a tube, a connector or a container in an apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1456 with a replaceable reservoir comprising a piston rod to be moved into the reservoir, e.g. the piston rod is part of the removable reservoir
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/172 electrical or electronic A61M5/16804, A61M5/16831 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0208 for combination with other devices having a different main function, e.g. watches, pens
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/025 adapted to a specific application
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage

Abstract

A system for creating a customized drug library for an electronically loadable drug infusion pump, the system including a drug library containing a plurality of drug entries, there being associated with each drug entry a set of associated drug delivery parameters and/or drug delivery protocols for configuring the drug infusion pump; a tool for selecting a set of drug entries from among the plurality of drug entries in said drug library; a tool for adding the selected drug entries along with the sets of drug delivery information associated therewith to a customized library; and a loading tool for causing the system to electronically load the customized library into the drug infusion pump.

Claims

1. A method of administering a drug to a patient with a drug infusion pump, the method comprising

obtaining a container comprising a drug and a machine readable label comprising drug information that identifies the drug and comprises a concentration of the drug in the container;

automatically reading the drug information on the machine readable label and automatically transferring the drug information into a memory in the infusion pump;

automatically comparing the drug information with a customized drug library comprising a drug entry and a corresponding set of drug delivery parameters; and

if the drug information matches the drug entry, automatically configuring the infusion pump using the set of drug delivery parameters;

automatically configuring the infusion pump using the drug information; and

infusing the drug into the patient using the configured infusion pump.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the drug information further comprises an expiration date of the drug in the container and the method further comprises comparing the expiration date with a calendar and providing an alert if the expiration date has passed.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising disabling the pump if the expiration date has passed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the infusion pump using the drug information comprises using the drug concentration to configure the pump.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the drug information further comprises the manufacturer'"'"'s name and size of the container.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically prompting a user to enter additional drug delivery information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the additional drug delivery information comprises the patient'"'"'s weight.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein if the drug information does not match the drug entry, further comprising automatically reporting an inconsistency.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically verifying the configuration of the pump and providing an alert, disabling the pump, or both, if there is any inconsistency between the pump configuration and the drug information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of drug delivery parameters comprises one or more of a drug concentration, a drug delivery rate, a drug dose, and a bolus size.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of drug delivery parameters comprises one or more of a minimum drug delivery rate, a default drug delivery rate, and a maximum drug delivery rate.

12. A system for administering a drug in a container to a patient, the system comprising

an infusion pump comprising a memory;

means for reading drug information on a machine readable label on the container, wherein the drug information identifies the drug and comprises a concentration of the drug in the container;

means for transferring the drug information into a memory in the infusion pump;

means for comparing the drug information with a customized drug library comprising a drug entry and a corresponding set of drug delivery parameters to determine whether the drug information matches the drug entry;

means for configuring the infusion pump using the set of drug delivery parameters if the drug information matches the drug entry; and

means for configuring the infusion pump using the drug information.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for reading drug information on a machine readable label comprises a label reader.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for comparing the drug information with a customized drug library comprises a processor.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processor further configures the infusion pump.

16. A system for administering a drug in a container to a patient, the system comprising

an infusion pump comprising a memory that contains a customized drug library comprising a drug entry and a corresponding set of drug delivery parameters;

a label reader that resides on the infusion pump and reads drug information on a machine readable label on the container, wherein the drug information identifies the drug and comprises a concentration of the drug in the container; and

one or more processors programmed to

(i) compare the drug information with the customized drug library to determine whether the drug information matches the drug entry;

(ii) configure the infusion pump using the set of drug delivery parameters if the drug information matches the drug entry; and

(iii) configure the infusion pump using the drug information.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising means for comparing an expiration date on the container with a calendar and providing an alert if the expiration date has passed.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising means for comparing an expiration date on the container with a calendar and disabling the pump if the expiration date has passed.

19. A drug infusion pump for use with a container containing a drug, the container including a machine readable label specifying an identifier of the drug and optionally other information about the drug, the pump comprising:

a drive mechanism which during operation causes the drug to be delivered from the container to a patient;

an electronically loadable memory inside the pump, wherein the electronically loadable memory stores a customized drug library comprising one or more drug entries, and wherein each drug entry is associated with a set of drug delivery parameters for configuring the drug infusion pump;

a label reader which during use reads the machine readable label on the container; and

a processor that controls the drive mechanism, wherein the processor is programmed to compare information from the machine readable label with information in the customized drug library to identify a drug entry that corresponds to the drug;

configure the drug infusion pump by using a set of drug delivery parameters associated with the drug entry in the customized drug library; and

operate the drive mechanism using the set of drug delivery parameters associated with the drug entry in the customized drug library.

20. The drug infusion pump of claim 19, wherein the machine readable label includes drug information, and further comprising means for transferring the drug information into the memory in the infusion pump.

21. The drug infusion pump of claim 19, wherein the machine readable label includes drug information that identifies the drug and comprises a concentration of the drug in the container, and wherein the processor is further programmed to configure the drug infusion pump using the drug information.

22. The drug infusion pump of claim 19, further comprising a calendar.

23. The drug infusion pump of claim 22, wherein the processor is further programmed to compare an expiration date indicated in the drug information with a calendar and provide an alert or disable the pump, or both, if the expiration date has passed.

24. A drug infusion pump for use with a container containing a drug, the container including a machine readable label, the label specifying an identifier of the drug and optionally other information about the drug, the pump comprising:

a drive mechanism which during operation causes the drug to be delivered from the container to a patient;

a processor that controls the drive mechanism;

an electronically loadable memory inside the pump, wherein the electronically loadable memory stores a customized drug library comprising one or more drug entries, and wherein each drug entry is associated with a set of drug delivery parameters for configuring the drug infusion pump;

a label reader which during use reads the machine readable label on the container;

means responsive to the label reader for identifying a drug entry in the customized drug library that corresponds to the drug;

means for configuring the processor by using the set of drug delivery parameters associated with the identified drug entry in the customized drug library; and

means for causing the processor to operate the drive mechanism using the set of drug delivery parameters associated with the identified drug entry in the customized drug library.