System and method for communication with an infusion device

• US 8,105,282 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2008
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iradimed Corporation
• Original Assignee: Iradimed Corporation
• Inventors: Susi, Roger, Hefele, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Sirmons, Kevin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bosworth, Kami A
• Application Number:
  US12/172,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20090076461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,296 Days
• Field of Search: 604/31, 604 65- 67, 604503-505, 604/131, 604/151, 600/411, 600/420, 600/431, 600/432
• US Class Current: 604/151
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3306 Optical measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3375 Acoustical, e.g. ultrasonic, measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3561 local, e.g. within room or hospital
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14228 with linear peristaltic action, i.e. comprising at least three pressurising members or a helical member
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16831 Monitoring, detecting, signalling or eliminating infusion flow anomalies low-level float-valves causing cut-off A61M5/40; indicating or recording presence, absence or direction of flow in general G01P13/0066
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16854 by monitoring line pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/172 electrical or electronic A61M5/16804, A61M5/16831 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/365 Air detectors A61M5/1684 takes precedence; in extracorporeal blood circuits A61M1/3626
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection

Abstract

It may desirable to monitor or control a pump remotely. For example, the pump may be positioned near the patient, with remote control or monitoring of the pump occurring in a control room. In one exemplary embodiment, the pump is used in an MRI environment. In another exemplary embodiment, the pump is used in a hyperbaric chamber. The pump may monitor one or more physiological parameters and transmit them to the remote. The pump may also transmit information relating to the pump'"'"'s operation. The pump may send the device and/or physiological data using one or more packets. The packets may consist of low priority sequential packets and high-priority asynchronous packets. The high-priority packets may enable the real-time monitoring of a patient'"'"'s heart beat or other physiological parameter.

Claims

1. A remotely-monitored liquid infusion apparatus, comprising:

a liquid conduit;

a pump disposed within a housing to receive the liquid conduit and to transfer a liquid from a liquid source through the liquid conduit in response to activation of the pump;

a wireless radio wave transceiver disposed within an RF-shielded portion of the housing;

a sensor configured to provide physiological monitoring of at least one of a heart beat, respiration and blood pressure,

wherein the wireless radio wave transceiver is configured to wirelessly transmit, to a remote, high-priority data comprising information corresponding to the occurrence of a physiological event and low-priority data comprising information corresponding to operation of the liquid infusion apparatus, wherein the wireless radio wave transceiver receives, from the remote, data used to control operation of the pump, wherein the data used to control operation of the pump is provided to a pump controller disposed within the RF-shielded portion of the housing,

wherein the wireless radio wave transceiver is configured to transmit the low-priority data in packets that are scheduled to be transmitted in substantially sequential order and to transmit the high-priority data in packets that are scheduled to be transmitted shortly after the occurrence of a physiological event, wherein transmission of the high-priority data may temporarily interrupt the substantially sequential transmission of the low-priority data,

wherein the RF-shielded portion is configured to pass higher frequency RF signals used for wireless communication while attenuating image-interfering RF signals having a frequency under about 130 MHz, and

further wherein the wireless radio wave transceiver is in communication with an antenna mounted outside the RF-shielded portion of the housing.

2. The liquid infusion apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sensor is configured to provide physiological monitoring in substantially real-time.

3. The liquid infusion apparatus of claim 1, wherein said wireless radio wave transceiver is configured to transmit at a guaranteed transmission rate.

4. The liquid infusion apparatus of claim 1, wherein said remote is configured to verify the integrity of received packets.

5. The liquid infusion apparatus of claim 4, wherein said remote comprises a signal integrity meter.

6. The liquid infusion apparatus of claim 1, wherein the liquid infusion apparatus is configured to be positioned within an RF shielded room having operating RF-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment without interfering with images captured by the MRI equipment and wherein the remote is configured to be positioned external to the RF shielded room.

7. The liquid infusion apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a filter between the antenna and the wireless radio wave transceiver to inhibit the image interfering lower frequency RF noise having a frequency below about 130 MHz from escaping the shielded housing.

8. The liquid infusion apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data from the remote used to control operation of the pump comprises data used to control the start or stop of fluid flow.

9. The liquid infusion apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data from the remote used to control operation of the pump comprises data used to control the silence of alarms.

10. The liquid infusion apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data from the remote used to control operation of the pump comprises data used to control the setting of a fluid delivery rate or volume.

11. The liquid infusion apparatus of claim 1, wherein the high-priority data transmitted to the remote comprises data indicative of alarm conditions.

12. The liquid infusion apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data transmitted to the remote corresponding to an operation of the liquid infusion apparatus comprises data indicative of a status of a battery at the pump.

13. The liquid infusion apparatus of claim 1, wherein a feed to the antenna comprises a filter that passes the higher frequency wireless communication signals, and wherein the higher frequency wireless communication signals are in the frequency range of 2.400 GHz to 2.480 GHz.

14. The liquid infusion apparatus of claim 1, wherein said physiological event comprises a respiratory event.

15. The liquid infusion apparatus of claim 1, wherein said physiological event comprises an anomalous event or an event that is indicative of a potentially dangerous health situation.

16. The liquid infusion apparatus of claim 1, wherein said high-priority data is scheduled to be transmitted within half a second after the occurrence of the physiological event.

17. The liquid infusion apparatus of claim 1, wherein said high-priority data is scheduled to be transmitted within a tenth of a second after the occurrence of the physiological event.

18. The liquid infusion apparatus of claim 1, wherein said sensor is further configured to provide physiological monitoring of heart rate and blood oxygen saturation.

19. The liquid infusion apparatus of claim 1, wherein said low-priority data further comprises lower-priority physiological information.

20. The liquid infusion apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless radio wave transceiver is configured to transmit at a transmission rate of at least 30 packets per second.

21. A system, comprising:

an IV infusion pump system configured to be positioned within an RF shielded room having operating RF-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment without interfering with images captured by the MRI equipment, the IV infusion pump system comprising;

a liquid conduit,

a pump disposed to receive the liquid conduit and to transfer a liquid from a liquid source through the liquid conduit in response to activation of the pump;

a sensor configured to provide physiological monitoring of at least one of a heart beat, respiration and blood pressure;

a wireless radio wave transceiver disposed within an RF-shielded portion of the IV infusion pump system; and

an antenna in communication with the wireless radio wave transceiver, wherein the antenna is mounted outside the RF-shielded portion of the IV infusion pump system; and

a remote configured to communicate with the wireless radio wave transceiver bi-directionally through RF shielding of the RF shielded room,

wherein the wireless radio wave transceiver is configured to transmit, to the remote, high-priority data comprising information corresponding to the occurrence of a physiological event and low-priority data comprising information corresponding to operation of the IV infusion pump system, and

wherein the wireless radio wave transceiver receives, from the remote, data used to control operation of the pump, further wherein the data used to control operation of the pump is provided to a pump controller disposed within the RF-shielded portion of the IV infusion pump system.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said wireless radio wave transceiver is configured to transmit the low-priority data in packets that are scheduled to be transmitted in substantially sequential order and to transmit the high-priority data in packets that are scheduled to be transmitted shortly after the occurrence of the physiological event, wherein transmission of the high-priority data may temporarily interrupt the substantially sequential transmission of the low-priority data.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the IV infusion pump system further comprises a filter configured to prevent image interfering lower frequency RF noise from being transmitted by the wireless radio wave transceiver.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the image interfering lower frequency RF noise has a frequency below about 130 MHz.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the wireless radio wave transceiver is configured to communicate bi-directionally with the remote in the presence of other RF transmissions in the same frequency range.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the wireless radio wave transceiver is configured to communicate bi-directionally with the remote using a bi-directional frequency hopping spread spectrum radio link.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein an alarm occurs when there is a substantial interruption of communication over the bi-directional frequency hopping spread spectrum radio link.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein a feed to the antenna comprises a filter that passes wireless signals in the frequency range of 2.400 GHz to 2.480 GHz.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein a feed to the antenna comprises a filter configured to inhibit image interfering lower frequency RF noise having a frequency below about 130 MHz from escaping the RF-shielded portion of the IV infusion pump system while passing signals at least in the frequency range of 2.400 GHz to 2.480 GHz.

30. The system of claim 21, wherein the physiological event comprises a heart beat or a respiration event.

31. The system of claim 21, wherein said physiological event comprises an anomalous event or an event that is indicative of a potentially dangerous health situation.

32. The system of claim 21, wherein said high-priority data is scheduled to be transmitted within half a second after the occurrence of the physiological event.

33. The system of claim 21, wherein said high-priority data is scheduled to be transmitted within a tenth of a second after the occurrence of the physiological event.

34. The system of claim 21, wherein said sensor is further configured to provide physiological monitoring of heart rate and blood oxygen saturation.

35. The system of claim 21, wherein said low-priority data comprises lower-priority physiological information.

36. The system of claim 21, wherein the wireless radio wave transceiver is configured to transmit at a transmission rate of at least 30 packets per second.

37. A system, comprising:

an IV infusion pump system configured to be positioned within an RF shielded room having operating RF-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment without interfering with images captured by the MRI equipment, the IV infusion pump system comprising;

a liquid conduit,

a pump disposed within a housing to receive the liquid conduit and to transfer a liquid from a liquid source through the liquid conduit in response to activation of the pump;

a sensor configured to provide real-time monitoring of at least one physiological parameter of a patient, wherein the at least one physiological parameter comprises at least one of a heart beat, respiration, and blood pressure of the patient;

a wireless radio wave transceiver disposed within the housing, wherein the wireless radio wave transceiver is in communication with an antenna mounted outside the housing and

a local system controller disposed within the housing, the local controller capable of receiving input control information from the wireless radio wave transceiver and from input devices on the housing and configured to, upon execution of stored instructions within the local system controller, output control signals to motor drive circuitry configured to operate the pump based, at least in part, on the received input control information; and

a wireless remote configured to communicate with the wireless radio wave transceiver bi-directionally through RF shielding of the RF shielded room,

wherein the local system controller operates in conjunction with the remote, such that an operator can control the IV infusion pump system liquid infusion apparatus either remotely or locally and such that the pump is capable of operating without the remote or if communication between the remote and the pump is interrupted.