Method and system for manual and autonomous control of an infusion pump

• US 8,192,394 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2006
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Insulet Corporation
• Original Assignee: Asante Solutions, Inc (Abbott Laboratories)
• Inventors: Estes, Mark C., Wenger, Mitchell, Mernoe, Morten, Causey, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Jackie
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, WENG WAH
• Application Number:
  US11/557,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20070124002A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,036 Days
• Field of Search: 604/65, 604/890.1
• US Class Current: 604/65
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/14268 with a reusable and a disposable component
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/31518 designed to reduce the overall size of an injection device, e.g. using flexible or pivotally connected chain-like rod members
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/18 with alarm
• 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 5/14566 with a replaceable reservoir for receiving a piston rod of the pump
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/172 electrical or electronic A61M5/16804, A61M5/16831 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A method and system for both autonomous and manual control of an infusion pump for delivering medication to a patient is provided.

Claims

1. A method for temporarily disabling a disruptive alert of a portable infusion pump system, comprising:

receiving a request via a user interface of a portable infusion pump system to disable disruptive alerts from the portable infusion pump system for a specified period of time, the user interface being coupled to a control unit of the portable infusion pump system that controls the dispensation of medicine from a pump unit;

disabling disruptive alerts from the portable infusion pump system for the specified period of time;

during the specified period in which the disruptive alerts are disabled, outputting an alarm from the portable infusion pump system indicative of a sensed blockage of flow from the portable infusion pump system; and

re-enabling disruptive alerts after the specified period of time has passed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified period of time is determined by the difference between the current time and a requested time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the specified time is determined by a request for a specified time period.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein health alerts remain active during the specified period of time.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the heath alerts relate to health-critical events including a container of medicine in the portable infusion pump being empty and the sensed blockage of flow from the portable infusion pump.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the disruptive alerts relate to a different event selected from the group consisting of a dispensation of a bolus amount, a programmed change in infusion amounts, and a reminder to check blood glucose levels.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the disruptive alerts comprise audio indicators from the infusion pump system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the disruptive alerts comprise visual indicators displayed via a display screen of the infusion pump system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the disruptive alerts comprise vibration indicators from the infusion pump system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of disabling disruptive alerts from the infusion pump system for the specified period of time comprises disabling a first type of disruptive alerts indicative of a first condition for replacement by a second type of alerts indicative of the same first condition.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first type of disruptive alerts comprises audible or visual indicators, and the second type of alert comprises a vibration indicator so that the infusion pump system vibrates to provide an alert in lieu of providing an audible indicator for the specified period of time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving a request to disable disruptive alerts comprises receiving user input via a user interface module to establish an alert-free period that suspends the output of disruptive alerts for the specified period of time determined by the difference between the current time and a requested time.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving a request to disable disruptive alerts comprises receiving user input via a user interface module to establish an alert-free period that suspends the output of disruptive alerts until a user-selected time of day.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of re-enabling disruptive alerts after the specified period of time has passed comprises automatically returning, without any additional user input or requests, to a normal operational mode in which disruptive alerts are unsuspended.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising temporarily suspending the delivery of medication from the infusion pump system for a selected period of time in response to user input on a graphical user interface.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the infusion pump system comprises a control unit having a user interface module and a pump unit having a pump mechanism and a medicine reservoir, wherein the control unit communicates with the pump unit via an electrical connection between the control unit and the pump unit.

16. A method for temporarily disabling a disruptive alert of an infusion pump system, comprising:

receiving a request to disable disruptive alerts from an infusion pump system for a specified period of time, wherein the infusion pump system comprises a control unit having a user interface module and a pump unit having a pump mechanism, wherein the control unit communicates with the pump unit via a wireless interface;

disabling disruptive alerts from the infusion pump system for the specified period of time, wherein health alerts remain active during the specified period of time, wherein the heath alerts relate to a health-critical event selected from the group consisting of a container of medicine in the infusion pump being empty and a sensed blockage of flow from the infusion pump, and wherein the disruptive alerts relate to a different event selected from the group consisting of a dispensation of a bolus amount, a programmed change in infusion amounts, and a reminder to check blood glucose levels; and

re-enabling disruptive alerts after the specified period of time has passed.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the specified period of time is determined by the difference between the current time and a requested time.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the specified time is determined by a request for a specified time period.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the heath alerts relate to sensed blockage of flow from the infusion pump.

21. A portable infusion pump system comprising a pump unit, and a control unit that controls the dispensation of medicine from the pump unit, and a user interface coupled to the control unit of the portable infusion pump system that controls the dispensation of medicine from the pump unit, wherein the control unit is programmed to:

receive a request via the user interface of the portable infusion pump system to disable disruptive alerts from the portable infusion pump system for a specified period of time;

disable disruptive alerts from the portable infusion pump system for the specified period of time;

during the specified period in which the disruptive alerts are disabled, output an alarm from the portable infusion pump system indicative of a sensed blockage of flow from the portable infusion pump system; and

re-enable disruptive alerts after the specified period of time has passed.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the control unit is programmed to disable the disruptive alerts for the specified period of time while health alerts from the portable infusion pump system remain active during the specified period of time.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the heath alerts relate to health-critical events including a container of medicine in the portable infusion pump being empty and the sensed blockage of flow from the portable infusion pump.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the disruptive alerts relate to a different event selected from the group consisting of a dispensation of a bolus amount, a programmed change in infusion amounts, and a reminder to check blood glucose levels.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the control unit is programmed to re-enable disruptive alerts after the specified period of time has passed by automatically returning, without any additional user input or requests, to a normal operational mode in which disruptive alerts are unsuspended.