Medical temperature sensors and related systems and methods

• US 8,353,870 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2011
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Incorporated (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Original Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Incorporated (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Inventors: Levin, Roland, Crnkovich, Martin Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, QUYNH-NHU HOANG
• Application Number:
  US13/094,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20120277673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 604/4.01, 604/5.02, 604/19, 604/29, 604/40, 604/42, 604/500, 604/506, 604/113, 604/901
• US Class Current: 604/113
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/14 Dialysis systems; Artificial kidneys; Blood oxygenators semi-permeable membranes characterised by the material, manufacturing processes therefor B01D71/00; Reciprocating systems for treatment of body fluids, e.g. single needle systems for hemofiltration or pheresis
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/16 with membranes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1605 Physical characteristics of the dialysate fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1664 with temperature control
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/36 Other treatment of blood in a by-pass of the natural circulatory system, e.g. temperature adaptation, irradiation ; Extra-corporeal blood circuits
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3612 after treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/367 Circuit parts not covered by the preceding subgroups of group A61M1/3621
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/369 Temperature treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3306 Optical measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3368 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3372 Temperature compensation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/36 related to heating or cooling

Abstract

This disclosure relates to medical temperature sensors and related systems and methods. In some aspects, a sensor assembly includes a non-invasive temperature sensor to detect a temperature of a medical fluid in a medical fluid line and an ambient temperature sensor to detect an ambient air temperature.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a temperature of a medical fluid in tubing using a non-invasive fluid temperature sensor;

transmitting the detected temperature of the medical fluid to a control unit;

detecting a temperature of ambient air using an ambient air temperature sensor;

transmitting the detected temperature of the ambient air to the control unit;

using the control unit to calculate a corrected medical fluid temperature based on the detected temperatures of the medical fluid and the ambient air; and

wherein calculating the corrected medical fluid temperature comprises referencing a look-up table that provides a corrected medical fluid temperature for each of multiple different combinations of detected temperatures of medical fluid and detected temperatures of ambient air.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the medical fluid is blood.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the control unit is a control unit of a hemodialysis machine.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the corrected medical fluid temperature comprises inputting the detected temperatures of the medical fluid and the ambient air into an equation to obtain the corrected medical fluid temperature.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the corrected medical fluid temperature comprises running a statistical analysis to obtain the corrected medical fluid temperature.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a plurality of corrected medical fluid temperatures for a plurality of different combinations of medical fluid temperatures and ambient air temperatures and storing the plurality of corrected medical fluid temperatures in the control unit.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the plurality of corrected medical fluid temperatures comprises detecting temperatures of a test fluid using an invasive, temperature sensor.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the plurality of corrected medical fluid temperatures further comprises altering the temperature of the test fluid and ambient air during a test period.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-invasive sensor is an infrared sensor.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein detecting the temperature of the medical fluid comprises transmitting an infrared signal through the tubing and the medical fluid and then receiving the infrared signal.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-invasive fluid temperature sensor and the ambient air temperature sensor are mounted to a single housing.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the housing defines a slot configured to receive a portion of the tubing therein.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-invasive fluid temperature sensor is configured to contact the portion of the tubing when the portion of the tubing is disposed in the slot of the housing.