Automated pharmacy admixture system (APAS)

• US 8,571,708 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2009
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ArXium, Inc. (Van Humbeck Family)
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Hospital Systems, Inc. (Van Humbeck Family)
• Inventors: Rob, Ronald H., Eliuk, Walter W., Mlodzinski, Lance R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US12/566,037
• Publication Number:
  US 20100017031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 700/213, 700/216, 700/232, 700/245, 531/67, 532/81, 532/847, 534/26, 534/69, 534/71, 141/48, 141/57, 141/92, 141/98, 141/130, 222/53, 222/56, 222/61, 222/64
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/20 Arrangements for transferring or mixing fluids, e.g. from vial to syringe
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/10 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/30 Printed labels
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/60 using magnetic or electronic identifications, e.g. chips, RFID, electronic tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 3/002 Compounding apparatus specially for enteral or parenteral nutritive solutions bottling liquids B67C
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/85 Mixing plants with mixing receptacles or mixing tools that can be indexed into different working positions
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 3/003 Filling medical containers such as ampoules, vials, syringes or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 31/024 specially adapted for wrappers or bags B65B31/021, B65B31/022 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/165 using xyz-picker or multi-dimensional article picking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/44 in which magazines the articles are stored in bulk
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/48 the storage containers or supports, e.g. magazine, being pivotally mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/54 about vertical axes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/62 in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

An Automated Pharmacy Admixture System (APAS) may include a manipulator that transports medical containers such as bags, vials, or syringes about a substantially aseptic admixing chamber. In a preferred implementation, a gripper assembly is configured to substantially universally grasp and retain syringes, IV bags, and vials of varying shapes and sizes. In an illustrative embodiment, a gripping device may include claws configured to grasp a plurality of different types of IV bags, each type having a different fill port configuration. Embodiments may include a controller adapted to actuate a transport assembly to place a fill port of the bag, vial or syringe into register with a filling port such as a cannula located at a filling station, or be equipped with carousel transport systems that are adapted to convey bags, vials, and syringes to the admixture system and deliver constituted medications in bags, vials or syringes to an egress area.

Claims

1. An automated pharmacy admixture system comprising:

an inventory chamber including a supply of medical containers including a first medical container and a second medical container, each medical container having at least one of a plurality of different fill port configurations;

a substantially aseptic chamber comprising at least one fluid transfer station configured to transfer fluids out of the first medical container and into the second medical container, wherein a first pressure level inside the substantially aseptic chamber is regulated to a differential pressure of up to twenty five millibars below an atmospheric pressure level proximate and exterior to the substantially aseptic chamber during a fluid transfer process;

a carrier that delivers the supply of medical containers to a location proximate or within the substantially aseptic chamber; and

an actuator to convey the medical containers to a first fluid transfer station within the substantially aseptic chamber.

2. The automated pharmacy admixture system of claim 1, further comprising:

a manipulator system to transport items within the substantially aseptic chamber; and

a controller comprising a processor to receive instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

actuating the manipulator system to bring a fill port of the second medical container and a fluid transfer port into register with one another, and

actuating the manipulator system to move the second medical container and the fluid transfer port out of register after a fluid transfer operation.

3. The automated pharmacy admixture system of claim 2,

wherein the manipulator system is substantially disposed in a second substantially aseptic zone, and

the second substantially aseptic zone is regulated to a second pressure level substantially above or below ambient pressure.

4. The automated pharmacy admixture system of claim 3, wherein the second pressure level is higher than the first pressure level.

5. The automated pharmacy admixture system of claim 1, wherein the supply of medical containers comprises items selected from a group consisting of:

syringes, IV bags, and vials.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a UV (ultraviolet) sanitization system to sanitize at least a portion of the fill port of the medical containers.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the fluid transfer station is configured to inject a predetermined amount of air into the first medical container to facilitate withdrawal of fluid from the first medical container.

21. The automated pharmacy admixture system of claim 1, wherein the first container is a syringe including a plunger, the system further comprising:

a sensor configured to detect a change in force or speed in moving the plunger; and

a controller configured to determine whether the syringe is withdrawing a gas or a liquid based on the change detected by the sensor.

22. The automated pharmacy admixture system of claim 1, wherein

the inventory chamber includes a plurality of holders configured to hold the supply of medical containers, each holder having a geometry to hold a medical container by the fill port of the medical container.

23. The automated pharmacy admixture system of claim 22, further comprising:

a robotic arm including two pairs of grippers, which are respectively configured to simultaneously grip the fill port of the medical container at positions above and below the holder to remove the fill port of the medical container from the holder or insert the fill port of the medical container into the holder.

24. The automated pharmacy admixture system of claim 1, further comprising:

a robotic arm including grippers to grip the plurality of different fill port configurations, the grippers having a plurality of different internal surface geometries, each of which corresponds to one of the different fill port configurations.

25. The automated pharmacy admixture system of claim 24, further comprising:

a controller configured to control the robotic arm and the grippers, based on a determination of a fill port configuration of a medical container to be moved, so as to align one of the internal surface geometries of the grippers, which corresponds to the determined fill port configuration, with a respective fill port of the medical container.

8. An automated pharmacy admixture system, comprising:

a carrier system to present a plurality of different types of medical containers to a location proximate or within a first substantially aseptic zone, wherein

the carrier system is substantially disposed in a second substantially aseptic zone at a second pressure level different than a first pressure level of the first substantially aseptic zone, and

the first aseptic zone is controlled to maintain the first pressure level between 0.25 and 25 millibars below an ambient atmospheric pressure level proximate and exterior to the first aseptic zone during a fluid transfer process;

a robotic manipulator system to handle the plurality of different types of medical containers within the first substantially aseptic zone;

a fluid transfer system disposed at least substantially within the first substantially aseptic zone, the fluid transfer system comprising a fluid transfer port to transfer fluids to or from the medical containers;

a controller comprising a processor to receive instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

actuating the robotic manipulator system to transfer a first medical container to the fluid transfer system;

bringing a fill port of the first medical container and the fluid transfer port into register with one another; and

moving the fill port and the fluid transfer port out of register after a fluid transfer operation.

9. The automated pharmacy admixture system of claim 8, wherein the carrier system comprises a rotating carousel, the rotating carousel configured to hold different sizes or shapes of medical containers selected from a group comprising:

syringes, IV bags, and vials.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise actuating the robotic manipulator system to remove the first medical container from the fluid transfer system.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise injecting a predetermined amount of air into the first medical container to facilitate withdrawal of fluid from the first medical container.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the fluid transfer port comprises a first port of a needle on a first syringe and is coupled to exchange fluid with the first medical container while the needle is oriented substantially upward.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the second pressure level is regulated below the ambient atmospheric pressure level.

20. The automated pharmacy admixture system of claim 8, wherein the second pressure level is positive in relation to the first pressure level.

14. An automated pharmacy admixture system, comprising:

a processing chamber that provides a substantially aseptic environment for a preparation of one or more pharmaceutical doses, wherein the system is configured to maintain a first pressure level inside the processing chamber that is up to 25 millibars below a first atmospheric pressure level proximate and exterior to the processing chamber during a fluid transfer process;

an inventory chamber exterior and adjacent to the processing chamber for storing within an interior of the inventory chamber a plurality of inventory items to be used in the preparation of one or more pharmaceutical doses, wherein

the plurality of inventory items comprises at least one container of diluent and at least one medication container including medication, and

the inventory chamber substantially encloses the plurality of inventory items in an environment substantially separate from an ambient environment outside of the inventory chamber, a second pressure level inside the inventory chamber being different than the first pressure level;

a multiple degree of freedom robotic arm disposed within the processing chamber and configured to reach into the inventory chamber, retrieve a first inventory item, present the first inventory item to a first process location in the processing chamber, release the first inventory item for processing at the first process location, and subsequently retrieve the first inventory item and convey the first inventory item to a second process location;

a fluid transfer station within the processing chamber, the fluid transfer station comprising a fluid transfer port to transfer fluids; and

a controller that is configured to cause steps to be performed to prepare a first pharmaceutical dose in an output container, the steps comprising;

(a) selecting at least a first diluent container and at least a first medication container to be used to prepare the first pharmaceutical dose,

(b) conveying the first diluent container to the fluid transfer station using the robotic arm, and

(c) conveying the first medication container to the fluid transfer station using the robotic arm.

15. The automated pharmacy admixture system of claim 14, further comprising a waste container situated to receive processed inventory items from the robotic arm.

16. The automated pharmacy admixture system of claim 15, wherein the waste container is disposed in a lower chamber disposed beneath the processing chamber.

17. The automated pharmacy admixture system of claim 14, wherein the first process location or the second process location comprises a weight scale for measuring a weight of the first inventory item.

18. The automated pharmacy admixture system of claim 14, further comprising an exterior access portal in a second side of the inventory chamber, wherein the exterior access portal is operable from a closed position to an open position to provide an operator access to the plurality of inventory items stored within the inventory chamber.

19. The automated pharmacy admixture system of claim 14, wherein the steps to be performed to prepare the first pharmaceutical dose in the output container further comprise storing information indicative of a remaining volume in the first diluent container.