Method and apparatus for preparing a medicinal substance

• US 9,418,206 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2014
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Codonics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Codonics Incorporated
• Inventors: Keefe, Gary, Srnka, Lawrence
• Primary Examiner(s): Nabi, Reza
• Application Number:
  US14/215,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20140282197A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 715/771
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage

Abstract

Provided are a system and method for presenting information related to a drug dilution. A computer memory stores a drug database with a plurality of drug entries, each of which includes an identification and concentration of a drug stored in an originating container. A reader is operable to read a barcode associated with the drug identifier of the originating drug container and the concentration and/or dose and volume of the drug in the container. A user selects or enters a desired drug preparation that may include one or more preparations of the originating drug requested for administration to a patient. A computer processor interprets the concentrate signal, identifies the concentration of the originating drug based on content included in the drug database, and determines a recipe to be presented to the user for preparing the drug including any required dilutions.

Claims

1. A system for presenting information related to a drug dilution, the system comprising:

a non-transitory, computer-readable memory storing a drug database comprising a plurality of drug entries, each of the plurality of drug entries comprising;

(i) a drug identification that identifies a drug stored in a drug container, (ii) a concentration of the drug stored in the drug container; and

(iii) a plurality of pre-defined dilution options that are selectable by a user to specify a desired dilution of a concentrated drug to be labeled, the pre-defined dilution options comprising at least one of a first option having a pre-defined total dose and/or a pre-defined total volume different from a corresponding value on the drug container, and a second option that is selectable to generate a label for a custom dilution that is not pre-defined;

a reader that is operable to read a first computer-readable code associated with the concentrated drug to be diluted and transmit a concentrate signal;

an input device that presents the user with a user interface for entering the desired dilution of the concentrated drug requested for administration to a patient;

a computer processor adapted to interpret the concentrate signal and identify the concentrated drug based on content included in the drug database; and

a printer for printing label content onto a label to be applied to a delivery container for administering the desired dilution to the patient, wherein at least one of the plurality of pre-defined dilution options is designated in the drug database as a non-standard dilution and the printer generates a label indicating the label is for the non-standard dilution.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a printer for printing label content onto a label to be applied to a delivery container storing the desired dilution to be administered to the patient, wherein the computer processor is further adapted to transmit a print signal instructing the printer to print a second computer-readable code encoding information identifying the concentrated drug, a diluent used to dilute the concentrated drug, and a total dose and total volume of the desired dilution as label content onto the label.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the reader comprises a barcode reader.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of drug entries comprises a total dose and a total volume of the drug in the drug container.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the printer does not print the visible marking as part of the label content when another of the plurality of pre-defined dilutions, other than the non-standard dilution, is input as the desired dilution.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of drug entries further comprises at least one pre-defined diluent that is selectable by the user via the user interface as a diluent to be used to dilute the concentrated drug to the desired dilution.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable memory stores, for each of the plurality of drug entries, a permission entry indicating whether dilution of the drug is permissible or required.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer processor is further adapted to determine whether the desired dilution input by the user exceeds the concentration of the concentrated drug to be diluted, and transmit a warning signal warning the user that the desired dilution of the concentrated drug can not be achieved.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the recipe comprises a volume of the concentrated drug and a volume of the diluent to be combined to achieve a total dose and total volume of the desired dilution.

10. A system for presenting information related to a drug dilution, the system comprising:

a non-transitory, computer-readable memory storing a drug database comprising a plurality of drug entries, each of the plurality of drug entries comprising;

(i) a drug identification that identifies a drug stored in a drug container, (ii) a concentration of the drug stored in the drug container; and

(iii) a plurality of pre-defined dilution options that are selectable by a user to enter a desired dilution of a concentrated drug to be labeled, the pre-defined dilution options comprising at least one of a first option having a pre-defined total dose and/or a pre-defined total volume different from a corresponding value on the drug container, and a second option that is selectable to generate a label for a custom dilution that is not pre-defined;

a reader that reads a first computer-readable code associated with the concentrated drug to be diluted and transmits a concentrate signal;

an input device that presents the user with a user interface for entering the desired dilution of the concentrated drug requested for administration to a patient;

a computer processor that is adapted to interpret the concentrate signal, identify the concentrated drug based on content included in the drug database and determine label content to be printed onto a label that is to be applied to a delivery container for administering the desired dilution to the patient, wherein the label content comprises a second computer-readable code encoding information identifying the desired dilution and a total dose and total volume of the desired dilution; and

a printer that prints label content onto a label for a delivery container for administering the desired dilution to the patient, wherein at least one of the plurality of pre-defined dilution options is designated in the drug database as a non-standard dilution and the printer generates a label indicating the label is for the non-standard dilution.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the printer does not print the visible marking as part of the label content when another of the plurality of pre-defined dilutions, other than the non-standard dilution, is input as the desired dilution.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer-readable memory stores, for each of the plurality of drug entries, at least one pre-defined diluent that is selectable by the user via the user interface as a diluent to be used to dilute the concentrated drug to the desired dilution.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the computer-readable memory stores, for each of the plurality of drug entries, a permission entry indicating whether dilution of the drug is permissible or required.