System and method for detecting occlusions in a medication infusion system using pulsewise pressure signals

• US 9,480,794 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2013
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Original Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Inventors: Keith, Steven, McVey, Elaine, Tong, Frances, Pettis, Ronald J., Herr, Joshua, Klug, Richard J., Rini, Christopher, Bolick, Natasha, Harvey, Alfred Joseph, Sullivan, Vincent J., Ferriter, Matthew S.
• Primary Examiner(s): FLICK, JASON E
• Application Number:
  US14/050,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20140107613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• Field of Search: 604/506
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2005/16863 Occlusion detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/18 with alarm
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3355 Controlling downstream pump pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/142 Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16854 by monitoring line pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/16859 Evaluation of pressure response, e.g. to an applied pulse
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/5086 for indicating if defective, used, tampered with or unsterile

Abstract

A medical fluid communication system is disclosed comprising a pump controller and a fluid detector. The fluid detector detects characteristics of the fluid and provides fluid measurements to the pump controller, which detects if the fluid is flowing in the medication delivery system. In the event fluid is not flowing due to an occlusion, the pump controller may attempt to resolve the occlusion or may provide a warning to a user that an occlusion is occurring.

Claims

1. A method of detecting occlusions in a medical fluid communication system comprising a fluid reservoir, a fluid path connected between the fluid reservoir and a patient, a fluid delivery device, and a pressure sensor having a sensing surface within the fluid path in contact with the medical fluid for directly measuring a pressure of the fluid within the fluid path, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring pressure of a medication fluid in a fluid path of a medical fluid communication system during a current interval with the in-line pressure sensor directly sensing pressure of the medication fluid;

based on the pressure measurements, determining if a flow of the medication fluid is successful or unsuccessful;

wherein determining if the medication fluid is flowing further comprises;

calculating a minimum pressure of the current interval; and

comparing the minimum pressure of the current interval to pressure data of a previous interval,

wherein the flow of the medication fluid is not successful if the minimum pressure exceeds the pressure data of the previous interval;

wherein the pressure data of the previous interval is based on a calculation of a peak pressure of the previous interval and a minimum pressure of the previous interval; and

wherein the calculation is W*P_MAX+(1−

W)*P_MIN, where P_MAX is the maximum pressure of the previous interval, P_MIN is the minimum pressure of the previous interval, and W is a weighting factor set based on the sensitivity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if a flow of the medication fluid is successful or unsuccessful further comprises:

calculating a minimum pressure of the current interval; and

comparing a minimum pressure of the current interval to a predetermined threshold pressure,

wherein the flow of the medication fluid is not successful if the minimum pressure exceeds the predetermined threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the previous interval is two or more intervals before the current interval.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring pressure of a medication fluid comprises detecting the pressure applied to a pressure sensor in a fluid path connected between the fluid reservoir and a patient.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

if the flow of the medication fluid is unsuccessful, determining if the flow of the medication fluid in the fluid path can be resolved; and

attempting to correct the flow of the medication fluid.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising, if the flow of the medication fluid is unsuccessful, generating an alarm indicating an occlusion has occurred.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising halting further medication fluid from flowing into a patient until the flow of the medication fluid is resolved by a user.

8. A method of detecting occlusions in a medical fluid communication system comprising a fluid reservoir, a fluid path connected between the fluid reservoir and a patient, a fluid delivery device, and a pressure sensor having a sensing surface within the fluid path in contact with the medical fluid for directly measuring a pressure of the fluid within the fluid path, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring pressure of a medication fluid in a fluid path of a medication fluid communication system during a current with the pressure sensor directly sensing pressure of the medication fluid;

comparing the minimum pressure of the current interval to a predetermined threshold pressure, wherein the predetermined threshold is based on a calculation of a peak pressure of the previous interval and a minimum pressure of the previous interval wherein the calculation is W*P_MAX+(1−

W)*P_MIN, where P_MAX is the maximum pressure of the previous interval, P_MIN is the minimum pressure of the previous interval, and W is a weighting factor set based on the sensitivity; and

determining if a flow of the medication fluid is not successful if the minimum pressure exceeds the predetermined threshold and determining if the flow of the medication fluid is successful if the minimum pressure does not exceed the predetermined threshold.