Multiple dressing negative pressure wound therapy system with calibrated leak paths

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12589197-B2
Application number	US-202318137725-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2023
Priority date	Mar 15, 2017
Publication date	Mar 31, 2026
Grant date	Mar 31, 2026

Abstract

Embodiments of apparatuses and methods for providing negative pressure wound therapy to multiple wounds are disclosed. In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a negative pressure source configured to couple via a plurality of fluid flow paths to a plurality of wound dressings. The plurality of flow paths includes a plurality of calibrated leaks. The apparatus also includes a controller configured to determine a total rate of flow in the plurality of fluid flow paths and compare the total rate of flow to a plurality of thresholds associated with the plurality of calibrated leaks to determine one or more operating conditions, such as a blockage in one or more of the plurality of flow paths. An indication of the operating condition can be provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of operating a negative pressure wound therapy apparatus, comprising:
monitoring a total rate of flow in a plurality of fluid flow paths configured to fluidically couple a negative pressure source to a plurality of wound dressings configured to be placed over a plurality of wounds, wherein the total rate of flow corresponds to an aggregation of a plurality of rates of flow associated with the plurality of fluid flow paths, wherein the plurality of fluid flow paths comprises at least a first fluid flow path configured to fluidically connect a first wound dressing with the negative pressure source and a second fluid flow path configured to fluidically connect a second wound dressing with the negative pressure source; and responsive to monitoring the total rate of flow, providing an indication of at least one operating condition by:
at a first time, providing at least one of an indication that a canister full condition exists or an indication that a blockage condition exists in each of the plurality of fluid flow paths responsive to determining that the total rate of flow does not satisfy any of a first flow threshold, a second flow threshold, or a third flow threshold;
at a second time, providing an indication that the blockage condition exists in the second fluid flow path responsive to determining that the total rate of flow satisfies the first flow threshold and does not satisfy the second flow threshold;
at a third time, providing an indication that the blockage condition exists in the first fluid flow path responsive to determining that the total rate of flow satisfies the second flow threshold and does not satisfy the third flow threshold; and
at a fourth time, providing an indication that a normal operation condition exists responsive to determining that the total rate of flow satisfies the third flow threshold,
wherein the third flow threshold corresponds to higher flow than the first and second flow thresholds and the second flow threshold corresponds to higher flow than the first flow threshold, and wherein the method is performed by a controller of the negative pressure wound therapy apparatus.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first flow threshold corresponds to an expected first rate of flow in the first fluid flow path, the second flow threshold corresponds to an expected second rate of flow in the second fluid flow path, and the third flow threshold corresponds to an aggregation of the expected first rate of flow in the first fluid flow path and the expected second rate of flow in the second fluid flow path.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the expected first rate of flow corresponds to a rate of flow in the first fluid flow path under the normal operation condition, and wherein the expected second rate of flow corresponds to a rate of flow in the second fluid flow path under the normal operation condition.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein a first fluid leak modifies a first rate of flow in the first fluid flow path such that the expected first rate of flow in the first fluid flow path is different from the expected second rate of flow in the second fluid flow path by more than a threshold amount.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein monitoring the total rate of flow comprises measuring a speed of a motor of the negative pressure source.

6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising measuring a plurality of motor speeds during a period of time and averaging the plurality of motor speeds.

7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the speed of the motor is measured with a tachometer.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fluid flow paths further comprise a third fluid flow path configured to fluidically connect a third wound dressing with the negative pressure source, and wherein the method further comprises:
responsive to monitoring the total rate of flow, providing an indication of at least one operating condition by:
at a fifth time, providing at least one of the indication that the canister full condition exists or the indication that the blockage condition exists in each of the plurality of fluid flow paths responsive to determining that the total rate of flow does not satisfy any of the first flow threshold, the second flow threshold, the third flow threshold, a fourth flow threshold, a fifth flow threshold, a sixth flow threshold, a seventh flow threshold, an eighth flow threshold, or a ninth flow threshold;
at a sixth time, providing an indication that the blockage condition exists in the second fluid flow path and the third fluid flow path responsive to determining that the total rate of flow satisfies the first flow threshold and does not satisfy the second flow threshold;
at a seventh time, providing an indication that an abnormal condition exists responsive to determining (a) that the total rate of flow satisfies the second flow threshold and does not satisfy the third flow threshold, or (b) that the total rate of flow satisfies the seventh flow threshold and does not satisfy the eighth flow threshold;
at an eighth time, providing an indication that the blockage condition exists in the first fluid flow path and the third fluid flow path responsive to determining that the total rate of flow satisfies the third flow threshold and does not satisfy the fourth flow threshold;
at a ninth time, providing an indication that the blockage condition exists in the third fluid flow path responsive to determining that the total rate of flow satisfies the fourth flow threshold and does not satisfy the fifth flow threshold;
at a tenth time, providing an indication that the blockage condition exists in the first fluid flow path and the second fluid flow path responsive to determining that the total rate of flow satisfies the fifth flow threshold and does not satisfy the sixth flow threshold;
at an eleventh time, providing an indication that the blockage condition exists in the second fluid flow path responsive to determining that the total rate of flow satisfies the sixth flow threshold and does not satisfy the seventh flow threshold;
at a twelfth time, providing an indication that the blockage condition exists in the first fluid flow path responsive to determining that the total rate of flow satisfies the eighth flow threshold and does not satisfy the ninth flow threshold; and
at a thirteenth time, providing an indication that the normal operation condition exists responsive to determining that the total rate of flow satisfies the ninth flow threshold,
wherein the ninth through first flow thresholds respectively correspond to descending levels of flow.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein:
the first flow threshold corresponds to an expected first rate of flow in the first fluid flow path; the third flow threshold corresponds to an expected first rate of flow in the second fluid flow path; the fourth flow threshold corresponds to an aggregation of the expected first rate of flow in the first fluid flow path and an expected second rate of flow in the second fluid flow path; the fifth flow threshold corresponds to an expected first rate of flow in the third fluid flow path; the sixth flow threshold corresponds to an aggregation of the expected first rate of flow in the first fluid flow path and an expected third rate of flow in the third fluid flow path; the eighth flow threshold corresponds to an aggregation of the expected second rate of flow in the second fluid flow path and an expected third rate of flow in the third fluid flow path; and the ninth flow threshold corresponds to an aggregation of the expected first rate of flow in the first fluid flow path, the expected second rate of flow in the second fluid flow path, and the expected thi

Assignees

• Smith & Nephew

Inventors

• Collinson Sarah Jenny
• Hartwell Edward Yerbury
• Quintanar Felix Clarence

Classifications

• A61F13/05

  specially adapted for use with sub-pressure or over-pressure therapy, wound drainage or wound irrigation, e.g. for use with negative-pressure wound therapy [NPWT] · CPC title

• A61M1/982

  with means for detecting level of collected exudate · CPC title

• A61M1/918

  for multiple suction locations · CPC title

• A61M1/912

  Connectors between dressing and drainage tube · CPC title

• A61M2205/502

  User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards · CPC title