Dialysis medical system with a portable control unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9585995-B2
Application number	US-201514879634-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2015
Priority date	May 12, 2011
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

This disclosure relates to detecting fluid in medical tubing. In certain aspects, a method is performed by a data processing apparatus. The method includes controlling repetitive activation of the ultrasonic transmitter. The method also includes receiving a signal from the ultrasonic receiver during an activation of the ultrasonic transmitter. The method also includes determining that fluid is absent or present in a portion of the medical fluid tube based on a comparison between the signal and a threshold value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dialysis medical system comprising:
a dialysis medical machine;
a control unit;
a portable computing device that is configured to wirelessly communicate with the control unit;
a medical fluid tube connected to the dialysis medical machine;
an ultrasonic transmitter positioned adjacent to the medical fluid tube;
an ultrasonic receiver positioned adjacent to the medical fluid tube configured to receive one or more signals in response to the activation of the ultrasonic transmitter; and
a computer storage medium encoded with computer program instructions that when executed by the dialysis medical system, cause the control unit to perform operations comprising:
controlling repetitive activation of the ultrasonic transmitter, wherein controlling repetitive activation of the ultrasonic transmitter comprises, for each repetition:
activating the ultrasonic transmitter for a first period; and
deactivating the ultrasonic transmitter for a second period;

for each repetition, comparing a signal received from the ultrasonic receiver during the activation of the ultrasonic transmitter for the first period to a threshold value; and
determining presence of fluid in a portion of the medical fluid tube if the signal received from the ultrasonic receiver satisfies the threshold value for at least two consecutive repetitions, wherein:
for a first repetition, the signal received from the ultrasonic receiver during the activation of the ultrasonic transmitter for the first period is compared to a first threshold value; and
for a second repetition, the signal received from the ultrasonic receiver during the activation of the ultrasonic transmitter for the first period is compared to a second threshold value if the first threshold value was satisfied and compared to a third threshold value if the first threshold value was not satisfied.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first period is 5 milliseconds and the second period is 995 milliseconds.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the medical fluid tube has an outer diameter of less than 0.128 inch.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the medical fluid tube has an inner diameter of less than 0.031 inch.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the portable computing device is configured to transmit and receive information related to one or more treatment parameters of a patient who is receiving or is to receive a treatment from the dialysis medical system.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the information related to one or more treatment parameters includes one or more of a drug selection, a drug dosage, a drug delivery rate, an amount of a drug delivered, a status of a drug delivered, a time during which a drug has been delivered, a completion percentage for a drug delivery, and a time remaining for a drug delivery.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid carried in the medical fluid tube includes a drug.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the portable computing device is configured to transmit information related to a dosage of the drug prescribed to the patient.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the drug includes one or both of iron sucrose and a drug for stimulating production of red blood cells.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the portable computing device is configured to receive information related to a dosage of the drug delivered to the patient during a treatment received from the dialysis medical system.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein the portable computing device is configured to receive an indication that a source of the drug is empty.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the portable computing device is configured to provide instructions for controlling the control unit.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein controlling the control unit includes causing the control unit to disable or enable a pump for delivering a drug to a patient who is receiving or is to receive a treatment from the dialysis medical system.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the portable computing device is configured to receive an alert indicating an occurrence of an alert condition.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the alert condition comprises no fluid being detected in the medical fluid tube at a time at which fluid is expected to be present in the medical fluid tube.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the alert condition comprises fluid being detected in the medical fluid tube at a time at which fluid is not expected to be present in the medical fluid tube.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the alert condition comprises one or both of a drug type and a drug dosage to be provided to a patient who is receiving or is to receive a treatment from the dialysis medical system not matching an expected drug type and drug dosage.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the alert comprises one or more of a visual alert, an auditory alert, and a tactile alert.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the portable computing device is configured to display information related to one or more treatment parameters of a patient who is receiving or is to receive a treatment from the dialysis medical system.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the portable computing device is configured to display information that is displayed on a user interface of the dialysis medical machine.

21. The system of claim 19 , wherein the portable computing device is configured to display an interface for providing instructions for controlling the control unit.

22. The system of claim 1 , comprising a database that is configured to transmit and receive information, over a network, related to one or more treatment parameters of a patient who is receiving or is to receive a treatment from the dialysis medical system.

23. The system of claim 22 , wherein the information related to one or more treatment parameters includes one or more of a drug selection, a drug dosage, a drug delivery rate, an amount of a drug delivered, a status of a drug delivered, a time during which a drug has been delivered, a completion percentage for a drug delivery, and a time remaining for a drug delivery.

24. The system of claim 1 , wherein the third threshold value is greater than the second threshold value.

Assignees

• Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Inc

Inventors

• Wright Nigel
• Magargi Iii Samuel Ernest
• Harbaugh Jeremy Thomas
• Zang Michael John
• Winniewicz Jr Regis Joseph
• Beri Joseph Stephen
• Zatezalo Douglas Mark
• Monahan Tom
• Fox Ronald Robert

Classifications

• A61M1/342 Primary

  Adding solutions to the blood, e.g. substitution solutions (for preventing coagulation A61M1/3672) · CPC title

• A61M1/3424 Primary

  Substitution fluid path · CPC title

• G01N2291/102

  one emitter, one receiver · CPC title

• A61M2205/3375

  Acoustical, e.g. ultrasonic, measuring means · CPC title

• G01N2291/048

  Transmission, i.e. analysed material between transmitter and receiver · CPC title