Electrical safety methods, devices, and systems for medical treatment devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9808586-B2
Application number	US-201715466770-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2017
Priority date	Jun 8, 2011
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices can detect a dangerous or adverse condition or anticipated condition that indicates an undesirable amount of electric current in a patient-connected tube providing fluid to a patient. The fluid flow to the patient is stopped responsive to the detection. Stoppage of fluid flow to the patient can reduce or prevent electric current in the fluid from reaching a patient, flowing through the patient to ground, and/or continuing to flow through the patient.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for protecting a patient from an electrical source of a treatment device, comprising:
connecting the patient to a treatment device by a fluid circuit in which a leakage current is induced by capacitive and/or inductive coupling of the fluid circuit with the treatment device;
providing a conductive element adjacent the fluid circuit such that it is capacitively coupled to the fluid circuit, wherein the conductive element is electrically isolated from a fluid carried by said fluid circuit and the fluid carried by the fluid circuit is conductive;
inducing a voltage in said conductive element and detecting a magnitude of the voltage which is responsive to the current induced by said capacitive and/or inductive coupling; and
interrupting a normal operation of the treatment device effective to reduce said leakage current in response to a detected magnitude of said voltage.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conductive element is adjacent a tube of said fluid circuit.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the conductive element is a curved plate that wraps at least partly around the tube.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the conductive element is a metal clip.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the interrupting a normal operation includes closing a valve.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the interrupting a normal operation includes pinching a tube of said fluid circuit to isolate fluid in one portion of the fluid circuit with fluid in another portion of the fluid circuit so that current cannot be carried from the fluid in the one portion of the fluid circuit to the fluid in the another portion.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid carried by the fluid circuit includes blood.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid carried by the fluid circuit includes dialysate.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment device includes an intravenous pump.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment device includes a dialysis system.

Assignees

• Nxstage Medical Inc

Inventors

• Kogan Yakov

Classifications

• A61M1/14 Primary

  Dialysis systems; Artificial kidneys; Blood oxygenators (semi-permeable membranes characterised by the material, manufacturing processes therefor B01D71/00){; Reciprocating systems for treatment of body fluids, e.g. single needle systems for hemofiltration or pheresis} · CPC title

• A61M5/44

  having means for cooling or heating the devices or media · CPC title

• A61M5/16831

  Monitoring, detecting, signalling or eliminating infusion flow anomalies (low-level float-valves causing cut-off A61M5/40; indicating or recording presence, absence or direction of flow in general G01P13/0066) · CPC title

• A61M1/36

  Other treatment of blood in a by-pass of the natural circulatory system, e.g. temperature adaptation, irradiation {; Extra-corporeal blood circuits} · CPC title

• A61M2205/0233

  Conductive materials, e.g. antistatic coatings for spark prevention · CPC title