56results about How to "Improve patient safety" patented technology

The present invention relates to capital equipment units, such as systems for providing medical treatment, that are associated with smart supplies. The smart supplies are tagged with data carriers which may encode such information as a unique ID for the supply or component, the identification of the supply or component, the identification of the source of the supply or component, the status of whether said supply or component has been previously used, the expiration date of the supply or component, and in the case where the supply or component contains drug, the purity levels of the drug and the concentration levels of the drug. The capital equipment units or their users then utilize the information to assure quality of any procedure run with the units, by way of improved pre-use checks, certification of the supplies for use, record keeping, inventory control, and charge capture.

A system, method and computer program for programming a medical device to administer a medication to a patient includes the medical device, a scanner that may be associated with a point of care (POC) system, and a medication management unit (MMU). A computer in the POC system can directly program the medical device with the permission of the MMU after a full “five rights” check or the “right patient” check can be delayed until after the pump program is downloaded. Other workflows are disclosed for programming the medical device in manual, semi-automatic and automatic modes, with safety checks incorporated at various points.

A system, method and computer program for programming a medical device to administer a medication to a patient includes the medical device, a scanner that may be associated with a point of care (POC) system, and a medication management unit (MMU). A computer in the POC system can directly program the medical device with the permission of the MMU after a full “five rights” check or the “right patient” check can be delayed until after the pump program is downloaded. Other workflows are disclosed for programming the medical device in manual, semi-automatic and automatic modes, with safety checks incorporated at various points.

A customizable and intuitive user interface for medical systems and devices, such as cardiopulmonary bypass systems, perfusion systems, extracorporeal circulation apparatuses, and heart-lung machines, is provided, which allows for ease of access to critical patient data to facilitate blood perfusion and to monitor and regulate various physiological parameters of a patient and an extracorporeal blood flow circuit during surgical procedures, such as cardiopulmonary bypass and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

Infusion systems according to the present invention provide a medical fluid infusion system operable at a relatively wide range of flow rates while simultaneously maintaining a high degree of accuracy and predictability through employing specific flow path architecture, flow path dimensional ranges, and pump control parameters, such as voltage, frequency, voltage rise time, pump size and quantity, and controlled restriction of the fluid flow path. Automatic recognition of restrictive elements is employed to facilitate the ease of use of different restrictive elements with a single infusion system and improve patient safety.

The invention facilitates the efficient administration of medical offices and patient records including visual coordination of room, patient, and task status indicators. The invention also enables improved document review and transcription management.

The present invention provides a system and a method for distending a body tissue cavity of a subject by continuous flow irrigation by using two positive displacement pumps, such as peristaltic pumps, one pump on the inflow side and another pump on the outflow side, such that the amplitude of the pressure pulsations created by a the said positive displacement pumps inside the tissue cavity is substantially dampened to almost negligible levels. The present invention also provides a method of reducing the frequency of the said pressure pulsations. The present invention also provides a method for accurately determining the rate of fluid loss, into the subject's body system, during any endoscopic procedure without utilizing any deficit weight or fluid volume calculation, the same being accomplished by using two fluid flow rate sensors. The present invention also provides a system of creating and maintaining any desired pressure in a body tissue cavity for any desired cavity outflow rate. The system and the methods of the present invention described above can be used in any endoscopic procedure requiring continuous flow irrigation few examples of such endoscopic procedures being hysteroscopic surgery, arthroscopic surgery, trans uretheral surgery, endoscopic surgery of the brain and endoscopic surgery of the spine.

A computer implemented method and computer system for reducing errors associated with a situated interaction performed by at least two agents of a sociotechnical team and for augmenting situation awareness of the at least two agents. Also, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium used to store instructions relating to the computer method and the computer system. The situated interaction can be surgery and the at least two agents can be members of a surgical team.

Methods and systems for reconstruction of a three-dimensional representation of a moving arterial tree structure from a pair of sequences of time varying two-dimensional images thereof and for analysis of the reconstructed representation. In one aspect of the invention, a pair of time varying arteriographic image sequences are used to reconstruct a three-dimensional representation of the vascular tree structure as it moves through a cardiac cycle. The arteriographic image sequences maybe obtained from a biplane imaging system or from two sequences of images using a single plane imaging system. Another aspect of the invention then applies analysis methods and systems utilizing the three-dimensional representation to analyze various kinematic and deformation measures of the moving vascular structure. Analysis results may be presented to the user using color coded indicia to identify various kinematic and deformation measures of the vascular tree.

A convenience kit which provides a basic configuration for use in measuring, filling and dispensing medication and flush solutions to IV sets and patient catheters through needleless connectors while improving safety and efficacy by requiring fewer post-sterilization makes and breaks compared to conventional filling and dispensing methods. Further, the kit improves flush compliance by facilitating dispensing of flush solutions and decreases likelihood of infections by providing for flushing of patient lines and catheter connecting fittings without line breaks. Convenience of operation is provided by a two-syringe assembly which is operable by a single hand for selective dispensing accomplished from either of the two syringes while obstructing flow from the other syringe. The kit comprises a clip for stabilizing the two syringe assembly.

The present invention provides a surgical manipulator which capable of manipulating a surgical or medical tool in up to six degrees of freedom. The manipulator has a relatively lightweight, compact design as a result of the use of high force to mass ratio actuators. The manipulator includes a mounting fixture which permits the manipulator to be fixed relative to a portion of a body of a patient.

According to the present invention, there is provided a gamma camera system for brain SPECT imaging including slanted detectors with slanted hole collimators and a special hood-shaped head support device. The present invention eliminates the need for radial detector motion and therefore for collision sensing devices and safety related circuitry as required in prior art gamma cameras. Furthermore, the design and shape of the present invention reduces the necessary camera setup procedure, thereby improving camera workflow and output. The present invention's hood-shaped head support encapsulates the patient's head, preventing long hair from being entangled with the detectors while providing increased patient safety and comfort. Furthermore, the hood gently restrains the patients head, leading to less patient movement and improved image quality. In addition the hood enables very close detector proximity to the patient's head leading to further improvements in image quality.

A connector system for interconnecting a hearing aid (3) with a fixture (5) anchored in a bone segment (7). An abutment (9) has a contact surface (21) with is a substantially circular surface. A connector plate (17) with a substantially circular connector contact surface (20) is in contact with the abutment contact surface (21) when the hearing aid (3) is connected to the abutment (9). The abutment (9) has a wide abutment coupling area and a narrow portion. The abutment coupling area is enclosable by coupling shoes (15). The coupling shoes (15) exert a pressure against the abutment coupling area disposed on a mantle surface (25) of the abutment. The coupling shoes are movable in a radial direction relative to the connector plate (17). The coupling area has an increasing diameter in a lateral direction (L). A coupling area (29) of the coupling shoes has an increasing diameter in the lateral direction (L) to exert a pressure on the abutment (9) against a connector contact surface when the coupling shoes (15) are pressed in the radial direction against the abutment (9).

Systems and methods for measuring saliva sodium concentration using a chromatographic reaction enable rapid-results, low-cost diagnosis of various medical conditions in an outpatient setting. In one embodiment, measured patient saliva sodium concentration is used by the patient or the patient's healthcare provider to guide medical decision making. In another embodiment, measured patient saliva sodium concentration is processed to mechanically adjust the concentration of sodium in an aqueous solution to be delivered to the patient for oral administration. In yet another embodiment, a closed loop system measures saliva sodium concentration and uses any of a number of different types of feedback control systems to monitor and control the fluid and/or electrolyte state of the patient.

Two convenience kits are disclosed. A first convenience kit provides a basic configuration for use in measuring, filling and dispensing medication and flush solutions to IV sets and patient catheters through needleless connectors while improving safety and efficacy by requiring fewer post-sterilization makes and breaks compared to conventional filling and dispensing methods. A second convenience kit which, being a companion to the first convenience kit, provides safety in access to a vial. Methods of use of both kits improve flush compliance by facilitating dispensing of flush solutions and decreases likelihood of infections by providing for flushing of connecting sites while reducing numbers of breaks required for associated medical procedures.

An electrosurgical energy delivery apparatus includes an energy delivery circuit, a control circuit and an energy-harvesting system with a plurality of energy-harvesting circuits and a voltage regulator that provides a regulated DC voltage to the energy delivery circuit and/or the control circuit. The energy delivery circuit receives an electrosurgical energy signal having a primary frequency and selectively provides the electrosurgical energy signal to an energy delivery element. The control circuit connects to the energy delivery circuit and selectively enables the flow of electrosurgical energy to the energy delivery element. The plurality of energy-harvesting circuits each include an energy-harvesting antenna tuned to a particular frequency, a matched circuit configured to receive an RF signal from the energy-harvesting antenna, rectify the RF signal and generate a DC signal, and an energy storage device that connects to the voltage regulator to receive and store the DC signal.

One aspect of the invention is a method to vent gas from a body cavity during an endoscopic procedure. A body cavity is in fluid communication with an exhaust gas inlet of a vacuum break device. The vacuum break device has a chamber in fluid communication with both the inlet and an outlet. The chamber may comprise one or more openings in fluid communication with the atmosphere. A conduit in fluid communication with the exhaust gas outlet may be connected directly or indirectly to a suction source. The suction source may be activated.

The invention relates to a method and a device for detecting a critical physiological state of a patient, especially for detecting a critical hemodynamic event. A set of values of physiological parameters is measured, including the heart rate and the pulse arrival time. On the basis of these measurements, a risk assessment is performed including the allocation of a representation of the measured set of values as a vector in a vector space to a risk level representing the risk of the occurrence of a critical hemodynamic event.

Device and method for inserting an endotracheal tube or for replacing an endotracheal tube that already exists in the trachea with a new endotracheal tube. The device comprises a tubular structure effective for providing ventilation to the patient during replacement of the endotracheal tube. A stylet is provided having a taper section that gradually increases in diameter from the distal end thereby eliminating the difference in diameters between the tubular structure and the endotracheal tube and for facilitating entry of the new endotracheal tube into the trachea of the patient.

The invention relates to an apparatus for cutting out and removing tissue cylinders from a tissue located within a cavity of the body or a joint and/or in or on a wall section thereof. Said apparatuscomprises at least two, especially two cutting devices (12, 12'), each of which has a hollow cylindrical base (14, 14'), a distal opening (18, 18') at a distal end (16, 16') of the base (14, 14'), anda cutting element (20, 20') that surrounds the distal opening (18, 18'). The at least two cutting devices (12, 12') are disposed inside each other and can be rotated relative to one another. The apparatus further comprises at least one driving device (22) for rotating the respective base (14, 14') of the at least two cutting devices (12, 12') about the longitudinal axis (24, 24') of the base (14,14'). The invention also relates to the use of said apparatus.

Apparatus for directed cranial access to a site includes a guidepiece and a receptacle. The receptacle includes a lower part having a rim and a base, and a hollow stem at the base adapted to be mounted in a hole in the skull; and an upper part having a rim and an opening at the top. Each part of the receptacle has an interior spherical surface, and they can be joined at the rims to form an inner surface enclosing a spherical interior. The guidepiece includes a body having a spherical outer surface and a cylindrical bore through the center, defining an alignment axis; and a guide tube in the bore. The guidepiece is dimensioned to fit rotatably within the receptacle interior, and the apparatus is assembled by joining the receptacle over the guidepiece body, with the guide tube projecting through the top opening. The guide tube is dimensioned to accept an imaging device such as an ultrasound probe during an imaging stage, and an adaptor is provided, dimensioned to accept a device to be placed at the site during a placement stage. The probe is inserted into the guide tube and the guidepiece is swiveled until the image shows that the alignment axis is aligned along an optimal trajectory to the site, the receptacle is tightened to lock the guidepiece, and the imaging device is withdrawn. Then the adaptor is inserted into the guide tube, and the device is inserted through the adaptor along the established trajectory to the site. After placement of the device into the intracranial target, the adaptor, guidepiece, and receptacle are removed as a unit over the device while the device is held in place.

A prescription analysis system and method are introduced. The prescription analysis system includes a knowledge database, an access module, a storage module, and a judgment module. The judgment module judges whether a new prescription is appropriate according to three prescription appropriateness criteria. The prescription analysis method is integrated in the prescription analysis system. Therefore, the prescription analysis system and method enhance the accuracy of prescriptions, reduce likelihood of medication errors, cut medical expenditure, and save patients' lives.

A method, a system, and a computer program for calibration of sensitivity of a subject to a drug. The subject is delivered with the drug at a delivery rate and a signal responsive to the drug is measured from the subject. When determining the sensitivity of the subject to the drug in question, a change in the delivery rate of the drug is initiated. The change in the delivery rate causes a small change in the signal responsive to the drug. The change in the measured signal caused by the drug delivery rate change is detected, and the sensitivity of the patient is determined.

A method and system for the application of molecular sieves to the removal of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide from the patient expired gases during anesthesia. The system is especially useful in anesthesia using any of the halogenated ether inhalation anesthetic agents. The expired gases are dried using a non-reactive desiccant to remove water, passed through a filter capable of removing particles larger than 0.3 microns, passed through a bed containing either natural or synthetic molecular sieves capable of removing carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide and then returned to the breathing circuit for recirculation to the patient.

A system for processing of information of an environment containing objects and a person. One or more cameras are used to view and capture an image of an environment in which a person is located. The images may be masked to maintain privacy during remote viewing by a third-party.

A system for controlling administration of a respiratory depressant drug or mixture of drugs to a spontaneously breathing patient comprises a drug delivery unit (3), being adapted for indexed or continuous and automatic titration of a respiratory depressant drug or mixture of such drugs to said patient (1), and a control apparatus (6), receiving measurement signals (20) relative to the respiratory state of said patient (1) and issuing control signals (27) to said drug delivery unit (3), wherein the control apparatus is adapted to keep said measurement signals relative to the respiratory state to a predetermined condition and thereby providing adequate sedation and/or analgesia to said patient.

Systems, devices, methods, and computer processing products for automatically checking for errors in segmentation (contouring) using heuristic and/or statistical evaluation methods.