Powerhead control in a power injection system

Abstract

A dual head contrast media injection system performs a patency check or test injection, determining flow rate and / or flow volume from the programmed protocol. The tubing that connects syringes to a patient shares only a short common section near to the patient. Appropriate injection steps are taken to compensate for tubing elasticity. A wireless remote control and a touch screen control are provided, improving functionality and information delivery. The display brightness is controlled based on the ambient light, and the display panel includes a double swivel permitting re-orientation. The orientation of the display may also be controlled based on, e.g., the current step, the tilt angle of the powerhead, or a manual control. Furthermore, the display is customizable to identify the type of fluid (contrast, saline, etc.) on either side of the injector, to provide matched color coding, and to provide a folder / tab analogy for retrieving injection protocol parameters.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 964,002, filed Oct. 13, 2005, entitled POWERHEAD OF A POWER INJECTION SYSTEM, which is related to co-pending application Ser. No. 10 / 964,003, filed Oct. 13, 2005, entitled POWERHEAD OF A POWER INJECTION SYSTEM. The present application is related to co-pending and concurrently filed application Ser. No. ______, entitled POWERHEAD OF A POWER INJECTION SYSTEM and the two divisional applications of application Ser. No. 10 / 964,003, filed Oct. 13, 2005, entitled POWERHEAD OF A POWER INJECTION SYSTEM. All of these applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to contrast media injector systems and, more particularly to improvements thereto. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] In many medical environments, a medical fluid is injected into a patient during diagnosis or treatm...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention relates to improving power injectors used in patients or animals. The invention includes a display that can adjust its brightness levels based on the ambient light conditions, and a touch screen interface that can provide more data and controls to the operator. The display can also be color-coded to easily distinguish between syringes and fluid paths. The invention also includes a remote controlled powerhead, a test injection feature, and a patency check feature that ensures the fluid delivery components can accommodate the elasticity of the delivery components. The invention also includes a mount for the display screen that allows for easy positioning and re-positioning of the screen, and a sensor to automatically adjust the display orientation based on the orientation of the injector. Overall, the invention provides improved functionality and ease-of-use for power injectors used in medical imaging procedures."

Problems solved by technology

Nevertheless, the potential for accidentally injecting air into a patient remains a serious safety concern.

Unfortunately, operators have found it cumbersome to use the hand-operated movement buttons and to read the injector head gauges and displays, for several reasons, not the least of which is the necessary tilting of the injector head between the upward, filling position to the downward, injection position, changing the positions of the hand-operated movement buttons relative to the operator, and at some tilt angles rendering the gauges or displays difficult to read.

Unfortunately, the necessity of incorporating a magnetic detector into the outer housing of the injector head increases the complexity and expense of manufacturing the injector head.

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