Flow cytometer, data transmission method and information processing system

Abstract

The present invention can improve the operability of an electronic medical record system when viewing an electronic medical record including a particle distribution map of particles contained in a sample, and can also improve convenience, and can also enable doctors and the like to quickly make a correct diagnosis. The flow cytometer (10) comprises: a particle data acquisition unit (633) for acquiring particle data including optical information of the particles by measuring the particles contained in the sample; and an information transmission unit (635) for transmitting at least one of the particle data and the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data to at least one of a hospital information system (2) supporting hospital-related business and a clinical examination information system (4) supporting clinical examination-related business.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a flow cytometer, a data sending method and an information processing system. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, electronic medical record systems that generate and manage electronic medical records including various information of patients input by doctors have become popular.

[0003] In addition to information such as the patient's name, age, ID, type and dosage of therapeutic drugs, diagnosis content, treatment content, and events such as surgery, the electronic medical record also includes medical images such as X-ray images and ultrasound images, as well as test values ​​output from the test device. As an electronic medical record system, a medical information system including at least one of a hospital information system (HIS) supporting hospital operations and a clinical laboratory information system (LIS) supporting clinical examination-related operations is known.

[0004] Also known is flow cytometry, a method of optically detecting the size, structure, fluorescence intensity, etc. of each particle dispersed in a liquid using a flow cytometer capable of detecting particles one by one, and measuring the number and distribution of particles based on the detected information.

[0005] Conventional electronic medical record systems can obtain information indicating the number of blood cells such as lymphocytes, monocytes, and granulocytes from flow cytometry as test values. Physicians can view this information on electronic medical record systems. However, particle distribution graphs indicating the distribution of particles cannot be viewed in conventional electronic medical record systems. Therefore, physicians need to view particle distribution graphs generated and managed by flow cytometry from their own terminal devices via LAN (Non-Patent Document 1).

[0006] Prior art literature

[0007] Non-patent literature

[0008] Non-patent document 1 [retrieved on July 12, 2011], Internet URL: https: / / www.bc-cytometry.com / FCM / FCM / fcm_08.html.

[0009] Summary of the invention Technical problems to be solved by the invention

[0010] As described above, in the conventional electronic medical record system described in Non-Patent Document 1, a manager (e.g., chief technician) such as a physician or a testing technician needs to browse the particle distribution map managed in the flow cytometry from each terminal via the LAN. Therefore, for the physician or the chief technician (hereinafter referred to as "physician, etc."), the operability when browsing the electronic medical record including the particle distribution map is low, and the convenience of such a system cannot be said to be very high.

[0011] In addition, although doctors can view the particle distribution map managed in flow cytometry from their own terminals via LAN, they cannot perform adjustments such as re-gating the particle distribution map in the terminal. When doctors want to adjust the particle distribution map for a more accurate diagnosis, they provide feedback to the inspection technicians, etc. on the adjustment content, and the inspection technicians, etc. need to regenerate the particle distribution map based on at least one of the particle data including optical information of particles contained in the sample managed in the flow cytometry and the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data. As described above, in the previous system, in order to adjust the particle distribution map, etc., it takes time corresponding to the number of feedbacks between doctors and inspection technicians, etc., so doctors, etc. may not be able to make a correct diagnosis quickly.

[0012] Therefore, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a flow cytometer, data sending method and information processing system that can improve the operability and convenience of an electronic medical record system when viewing electronic medical records including particle distribution diagrams of particles contained in samples, and can also enable physicians and the like to quickly make correct diagnoses.

[0013] Technical means to solve technical problems

[0014] A flow cytometer 10 involved in a technical solution of the present invention comprises: a particle data acquisition unit 633, which acquires particle data including optical information of the particles by measuring the particles contained in the sample; an information sending unit 635, which sends at least one of the particle data and particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data to at least one of a hospital information system 2 supporting hospital-related businesses and a clinical examination information system 4 supporting clinical examination-related businesses.

[0015] According to the above-mentioned flow cytometer 10, at least one of the particle data including the optical information of the particles contained in the sample and the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data is sent to at least one of the hospital information system 2) and the clinical examination information system 4. Therefore, an electronic medical record including the particle distribution map of the particles contained in the sample can be generated in at least one of the hospital information system 2 and the clinical examination information system 4, and the generated electronic medical record can be read. In addition, the particle distribution map in the electronic medical record can be adjusted as needed. Therefore, the operability of the system when reading the electronic medical record can be improved and the convenience can be improved, and doctors and the like can quickly make a correct diagnosis.

[0016] The flow cytometer 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: a particle data acquisition unit 633 for acquiring particle data including optical information of the particles by measuring the particles contained in the sample; and an information transmission unit 635 for transmitting the particle data.

[0017] According to the above-mentioned flow cytometer 10, particle data including optical information of particles contained in the sample is transmitted. Therefore, an electronic medical record including a particle distribution diagram of particles contained in the sample can be generated at the recipient of the particle data, and the generated electronic medical record can be read. In addition, the particle distribution diagram in the electronic medical record can be adjusted as needed. Therefore, the operability when reading the electronic medical record can be improved and the convenience can be improved, and doctors and the like can quickly make a correct diagnosis.

[0018] It can be designed as follows: in the above-mentioned flow cytometer 10, there is further provided an instruction information acquisition unit 631 for acquiring instruction information including one or several measurement items, and the particle data acquisition unit 633 measures the particles contained in the sample corresponding to the one or several measurement items contained in the instruction information.

[0019] According to the flow cytometer 10 described above, particles included in a sample can be measured in accordance with one or more measurement items included in the instruction information, and thus measurement results corresponding to the measurement items can be acquired.

[0020] It may be designed that, in the flow cytometer 10 , after executing the preprocessing for preparing the measurement sample from the sample, the particle data acquisition unit 633 measures the particles contained in the measurement sample.

[0021] According to the above-described flow cytometer 10 , by executing preprocessing for preparing a measurement sample from a specimen, appropriate particle measurement can be performed according to the measurement items included in the measurement order, and thus accurate particle data can be acquired.

[0022] It can be designed as follows: in the above-mentioned flow cytometer 10, the information sending unit 635 sends the output information of the particle distribution map of the particles based on the particle data as the particle distribution map related data to at least one of the hospital information system 2 supporting hospital-related businesses and the clinical examination information system 4 supporting clinical examination-related businesses.

[0023] According to the above-described flow cytometer 10 , it is not necessary to transmit the image data itself corresponding to the particle distribution map, and thus the amount of data to be transmitted can be reduced.

[0024] It can be designed as follows: in the above-mentioned flow cytometer 10, the output information includes output information for outputting a plurality of different particle distribution maps based on the particle data.

[0025] According to the flow cytometer 10 , for a certain sample, particle distribution graphs corresponding to particle data measured at different dates and times can be compared and displayed.

[0026] It can be designed as follows: in the above-mentioned flow cytometer 10, the output information further includes date and time information indicating the date and time when the particles contained in the sample are measured.

[0027] According to the above-described flow cytometer 10 , for a certain sample, a particle distribution map corresponding to particle data can be displayed in a time series.

[0028] It can be designed as follows: in the above-mentioned flow cytometer 10, the optical information includes at least one of the scattered light information and the fluorescence information of the particles.

[0029] According to the above-mentioned flow cytometer 10, after at least one of the hospital information system 2 and the clinical examination information system 4 obtains at least one of the scattered light information and fluorescence information of the particles, the above information can be converted into data that can output a particle distribution map, and an electronic medical record including a particle distribution map can be output.

[0030] It can be designed that: in the above-mentioned flow cytometer 10, the information sending unit 635 sends at least one of the particle data and the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data in a format that complies with a certain standard specification.

[0031] According to the above-described flow cytometer 10, data is transmitted in a format conforming to a certain standard, and thus data can be transmitted stably.

[0032] It can be designed that: in the above-mentioned flow cytometer 10, the certain standard specification is in compliance with the standard specification of CLSI (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute).

[0033] According to the above-mentioned flow cytometer 10, data is transmitted in a format conforming to the international standard such as CLSI, and thus data can be transmitted stably.

[0034] It can be designed as follows: in the above-mentioned flow cytometer 10, the certain standard specifications include at least one standard specification of ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials), HL7 (Health Level Seven), IHE (Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise), DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) and MFER (Medical waveform Format Encoding Rules).

[0035] According to the flow cytometer 10 described above, various standards related to information communication can be used, so the range of options related to the format when transmitting data is widened.

[0036] It can be designed as follows: in the above-mentioned flow cytometer 10, the information sending unit 635 further sends the patient information corresponding to the sample to at least one of the hospital information system 2 supporting hospital-related services and the clinical examination information system 4 supporting clinical examination-related services.

[0037] According to the above-described flow cytometer 10 , a sample corresponding to a specific patient can be identified in at least one of the hospital information system 2 and the clinical laboratory information system 4 .

[0038] It can be designed as follows: in the above-mentioned flow cytometer 10, the patient information includes patient identification information for identifying the patient.

[0039] According to the flow cytometer 10 , a sample corresponding to a specific patient can be more accurately identified in at least one of the hospital information system 2 and the clinical laboratory information system 4 .

[0040] It can be designed as follows: in the above-mentioned flow cytometer 10, the information sending unit 635 sends a message including the particle data and at least one of the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data and the patient information corresponding to the sample to at least one of the hospital information system 2 supporting hospital-related businesses and the clinical examination information system 4 supporting clinical examination-related businesses for each sample.

[0041] According to the flow cytometer 10 , at least one of the particle data and the particle distribution map-related data is transmitted in association with the patient information for each sample, so that the electronic medical record of the patient that the physician wishes to view can be accurately output.

[0042] It can be designed as follows: in the above-mentioned flow cytometer 10, the message includes a first record including at least one of the particle data and the particle distribution map related data and a second record including the patient information.

[0043] According to the flow cytometer 10 , at least one of the particle data and the particle distribution map-related data is transmitted in association with the patient information, and thus the electronic medical record of the patient that the physician wishes to view can be accurately output.

[0044] It can be designed as follows: in the above-mentioned flow cytometer 10, the information sending unit 635 sends at least one of the particle data and the particle distribution map related data to the hospital information system 2 supporting hospital related business via the clinical examination information system 4 supporting clinical examination related business.

[0045] According to the above-described flow cytometer 10 , even if the flow cytometer 10 is not directly connected to the hospital information system 2 , data can be transmitted via the clinical laboratory information system 4 .

[0046] It can be designed as follows: in the above-mentioned flow cytometer 10, the particle distribution diagram of the particles generated based on the particle data includes at least one of a dot matrix diagram and a bar graph.

[0047] According to the flow cytometer 10 described above, the particle data included in the sample is displayed in at least one of a dot graph and a bar graph, so that the distribution state of the particles can be appropriately grasped.

[0048] It can be designed as follows: in the above-mentioned flow cytometer 10, the information sending unit 635 sends compressed data including the particle data and at least one of the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data to at least one of the hospital information system 2 supporting hospital-related businesses and the clinical examination information system 4 supporting clinical examination-related businesses.

[0049] According to the flow cytometer 10 described above, the data transmitted to at least one of the hospital information system 2 and the clinical laboratory information system 4 is compressed, so that the amount of data during transmission can be reduced.

[0050] It can be designed as follows: in the above-mentioned flow cytometer 10, the information sending unit 635 further sends the particle number information related to the particle number of the particles.

[0051] According to the above-mentioned flow cytometer, since the information transmission unit 635 further transmits the particle number information related to the particle number of particles, it is possible to generate and output an electronic medical record further including the particle number as an inspection value.

[0052] A data sending method involved in a technical solution of the present invention includes the following steps: a step in which a computer obtains particle data including optical information of the particles by measuring the particles contained in a sample; a step in which the computer sends the particle data and at least one of the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data to at least one of a hospital information system 2 supporting hospital-related business and a clinical examination information system 4 supporting clinical examination-related business.

[0053] According to the above data transmission method, at least one of the particle data of the particles contained in the sample and the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data is transmitted to at least one of the hospital information system 2 and the clinical examination information system 4. Therefore, an electronic medical record including the particle distribution map of the particles contained in the sample can be generated in at least one of the hospital information system 2 and the clinical examination information system 4, and the generated electronic medical record can be read. Therefore, the operability of the system when reading the electronic medical record can be improved and the convenience can be improved, and doctors and the like can quickly make a correct diagnosis.

[0054] A data sending method according to a technical solution of the present invention comprises the following steps: a step in which a computer measures particles contained in a sample to obtain particle data including optical information of the particles; and a step in which the computer sends the particle data.

[0055] According to the above-mentioned data transmission method, the particle data of the particles contained in the sample will be transmitted. Therefore, an electronic medical record including a particle distribution diagram of the particles contained in the sample can be generated at the recipient of the particle data, and the generated electronic medical record can be read. In addition, the particle distribution diagram in the electronic medical record can be adjusted as needed. Therefore, the operability when reading the electronic medical record can be improved and the convenience can be improved, and doctors and the like can quickly make a correct diagnosis.

[0056] An information processing system involved in a technical solution of the present invention comprises: an information receiving unit, which receives particle data including optical information obtained by measuring particles contained in a sample and at least one of particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data; and an electronic medical record generating unit, which generates an electronic medical record including the particle distribution map based on the received particle data and at least one of the particle distribution map related data.

[0057] According to the above-mentioned information processing system, at least one of the particle data including the optical information of the particles contained in the sample and the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data is received, and an electronic medical record including the particle distribution map of the particles contained in the sample is generated. In addition, the particle distribution map in the electronic medical record can be adjusted as needed. Therefore, the generated electronic medical record can be read, so the operability of the system when reading the electronic medical record can be improved and the convenience can be improved, and doctors and the like can quickly make a correct diagnosis.

[0058] Effects of the Invention

[0059] According to the present invention, the operability and convenience of the electronic medical record system when browsing the electronic medical record including the particle distribution map of particles contained in the sample can be improved, and the physician can make a correct diagnosis quickly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0060] Figure 1 A diagram showing an example of a schematic diagram of a network configuration of a flow cytometer and an electronic medical record system according to the present embodiment;

[0061] Figure 2 An example diagram showing the appearance of the flow cytometer according to the present embodiment;

[0062] Figure 3 A diagram showing an example of an optical system of a flow cytometer according to the present embodiment;

[0063] Figure 4 An example diagram showing information contained in the measurement conditions involved in the present embodiment; in the figure, FSC represents forward scattered light, SSC represents side scattered light, FL1, FL2, FL3 and FL4 represent four types of fluorescence with different peak wavelengths; in addition, ch represents channel;

[0064] Figure 5 A diagram showing an example of an information processing system of a flow cytometer according to the present embodiment;

[0065] Figure 6 An example diagram showing the functional blocks of the information processing unit according to the present embodiment;

[0066] Figure 7 A diagram showing an example of data transmission processing of the flow cytometer according to the present embodiment;

[0067] Figure 8 A diagram showing an example of the format of data transmitted by the flow cytometer according to the present embodiment;

[0068] Fig. 9 express Figure 8 An example diagram of the structure of the ASTM record shown;

[0069] Fig.10 express Figure 8 An example diagram of the structure of the ASTM field shown;

[0070] Fig.11 express Figure 8 An example diagram of the structure of the ASTM field shown;

[0071] Fig.12 Indicates included in Fig.11 An example diagram of the communication data format of the point data sent in the "Data Value" of the ASTM field 10.1.4 shown;

[0072] Fig.13 Indicates included in Fig.11 An example diagram of the communication data format of the particle size distribution data sent in the "Data Value" of the ASTM field 10.1.4 shown;

[0073] Fig.14 A diagram showing an example of an electronic medical record display interface of a display unit of a physician terminal device according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0074] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same or similar structures.

[0075] [Flow cytometer and electronic medical record system]

[0076] Figure 1 This is an example diagram of a schematic diagram of a network configuration of a flow cytometer and an electronic medical record system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 The flow cytometer 10 shown is a measuring device for performing flow cytometry, a method of optically detecting the size, structure, and fluorescence intensity of each particle dispersed in a liquid and measuring the number and distribution of particles based on the detected information. For example, the flow cytometer 10 has a function of detecting particles one by one by a sheath flow method.

[0077] like Figure 1 As shown, the flow cytometer 10 is installed in a hospital, an inspection facility, etc., and as an example, includes a flow cytometer body 13 and an information processing device 14 connected to the flow cytometer body 13. The specific structure of the flow cytometer body 13 and the information processing device 14 will be described later. In addition to collecting information related to the inspection results from the flow cytometer 10, the electronic medical record system 1 (information processing system) also collects various information such as the patient's name, age, ID, type and dosage of therapeutic drugs, examination content, treatment content, treatment content, disease name, instructions for various medical examinations, and events such as surgery, and generates an electronic medical record for management.

[0078] In addition, the flow cytometer 10 is connected to the electronic medical record system 1 via the communication network N1. In addition, the communication network N1 is a communication medium such as the Internet, a virtual private network (VPN), a wide area network (WAN), a public switched telephone network (PSTN), etc., but it is not limited to the above as long as it can communicate between the flow cytometer 10 and the electronic medical record system 1.

[0079] The following is a brief description of the present embodiment. Figure 1 As shown, the flow cytometer 10 obtains a measurement instruction (instruction information) including one or more measurement items from the electronic medical record system 1, and measures the particles contained in the sample in accordance with the one or more measurement items contained in the measurement instruction. Then, the flow cytometer 10 obtains particle data including optical information of the particles by measuring the particles contained in the sample, and sends at least one of the obtained particle data and particle distribution map-related data of the particles generated based on the obtained particle data to the electronic medical record system 1. The flow cytometer 10 may also obtain particle data including optical information of the particles by measuring the particles contained in the sample, and send only the obtained particle data to the electronic medical record system 1.

[0080] The measurement items contained in the measurement instruction are one or more items measured by the flow cytometer 10, such as the type of particles, the type of substances present in the particles, etc. Specifically, the types of cells, proteins, sugar chains, lipids, glycoproteins, glycolipids, lipoproteins, nucleic acids, etc. can be listed. In addition, as described later, the measurement instruction may also contain measurement conditions when measuring by the flow cytometer 10.

[0081] Particle data is data related to particles, such as optical information of particles. Optical information is information contained in one or more wavelength spectra of light emitted from particles. The wavelength spectrum of light includes each wavelength of light, wavelength region of light, and the intensity of each wavelength or wavelength region of light contained in the wavelength spectrum of light. The optical information can be obtained by one or more optical detectors (such as reference 1) described later. Figure 5Each wavelength of light and wavelength region is determined by which of the photodetectors 100A to 100F) receives the light. In addition, the intensity of each wavelength of light or wavelength region of light can be determined based on the electrical signal output by the photodetector that receives the light. As an example, the optical information includes forward scattered light information indicating the size of the cell (particle), side scattered light information indicating the internal structure of the cell, and fluorescence information indicating the expression of the cell's protein, gene, etc. After the electronic medical record system 1 obtains particle data including the optical information of the particles from the flow cytometer 10, it converts the obtained particle data into data that can output a particle distribution map, and generates and outputs an electronic medical record including the particle distribution map.

[0082] The particle data may further include particle number information related to the particle number of the particles. The particle number information may include, for example, the number of blood cells such as lymphocytes, monocytes, and granulocytes.

[0083] The data related to the particle distribution map includes, for example, (1) output information for outputting the particle distribution map to the electronic medical record system 1 and (2) image data representing the particle distribution map. After the electronic medical record system 1 obtains (1) output information for outputting the particle distribution map to the electronic medical record system 1 from the flow cytometer 10, it generates and outputs an electronic medical record including the particle distribution map based on the obtained output information. Here, the output information for outputting the particle distribution map to the electronic medical record system 1 includes (1-1) point data corresponding to the particle data of each particle measured by the flow cytometer 10 (see below). Fig.12 ), (1-2) particle size distribution data corresponding to the distribution of each particle measured by the flow cytometer 10 (see below) Fig.13 ). In addition, after the electronic medical record system 1 acquires (2) image data representing a particle distribution map from the flow cytometer 10 , it generates and outputs an electronic medical record including a particle size distribution map corresponding to the acquired image data.

[0084] In this way, the flow cytometer 10 sends at least one of the particle data of the particles contained in the sample and the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data to the electronic medical record system 1. Therefore, an electronic medical record including the particle distribution map of the particles contained in the sample can be generated in the electronic medical record system 1, and the generated electronic medical record can be viewed, for example, on the physician terminal device 7 or the examination technician terminal device 9 of the electronic medical record system 1. In addition, the particle distribution map in the electronic medical record can be adjusted as needed. Therefore, the operability of the electronic medical record system when viewing the electronic medical record can be improved, and the convenience can be improved, and the physician and the like can quickly make a correct diagnosis.

[0085] like Figure 1As shown, as an example, the electronic medical record system 1 includes a hospital information system (HIS) 2 supporting hospital operations and a clinical laboratory information system (LIS) 4 supporting clinical laboratory-related operations.

[0086] As an example, HIS2 has: a hospital information management server 3, which has the function of electronically managing instructions (commands) such as examinations and prescriptions performed by doctors and nurses, a hospital accounting function, and a function of generating and managing electronic medical records (electronic medical record generation unit); a doctor terminal device 7, which displays electronic medical records for doctors to read, for example.

[0087] LIS4 is an information system for handling the overall inspection business performed by inspection technicians in medical facilities such as hospitals, and includes, for example, a clinical inspection information management server 5, which has inspection acceptance functions, inspection result reporting functions, and inspection process functions such as auxiliary data management, etc.; an inspection technician terminal device 9, which displays, for example, an interface for inspection technicians to view inspection contents. In addition, LIS4 may have a function of generating and managing electronic medical records (electronic medical record generation unit).

[0088] As described above, the electronic medical record system 1 sends a measurement instruction to the flow cytometer 10, but the HIS 2 may send a measurement instruction via the LIS 4 based on a physician's instruction, for example. Also, regarding the measurement instruction, the LIS 4 may send a measurement instruction to the flow cytometer 10 based on a laboratory technician's instruction, for example.

[0089] like Figure 1 As shown, HIS2 and LIS4 are connected via a communication network N3. The communication network N3 is a communication medium such as the Internet, a virtual private network (VPN), a wide area network (WAN), a public switched telephone network (PSTN), etc., but is not limited to the above as long as it can communicate between HIS2 and LIS4.

[0090] In addition, the number of flow cytometers 10 connected to the electronic medical record system 1 is not limited, and the electronic medical record system 1 may be connected to a plurality of flow cytometers 10. In addition, the number of HIS 2 and LIS 4 included in the electronic medical record system 1 is also not particularly limited.

[0091] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is an example of an appearance diagram of a flow cytometer according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2As shown, as an example, the flow cytometer body 13 includes: a storage unit 730 for storing a sample container 720, wherein the sample container 720 stores a measurement sample prepared as a pretreatment; and an aspiration unit capable of lifting and lowering and horizontal movement, not shown. Figure 2 As shown, the sample container 720 is arranged in the storage section 730, and the storage section 730 is moved into the flow cytometer body 13, so that the sample container 720 is located inside the flow cytometer body 13. Then, the flow cytometer is instructed to measure the measurement sample in the sample container 720. Thus, the aspirating section aspirates the measurement sample from the sample container 720 located inside the flow cytometer body 13.

[0092] [Optical system of flow cytometer]

[0093] Figure 3 1 is an example diagram of an optical system of a flow cytometer according to the present embodiment. The flow cytometer 10 includes: a flow cell 20 through which a particle-containing liquid including particles in a sample passes; light sources 101 and 124 for irradiating light to particles passing through the flow cell 20; and photodetectors 100A to 100F for outputting detection signals obtained by detecting optical information of light from particles and converting the detected information into electrical signals.

[0094] It is preferred that the particles emit 1 or 2 or more lights when irradiated with a certain light. The light emitted from the particles when irradiated with a certain light is collectively referred to as the light from the particles. The light from the particles includes scattered light and fluorescence, etc. The light from the particles can be light of any wavelength, but preferably the light with a peak wavelength in the range of 400nm to 850nm. More specifically, it is preferred that the light from the particles is fluorescence. The light from the particles can be fluorescence such as autofluorescence from the substance contained in the particles themselves. Alternatively, the light from the particles can be designed as follows: the particles are labeled with a luminescent substance such as a fluorescent substance, and the light emitted by the luminescent substance is detected as the light from the particles. In addition, it is preferred that the peak wavelength of the light from the particles differs according to the measurement item.

[0095] The particle-containing liquid is a liquid containing a particle suspension that is aspirated from a sample into a flow cytometer and includes a diluent as necessary.

[0096] Hereinafter, a specific description will be given by taking the case where the light from particles is scattered light and fluorescence as an example.

[0097] Light emitted from the light source 101 is irradiated to the flow cell 20 through the collimating lens 102, the dichroic mirror 103, and the condenser 104. Forward scattered light from particles passing through the flow cell 20 is condensed by the condenser 105, and is incident on the photodetector 100A through the beam stopper 106, the aperture plate 107, and the bandpass filter 108.

[0098] On the other hand, the side scattered light and side fluorescence from the light of the particles passing through the flow cell 20 are collected by the condenser 109. The side scattered light is incident on the photodetector 100B via the dichroic mirrors 110, 111, 112, the aperture plate 113, and the band pass filter 114. The side fluorescence with a wavelength of 520 nm or more and 542 nm or less is transmitted through the dichroic mirrors 110 and 111, is reflected by the dichroic mirror 112, and is incident on the photodetector 100C via the aperture plate 115 and the band pass filter 116. In addition, the side fluorescence with a wavelength of 570 nm or more and 620 nm or less is reflected by the dichroic mirror 111, and is incident on the photodetector 100D via the aperture plate 117 and the band pass filter 118. In addition, the side fluorescence with a wavelength of 670 nm to 800 nm is reflected by the dichroic mirror 110 , passes through the dichroic mirror 119 , passes through the aperture plate 120 and the bandpass filter 121 , and enters the photodetector 100E.

[0099] The light emitted from the light source 124 is irradiated to the flow cell 20 through the collimating lens 125, the dichroic mirror 103, and the condensing mirror 104. The side fluorescence from the light of the particles passing through the flow cell 20 is condensed by the condensing mirror 109. The side fluorescence above 662.5 nm and below 687.5 nm is reflected by the dichroic mirror 110, and after being reflected by the dichroic mirror 119, it is incident on the photodetector 100F through the aperture plate 122 and the bandpass filter 123.

[0100] In this embodiment, for example, the light source 101 uses a laser diode with a wavelength of 488 nm, and the light source 124 uses a laser diode with a wavelength of 642 nm. The flow cell 20 uses a sheath flow cell. In addition, the photodetector 100A that receives forward scattered light uses a photodiode, the photodetector 100B that receives side scattered light uses an avalanche photodiode (APD), and the photodetectors 100C to 100F that receive side fluorescence use photomultiplier tubes (PMT). In this embodiment, the flow cytometer 10 has 6 photodetectors 100A to 100F. The 4 photodetectors 100C to 100F respectively detect optical information of 4 types of light with different peak wavelengths from the pigments bound to the particles in the sample, but are not limited to the above. For example, the flow cytometer 10 only needs to have 3 or more photodetectors, and at least 2 of the 3 or more photodetectors respectively detect optical information of light from at least 2 types of pigments with different peak wavelengths. For example, in HIV testing, when four labeled antibody pigments that bind to CD4, CD45, CD8, and CD3 on the cell surface are used, four types of fluorescence with four peak wavelengths corresponding to the markers present on the cell surface will be generated from each labeled antibody pigment, and each fluorescence can be detected using four photodetectors 100C to 100F.

[0101] The light source can be one or more than two. The light source is selected according to the wavelength region of the light from the pigment combined with the particle. When the light source is more than two, it is preferred that these light sources emit light of different peak wavelengths. When the light source is more than two, it is preferred that several fluorescences can be separated and detected with high precision compared to when the light source is one. For example, in HIV inspection, when one light source is used, FITC is sometimes used for the labeled antibody pigment for CD4, and PEcy5 is used for the labeled antibody pigment for CD8. Because the peak wavelength of the fluorescence from FITC is close to the peak wavelength of the fluorescence from PEcy5, the overlapping part of each wavelength region becomes larger. On the other hand, when two light sources are used, by staggering the luminescence period from each light source, several fluorescences can be separated and detected. In addition, by using a pigment suitable for the peak wavelength of the light from each light source, the overlapping part of each wavelength region of several fluorescences can also be reduced. For example, APC can be used instead of PEcy5 for the labeled antibody pigment for CD8. The number of photodiodes, dichroic mirrors and bandpass filters can be changed according to the number of peak wavelengths of light from particles. Furthermore, the types of the photodiode, dichroic mirror, and bandpass filter can also be selected according to the peak wavelength or wavelength range of the light from the particles and its intensity.

[0102] As described later Figure 5As shown, the detection signals outputted from the photodetectors 100A to 100F are amplified by the amplifiers 130A to 130F, A / D converted by the A / D converters 131A to 131F, and inputted to the signal processing unit 63. Specifically, the amplifiers 130A and 130B connected to the photodetector 100A, which is a photodiode, and the photodetector 100B, which is an APD, are known amplifier circuits composed of operational amplifiers, etc., and the output voltages of the photodetectors 100A and 100B to be inputted are adjusted by adjusting the amplification of each amplifier circuit. In addition, the output voltage of the PMT is adjusted by changing the voltage value applied to the photodetectors 100C to 100F, which is a PMT. Hereinafter, the adjustment of the detection sensitivity of the photodetectors 100A to 100F means adjusting the amplification of the amplifier circuits in the photodetectors 100A and 100B and adjusting the voltage applied to the photodetectors 100C to 100F in the photodetectors 100C to 100F. By adjusting the amplification degree of the amplifier circuit in the photodetectors 100A and 100B, the detection signal output by the photodetectors is amplified, and by adjusting the voltage applied to the photodetectors 100C to 100F, the detection signal output by the photodetectors 100C to 100F is adjusted. In addition, amplification includes both the case where the ratio of the output signal to the input signal is greater than 1 and the case where it is less than 1. In addition, the amplifiers 130C to 130F connected to the photodetectors 100C to 100F may further include a known amplifier circuit, and the adjustment of the detection sensitivity of the photodetectors 100C to 100F may include adjusting the output voltage of the photodetectors 100C to 100F by the amplifier circuit.

[0103] As an example, the flow cytometer 10 includes: a light source 124, a flow cell 20, and photodetectors 100A to 100F. Figure 3 structure; including Figure 5 The measuring unit 65 includes the amplifiers 130A to 130F, the A / D converters 131A to 131F, the signal processing unit 63, and the temperature sensor 22 described later. The measuring unit 65 optically measures the particles in the particle-containing liquid passing through the flow cell 20 according to the measurement conditions received by the communication unit 64 described later. Here, the measurement includes the optical information of the light from the particles detected by the photodetectors 100A to 100F and the storage of the detection signals output by the photodetectors 100A to 100F, and includes the processing performed by the signal processing unit 63 described later using the stored detection signals, such as the generation of the result of the measurement of the number of particles. The detection signals output by the photodetectors 100A to 100F include the signals output by the A / D converters 131A to 131F via the amplifiers 130A to 130F.

[0104] like Figure 1As shown, the flow cytometer 10 includes a flow cytometer body 13 and an information processing device 14 connected to the flow cytometer body 13. The measuring unit 65 includes a light source 124, a flow cell 20, and light detectors 100A to 100F. Figure 3 The structure and the amplifiers 130A to 130F and the A / D converters 131A to 131F are arranged in the flow cytometer body 13. In addition, the signal processing unit 63 is arranged in the information processing device 14. In addition, when the flow cytometer 10 does not include the information processing device 14, the signal processing unit 63 can be arranged in the flow cytometer body 13. In addition, the flow cytometer 10 has a control unit that controls a pump, a motor, etc. (not shown) in order to make the particle-containing liquid pass through the flow cell 20 and perform the measurement. The control unit can be concurrently performed by the signal processing unit 63, or can be separately arranged in the information processing device 14 or the flow cytometer body 13.

[0105] [Measurement conditions]

[0106] In order to set measurement conditions corresponding to the measurement items before the measurement, the flow cytometer 10 may Figure 1 The electronic medical record system 1 shown receives measurement conditions included in the measurement order. In addition, the flow cytometer 10 can receive measurement conditions from an external server (not shown). Figure 4 This is an example of information included in the measurement conditions received when the light from the particles is fluorescence. The measurement conditions include basic information related to the measurement (hereinafter referred to as "basic measurement information"), information related to adjustment of the detection sensitivity for detecting the optical information (hereinafter referred to as "adjustment of the detection sensitivity"), information related to correction of the detected optical information, information related to gating for setting the region of the particles to be selected based on the optical information (hereinafter referred to as "gating related information"), and a formula for temperature correction described later.

[0107] The basic measurement information includes basic information, measurement information, and threshold values. The basic information includes identification information ( Figure 4 The measurement information includes the analysis volume of the sample pipetted into the flow cytometer, the flow rate indicating the flow velocity when the particles flow into the flow cytometer, and the dilution factor of the sample pipetted into the flow cytometer. The threshold value is also called the detection level, which is a set value for the lower limit of the optical information detected as a particle. Each photodetector 100A to 100F sets a threshold value for the light from the particles. For example, the threshold value can be set according to the intensity of the light in the range of 0 to 1023. Assuming that the threshold value is set to 50, light with an intensity of 50 or above will be detected as a particle.

[0108] The information related to the adjustment of the detection sensitivity includes at least one of a value indicating the amplification of the output voltage of the photodetectors 100A to 100F and a voltage value applied to the photodetectors 100A to 100F. For example, the amplification value for adjusting the amplification of the amplifier circuit connected to the photodetectors 100A and 100B and the PMT voltage value for adjusting the voltage applied to the photodetectors 100C to 100F. Alternatively, only one of the amplification value and the PMT voltage value may be included. Alternatively, when the amplifier circuit is connected to the photodetectors 100C to 100F, the amplification value for adjusting the amplification of the amplifier circuit may be included.

[0109] The correction-related information of the detected optical information includes the information related to the wavelength distribution amount of light outside the detection object contained in the optical information detected by the photodetectors 100A to 100F. When detecting two or more lights with different peak wavelengths emitted by particles in one measurement, sometimes the wavelength regions of the two or more lights are partially overlapped. Therefore, sometimes the light of the party that is not the detection object leaks into the light of the other party to be detected, resulting in a decrease in the specificity of light detection. The distribution of the wavelength of light and its light amount are called the wavelength distribution amount of light, and the distribution of the wavelength of the leaked light and its light amount are called the wavelength distribution amount of light outside the detection object. The photodetectors 100C to 100F cannot distinguish and receive the overlapping parts of the wavelength regions of more than two lights, so the photodetectors 100C to 100F remove the electrical signals caused by the fluorescence outside the detection object from the respective electrical signals of the photodetectors 100C to 100F, and only extract the optical information of the fluorescence from the detection object, which is the so-called fluorescence correction. The information related to the wavelength distribution amount of light outside the detection object contained in the detected optical information is Figure 4 The fluorescence correction value is expressed in and used for the fluorescence correction. The simplest fluorescence correction value is the light wavelength distribution amount of the fluorescence outside the detection object, which should be subtracted from the light wavelength distribution amount of the fluorescence of the detection object. For example, if two fluorescences with different peak wavelengths are recorded as fluorescence 1 and fluorescence 2, and the light wavelength distributions of fluorescence 1 and fluorescence 2 do not overlap and fluorescence correction is not required, the fluorescence correction value of fluorescence 1 is 0.0. On the other hand, when the light distribution wavelengths of fluorescence 1 and fluorescence 2 overlap when the light distribution wavelengths of the overlapped light wavelength distribution amount are 27.5%, the fluorescence correction value can be set to 27.5 because the fluorescence distribution amount from fluorescence 2 is subtracted from the fluorescence distribution amount of fluorescence 1 by 27.5%.

[0110] Information related to setting the gate includes information related to the distribution setting on the distribution diagram of the light coming from the particles. In a flow cytometer, a distribution diagram of the light coming from the particles called a scatter plot or a bar graph is produced from the detected optical information for one measurement item or for each of two or more measurement items. The scatter plot represents the distribution of the light coming from the particles with the X-axis and the Y-axis for two measurement items. The bar graph represents one measurement item with the intensity of light and the number of particles thereof. Setting the gate refers to selecting a fixed distribution area corresponding to the measurement item in the distribution diagram in order to perform appropriate measurements corresponding to the measurement items for each distribution diagram as above. More specifically, it refers to setting the following information.

[0111] Information related to the distribution setting on the distribution graph of light from particles includes information related to the scatter plot, information related to the bar graph, and information related to the gate. Information related to the scatter plot is information used to make a scatter plot, including the name of the scatter plot to be made, i.e., the scatter plot name, the upper gate, the X-axis channel (also called the X-axis ch) of the photodiode that receives the light representing the first measurement item, the name of the X-axis channel, the Y-axis channel (also called the Y-axis ch) of the photodiode that receives the light representing the second measurement item, and the name of the Y-axis channel. Information related to the bar graph is information used to make a bar graph, including the bar graph name, the upper gate, the X-axis channel of the photodiode that receives the light representing the measurement item, and the name of the X-axis channel. The upper gate indicates the gate of the scatter plot that is first made when two or more gates are used to make scatter plots corresponding to them respectively. The gate-related information is used to determine the region of each particle selected from the scatter plot or histogram, and includes the name of the selected gate, i.e., the gate name, position information indicating the position of the gate, the wavelength of light received or the color assigned to the wavelength region on the display, the name of the measurement item, the upper limit of the intensity of light received, the lower limit of the intensity of light received, and the result value type when displaying the analysis result. The result value type refers to various statistical processing values ​​of the result, such as the total number of particles, the average value, the coefficient of variation, the proportion of the whole, the mode, etc.

[0112] The number of scatter plots and bar graphs to be created varies depending on the measurement items. Therefore, in accordance with the number of scatter plots and bar graphs to be created, a plurality of scatter plot related information, bar graph related information, and gate related information may be included. In addition, the distribution setting related information on the distribution diagram of light from particles may include dot plot related information.

[0113] [Flow cytometer information processing system]

[0114] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of an information processing system of the flow cytometer according to the present embodiment. Figure 5The structure of the information processing system of the flow cytometer 10 is shown as an example, and includes an input unit 60, a condition input unit 61, a display unit 62, a signal processing unit 63, and a communication unit 64. The signal processing unit 63 obtains the detection signal output from the photodetectors 100A to 100F via the amplifiers 130A to 130F and the A / D converters 131A to 131F. In addition, the signal processing unit 63 obtains the temperature detection signal of the temperature sensor 22 by outputting the detected temperature of the particle-containing liquid and converting it into an electrical signal via the temperature detection circuit 132 and the A / D converter 133.

[0115] The input unit 60 is composed of, for example, at least one of a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch screen, and receives changes and inputs of measurement items by a user who operates the flow cytometer 10 .

[0116] The condition input unit 61 is composed of, for example, at least one of a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch screen, and receives input of measurement conditions by a user who operates the flow cytometer 10 .

[0117] The display unit 62 is composed of, for example, a display screen, and displays measurement items, measurement conditions, inspection results, and the like.

[0118] The input unit 60 , the condition input unit 61 , and the display unit 62 are disposed in the information processing device 14 connected to the flow cytometer main body 13 , but may be disposed in the flow cytometer main body 13 .

[0119] The communication unit 64 is composed of Figure 1 The communication network N1 shown is composed of communication devices and the like that communicate with the electronic medical record system 1 .

[0120] As an example, the signal processing unit 63 includes a memory 82 as a work area for data processing, a storage unit 83 for recording programs and processing data, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 81 for performing data processing described later, and a bus 84 for transmitting data between the various units. In addition, as an example, the signal processing unit 63 includes: an interface unit ( Figure 5 The I / F section 85, 86 (represented as "I / F section") performs data input and output between the sections 60, 61, 62, 64 connected to the signal processing section 63, or the detection signal output from the photodetectors 100A to 100F is input here via the amplifiers 130A to 130F and the A / D converters 131A to 131F, or the temperature detection signal of the temperature sensor 22 is input here via the temperature detection circuit 132 and the A / D converter 133.

[0121] In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the processing performed by the signal processing unit 63 refers to the processing performed by the CPU 81 of the signal processing unit 63. The CPU 81 temporarily stores necessary data (intermediate data during processing, etc.) using the memory 82 as a working area, and appropriately records data to be stored for a long time in the storage unit 83.

[0122] Figure 6 FIG. 2 is an example diagram of the functional modules of the information processing unit involved in this embodiment. Figure 6 As shown, the signal processing unit 63 performs Figure 5 The program stored in the storage unit 83 or the memory 82 shown in the figure, as an example, comprises: an instruction information acquisition unit 631 for acquiring instruction information including one or more measurement items, a particle data acquisition unit 633 for acquiring particle data of the particles by measuring the particles contained in the sample based on the measurement items, and sending at least one of the particle data and the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data to the Figure 1 The signal processing unit 63 is an information transmission unit 635 for transmitting at least one of the HIS 2 and the LIS 4 shown. In addition, as an example, the signal processing unit 63 can function as an instruction information acquisition unit 635 for acquiring instruction information including one or more measurement items. In addition, the signal processing unit 63 controls the operation of each unit connected to the signal processing unit 63.

[0123] [Data transmission processing]

[0124] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing an example of data transmission processing of the flow cytometer according to the present embodiment.

[0125] (Step S1)

[0126] Figure 5 and Figure 6 The command information acquisition unit 631 of the signal processing unit 63 of the flow cytometer 10 shown in FIG. 1 acquires command information including one or more measurement items from at least one of the HIS2 and LIS4. Figure 1 The flow cytometer 10 shown in the figure obtains the instruction information from a preprocessing device (not shown) that performs preprocessing for preparing a measurement sample from a sample. At this time, the preprocessing device prepares a measurement sample from the sample corresponding to the measurement items contained in the instruction information, and provides the prepared measurement sample and the measurement item related information to the flow cytometer 10.

[0127] (Step S3)

[0128] The flow cytometer 10 measures the particles contained in the sample based on the measurement items contained in the command information acquired by the command information acquisition unit 631, thereby acquiring particle data of the particles. Through this technical solution, the particles contained in the sample can be measured corresponding to one or more measurement items contained in the command information, so that the measurement results corresponding to the measurement items can be acquired.

[0129] The flow cytometer 10 can measure particles contained in the measurement sample after the preprocessing device performs preprocessing to prepare the measurement sample from the sample.

[0130] According to this aspect, by executing the preprocessing for preparing the measurement sample from the sample, it is possible to perform particle measurement more suitable for the measurement items included in the measurement order, and thus to acquire accurate particle data.

[0131] (Step S5)

[0132] The information sending unit 635 sends at least one of the particle data and the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data to the Figure 1 At least one of the HIS2 and LIS4 shown. For example, the information sending unit 635 sends at least one of the particle data and the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data in a form that complies with certain standard specifications. According to the technical solution, the data is sent in a form that complies with certain standard specifications, so the data can be sent stably.

[0133] Here, the certain standard specification is the standard specification in accordance with CLSI (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute). CLSI is an international standard for standardizing the entire medical equipment. According to this technical solution, data is sent in a form in accordance with the international standard of CLSI, so that data can be sent stably.

[0134] In addition, the certain standard specifications may include at least one of ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials), HL7 (Health Level Seven), IHE (Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise), DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine), and MFER (Medical Waveform Format Encoding Rules). According to this technical solution, various standard specifications related to information communication can be used, so the range of options related to the format when sending data is widened.

[0135] The certain standard specifications mentioned above may include various specifications, and the following is a detailed description of the ASTM protocol.

[0136] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of the format of data transmitted by the flow cytometer according to the present embodiment. Figure 8 This is an example of the ASTM protocol. As an example, each data is arranged in the four structures of ASTM message, record, field, and subfield and sent. First, the data is sent using a "message". A "message" consists of a "record" column, starting with a message header record (H) and ending with a message terminator record (L). In addition, a "record" consists of a "field" column, which is a series of text that starts with an ASCII code called a record identifier and ends with [CR]. In addition, a "field" consists of a "subfield" column.

[0137] Fig. 9 yes Figure 8 An example diagram of the structure of an ASTM record is shown. Fig. 9 As shown, a record identifier is assigned to each record type to identify each record type. For example, a "message" including a "measurement result" record (first record) corresponding to a record identifier R is sent along with a "patient information" record (second record) corresponding to a record identifier P. That is, it can be designed as follows: Figure 6 The information transmission unit 635 shown transmits, for each sample, a message including at least one of particle data and data related to a particle distribution map of particles generated based on the particle data (measurement result) and patient information corresponding to the sample.

[0138] According to the above technical solution, the measurement results of the particles contained in each sample are sent in association with the patient information, so Figure 1 In the electronic medical record system 1 shown, the electronic medical record of a patient whom a physician wishes to view can be accurately output.

[0139] In addition, it can be designed that: the "message" including the "measurement result" record corresponding to the record identifier R can include not only the "patient information" record corresponding to the record identifier P, but also the "measurement request" record corresponding to the record identifier O and be sent.

[0140] Fig.10 yes Figure 8 An example of the structure of the ASTM field 8 is shown in FIG. Fig.10 As shown in FIG. 1 , the patient information at least includes patient identification information (ASTM field 8.1.5) for identifying the patient. Figure 1 The electronic medical record system 1 shown more accurately identifies samples corresponding to specific patients.

[0141] Fig.11 yes Figure 8 An example diagram of the structure of the ASTM field 10 is shown. Fig.11 As shown, at least one of the particle data and the particle distribution map related data of the particles is configured in the "data value" of the ASTM field 10.1.4 and sent to Figure 1 The electronic medical record system 1 is shown.

[0142] Fig.12 is included in Fig.11 An example of the communication data format of the point data sent in the "Data Value" of the ASTM field 10.1.4 is shown in FIG. Fig.12 As shown, the point data is sent in the "Data Value" field of ASTM 10.1.4. Then, Figure 1 The electronic medical record system 1 shown acquires point data (output information) from the flow cytometer 10, and then generates and outputs an electronic medical record including a dot map (particle distribution map) corresponding to the point data based on the acquired point data. Here, the point data refers to data corresponding to each particle measured by the flow cytometer 10, that is, data of points for each particle.

[0143] Fig.13 is included in Fig.11 An example of the communication data format of the particle size distribution data sent in the "Data Value" of the ASTM field 10.1.4 is shown in FIG. Fig.12 As shown, the particle size distribution data is sent in the "Data Value" of ASTM field 10.1.4. Then, Figure 1 The electronic medical record system 1 shown acquires particle size distribution data (output information) from the flow cytometer 10, and then generates and outputs an electronic medical record including a histogram (particle distribution graph) corresponding to the particle size distribution data based on the acquired particle size distribution data. Here, the particle size distribution data is data indicating the distribution status of each particle measured by the flow cytometer 10.

[0144] According to the above technical solution, the image data itself corresponding to the particle distribution map does not need to be transmitted, so the amount of data to be transmitted can be reduced.

[0145] The output information includes output information for outputting several different particle distribution diagrams based on the acquired particle data. According to this technical solution, for example, for a certain sample, the particle distribution diagrams corresponding to the particle data measured at different dates and times can be compared and displayed.

[0146] The output information further includes date and time information indicating the date and time when the particles contained in the sample are measured. According to this technical solution, for example, for a certain sample, a particle distribution diagram corresponding to the particle data can be displayed in a time series.

[0147] in addition, Figure 6 The information sending unit 635 shown in the figure can send the image data representing the particle distribution map itself to Figure 1 The electronic medical record system 1 shown. In addition, as an example, the information sending unit 635 can send particle data including forward scattered light information indicating the size of cells (particles), side scattered light information indicating the internal structure of cells, and fluorescence information for understanding information such as proteins and genes of cells to the electronic medical record system 1.

[0148] Fig.14 FIG. 1 is an example diagram of an electronic medical record display interface of a display unit of a physician terminal device according to the present embodiment. Fig.14 As shown, it includes patient information, test values ​​of samples corresponding to the patient, Fig.12 The dot plots D1, D2, D3 (particle distribution diagram) corresponding to the point data shown Fig.13 The electronic medical record including the histogram H1 (particle distribution graph) corresponding to the particle size distribution data is output to the electronic medical record display interface G of the display unit 70 of the physician terminal device 7 .

[0149] According to this technical solution, the particle data contained in the sample is displayed using at least one of a dot graph and a bar graph, so that the distribution state of the particles can be appropriately grasped.

[0150] In addition, since the particle distribution map is displayed in association with the patient information and the test values ​​of the sample corresponding to the patient, the test results of the patient can be easily understood.

[0151] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the flow cytometer 10 sends at least one of the particle data of the particles contained in the sample and the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data to the electronic medical record system 1. Therefore, an electronic medical record including the particle distribution map of the particles contained in the sample can be generated in the electronic medical record system 1, and the generated electronic medical record can be viewed, for example, on the physician terminal device 7 or the examination technician terminal device 9 of the electronic medical record system 1. In addition, the particle distribution map in the electronic medical record can be adjusted as needed. Therefore, the operability of the electronic medical record system 1 when viewing the electronic medical record can be improved, and the convenience can be improved, and the physician and the like can quickly make a correct diagnosis.

[0152] <Other embodiments>

[0153] The above embodiments are used to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified / improved (for example, combining various embodiments or omitting some structures of various embodiments) without departing from the gist thereof, and the present invention also includes equivalents thereof.

[0154] Can be designed as: Figure 6The information transmission unit 635 of the signal processing unit 63 of the flow cytometer shown in FIG. Figure 1 The LIS 4 is shown to send at least one of the particle data and the particle distribution map related data to the HIS 2 .

[0155] According to this technical solution, even if the flow cytometer 10 and the HIS 2 are not directly connected, data can be transmitted via the LIS 4 .

[0156] The information sending unit 635 may be designed to send compressed data including at least one of the particle data and the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data to at least one of the hospital information system 2 and the clinical examination information system 4 .

[0157] According to this technical solution, the data transmitted to at least one of the HIS 2 and the LIS 4 is compressed, so that the amount of data during transmission can be reduced.

[0158] The information sending unit 635 may be designed to further send particle number information related to the number of particles.

[0159] According to the technical solution, the information sending unit 635 further sends particle number information related to the particle number of the particles, so that Figure 1 In the electronic medical record system 1 shown, an electronic medical record further including the number of particles as an inspection value is generated and output.

[0160] Number Description

[0161] 1. Electronic medical record system (information processing system)

[0162] 2. HIS (Hospital Information Systems)

[0163] 4. LIS (Clinical Laboratory Information System)

[0164] 10. Flow cytometer

[0165] 631. Command Information Acquisition Department

[0166] 633. Particle Data Acquisition Department

[0167] 635. Information Transmission Department

Claims

1. A flow cytometer, comprising: An instruction information acquisition unit, which acquires instruction information including one or more measurement items; a particle data acquisition unit that acquires particle data including optical information of the particles by measuring the particles contained in the sample corresponding to the one or more measurement items contained in the instruction information; an information sending unit, which sends at least one of the particle data and the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data to at least one of a hospital information system supporting hospital-related services and a clinical examination information system supporting clinical examination-related services; in, The particle data and the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data can be used to generate the particle distribution map, the particle distribution map related data includes output information for outputting the particle distribution map and image data representing the particle distribution map, the output information includes point data corresponding to the particle data of each particle measured by the flow cytometer and particle size distribution data corresponding to the distribution of each particle measured by the flow cytometer; At least one of the hospital information system and the clinical examination information system generates an electronic medical record including the particle distribution map based on the received particle data and at least one of the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data, and the particle distribution map in the electronic medical record including a dot matrix corresponding to the point data and a bar graph corresponding to the particle size distribution data can be adjusted by at least one of the hospital information system and the clinical examination information system.

2. A flow cytometer, comprising: An instruction information acquisition unit, which acquires instruction information including one or more measurement items; a particle data acquisition unit that acquires particle data including optical information of the particles by measuring the particles contained in the sample corresponding to the one or more measurement items contained in the instruction information; An information sending unit, sending the particle data; in, The particle data transmitted by the information transmitting unit can be converted into data for generating a particle distribution map, and can be used to generate an electronic medical record including the particle distribution map, the data for generating a particle distribution map including output information for outputting the particle distribution map and image data representing the particle distribution map, the output information including point data corresponding to the particle data of each particle measured by the flow cytometer and particle size distribution data corresponding to the distribution of each particle measured by the flow cytometer; and The particle distribution map in the electronic medical record generated including a dot map corresponding to the dot data and a histogram corresponding to the particle size distribution data can be adjusted.

3. The flow cytometer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: After executing preprocessing for preparing a measurement sample from the sample, the particle data acquisition unit measures the particles included in the measurement sample.

4. The flow cytometer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The information transmitting unit transmits output information for outputting a particle distribution map of the particles as the particle distribution map related data based on the particle data to at least one of a hospital information system supporting hospital related services and a clinical examination information system supporting clinical examination related services.

5. The flow cytometer according to claim 4, characterized in that: The output information includes output information for outputting a plurality of different particle distribution maps based on the particle data.

6. The flow cytometer according to claim 5, characterized in that: The output information further includes date and time information indicating the date and time when the particles contained in the sample were measured.

7. The flow cytometer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The optical information includes at least one of scattered light information and fluorescence information of the particles.

8. The flow cytometer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The information transmitting unit transmits at least one of the particle data and data related to a particle distribution map of the particles generated based on the particle data in a format conforming to a certain standard.

9. The flow cytometer according to claim 8, characterized in that: The certain standard specifications are in compliance with the standard specifications of CLSI.

10. The flow cytometer according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The certain standard specifications include at least one standard specification of ASTM, HL7, IHE, DICOM and MFER.

11. The flow cytometer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The information transmitting unit further transmits the patient information corresponding to the sample to at least one of a hospital information system supporting hospital-related services and a clinical examination information system supporting clinical examination-related services.

12. The flow cytometer according to claim 11, characterized in that: The patient information includes patient identification information that identifies the patient.

13. The flow cytometer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The information sending unit sends a message including the particle data and at least one of the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data and the patient information corresponding to the sample to at least one of the hospital information system supporting hospital-related businesses and the clinical examination information system supporting clinical examination-related businesses for each sample.

14. The flow cytometer according to claim 13, characterized in that: The message includes a first record including at least one of the particle data and the particle distribution map related data, and a second record including the patient information.

15. The flow cytometer according to claim 14, characterized in that: The information transmitting unit transmits at least one of the particle data and the particle distribution map-related data to a hospital information system supporting hospital-related business via a clinical examination information system supporting clinical examination-related business.

16. The flow cytometer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The particle distribution graph of the particles generated based on the particle data includes at least one of a dot graph and a bar graph.

17. The flow cytometer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The information transmitting unit transmits compressed data including at least one of the particle data and data related to a particle distribution map of the particles generated based on the particle data to at least one of a hospital information system supporting hospital-related services and a clinical examination information system supporting clinical examination-related services.

18. The flow cytometer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The information transmitting unit further transmits particle number information related to the particle number of the particles.

19. A data sending method, comprising the following steps: The step of obtaining instruction information including one or more measurement items by the computer; The computer measures particles contained in the sample in accordance with the one or more measurement items contained in the instruction information to obtain particle data including optical information of the particles; The computer sends at least one of the particle data and the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data to at least one of a hospital information system supporting hospital-related services and a clinical examination information system supporting clinical examination-related services; in, The particle data and the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data can be used to generate the particle distribution map, the particle distribution map related data includes output information for outputting the particle distribution map and image data representing the particle distribution map, the output information includes point data corresponding to the particle data of each particle measured by a flow cytometer and particle size distribution data corresponding to the distribution of each particle measured by the flow cytometer; At least one of the hospital information system and the clinical examination information system generates an electronic medical record including the particle distribution map based on the received particle data and at least one of the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data, and the particle distribution map in the electronic medical record including a dot matrix corresponding to the point data and a bar graph corresponding to the particle size distribution data can be adjusted by at least one of the hospital information system and the clinical examination information system.

20. A data sending method, comprising the following steps: The step of obtaining instruction information including one or more measurement items by the computer; The computer measures particles contained in the sample in accordance with the one or more measurement items contained in the instruction information to obtain particle data including optical information of the particles; The computer sends the particle data; in, The particle data sent by the computer can be converted into data for generating a particle distribution map and can be used to generate an electronic medical record including the particle distribution map, the data for generating a particle distribution map including output information for outputting the particle distribution map and image data representing the particle distribution map, the output information including point data corresponding to the particle data of each particle measured by a flow cytometer and particle size distribution data corresponding to the distribution of each particle measured by the flow cytometer; and The particle distribution map in the electronic medical record generated including a dot map corresponding to the dot data and a histogram corresponding to the particle size distribution data can be adjusted.

21. An information processing system comprising: an information receiving unit that receives at least one of particle data including optical information acquired by measuring particles contained in a sample and data related to a particle distribution map of the particles generated based on the particle data; an electronic medical record generating unit that generates an electronic medical record including the particle distribution map based on at least one of the received particle data and the particle distribution map related data; in, The particle data and the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data can be used to generate the particle distribution map, the particle distribution map related data includes output information for outputting the particle distribution map and image data representing the particle distribution map, the output information includes point data corresponding to the particle data of each particle measured by a flow cytometer and particle size distribution data corresponding to the distribution of each particle measured by the flow cytometer; The electronic medical record generating unit generates an electronic medical record including the particle distribution map based on at least one of the received particle data and the particle distribution map related data of the particles generated based on the particle data, and The particle distribution map in the electronic medical record generated including a dot map corresponding to the dot data and a histogram corresponding to the particle size distribution data can be adjusted.

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