System and method for detecting usage information of a sensor

Abstract

The technology described herein can identify usage information for a sensor. In one example, an anesthesia device can include a processor to obtain usage information from a first flow sensor coupled to the anesthesia device. The processor can also determine that the usage information exceeds a predetermined limit and generate an alert indicating that the first flow sensor is to be replaced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The implementation schemes of the subject matter disclosed herein generally relate to sensors, and more specifically, to information on the use of sensors. Background Technology

[0002] Various technologies and devices are used to measure airway gas flow and volume delivery. These devices can include respiratory rate meters, hot-wire anemometers, rotating blade spirometers, and ultrasonic flow meters. Depending on the basic characteristics used to detect gas flow, these devices can offer different advantages and disadvantages.

[0003] For example, a respirometer uses a flow limiter in the gas flow channel to generate a pressure drop that can be sensed by a differential pressure sensor. Each output signal from the pressure sensor always represents the gas flow rate and is calibrated to accurately report the measured gas flow rate. In some examples, an orifice is a simple and inexpensive configuration for the flow limiter. One disadvantage of a fixed orifice is the non-linear relationship between the pressure differential and the gas flow rate. The size of a fixed orifice is a trade-off between allowable flow resistance at high flow rates and sufficient obstruction to generate a detectable pressure differential at low flow rates. If the orifice size is chosen to favor low flow sensitivity, the pressure sensor will encounter problems with its measurement range at high gas flow rates. If the orifice size favors a high gas flow range, the pressure sensor will not receive a detectable signal for measurement sensitivity at low flow rates.

[0004] The trade-off in measurement range also affects the calculation of patient expiratory volume and expiratory volume per minute, which are obtained by integrating the gas flow rate in the airway. Devices that can obtain measurements over a wide flow range can be used to monitor gas flow rates for various patients. For example, fixed-orifice sensors require separate flow sensors for adult and pediatric patients. Variable-orifice flow sensors allow a single sensor to be used for adult patients, pediatric patients, high gas flow rates, and low gas flow rates.

[0005] In some examples, expiratory volume and minute ventilation (MVP) are obtained from an expiratory flow sensor in the patient's breathing circuit. Expiratory volume and MVP can be used to detect and provide alarms in response to detected low MVP and apnea. Therefore, a variable orifice flow sensor can continuously monitor the appropriate volume delivered to the patient by the ventilator and provide an alarm when the expiratory volume differs significantly from the set value. In some examples, such changes may be caused by leaks or problems with the valve or the variable orifice flow sensor.

[0006] Additionally, moisture is an inherent byproduct of carbon dioxide absorption in the circulatory and respiratory systems, especially during low-flow anesthesia practices. Moisture can cause small water droplets or a foggy appearance in flow sensors, affecting performance. For example, water accumulation in the flow sensor or water in the sensing tubing can lead to erroneous readings.

[0007] In some cases, various problems arise with flow sensors (such as variable orifice flow sensors) if they have been used for extended periods to monitor the flow of gas to or from a patient. This article describes techniques for detecting usage information that indicates how long the flow sensor has been monitoring a patient's breathing circuit. Summary of the Invention

[0008] This invention provides a more detailed description of concepts in specific embodiments. It should not be used to determine the essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor should it be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0009] In one aspect, the anesthesia device may include a processor that can obtain usage information from a first flow sensor coupled to the anesthesia device and determine that the usage information exceeds a predetermined limit. The processor may also generate an alarm indicating that the first flow sensor needs to be replaced. The usage information may include the number of times the diaphragm of the first flow sensor has moved.

[0010] In another aspect, the device may include a processor for obtaining usage information from one or more flow sensors coupled to one or more anesthesia devices, determining the number of respiratory cycles monitored by each of the one or more flow sensors, determining an accuracy limit value indicating when the one or more flow sensors provide inaccurate flow values ​​from the inspiratory or expiratory portion of the patient's breathing circuit, and transmitting the accuracy limit value to the one or more anesthesia devices.

[0011] It should be understood that the above brief description is provided to introduce selected concepts further described in the detailed embodiments in a simplified form. This is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is uniquely defined by the claims following the detailed embodiments. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to embodiments that address any shortcomings mentioned above or in any part of this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Referring to the accompanying drawings, this example will be better understood by reading the following description of a non-limiting embodiment, wherein:

[0013] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of an example computing device capable of recognizing usage information from a flow sensor, based on the examples in this article.

[0014] Figure 2 An isometric view of a fluid flow sensor according to the example in this article is illustrated.

[0015] Figure 3 An example of an internal section of a fluid flow sensor, as illustrated in this article, is depicted.

[0016] Figure 4 An example of an electronic vaporizer system according to the examples herein is depicted, which is operatively connected to a ventilator system and configured to deliver vaporized anesthetic to a patient's breathing circuit.

[0017] Figure 5 An exemplary remote device for electronic coupling to an anesthesia device is depicted according to examples in this article.

[0018] Figure 6 The illustration shows a process flowchart of an exemplary method for identifying usage information of a flow sensor according to examples in this document.

[0019] Figure 7 This is a process flowchart of another exemplary method for identifying usage information of a flow sensor, based on the examples in this article.

[0020] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for identifying accuracy information from a flow sensor, based on examples in this paper.

[0021] Figure 9 This is an example of a non-transitory machine-readable medium used to identify information used in this paper, based on the examples in this article.

[0022] Figure 10 This is an example of a non-transitory machine-readable medium used to identify usage information of a remote device, based on the examples in this article. Detailed Implementation

[0023] Now refer to Figures 1 to 10 Embodiments of this disclosure are described by way of example, and these figures relate to various embodiments of a system that facilitates the identification of usage information from flow sensors. For example, an anesthesia device can detect usage information from one or more flow sensors. As referred to herein, usage information includes data indicating the number of patient respiratory cycles that have been monitored by the flow sensors. For example, usage information may include the number of diaphragm movements of one or more flow sensors in the breathing circuit, the number of movements of any component coupled to or incorporated into the anesthesia device or any other suitable sensor within the anesthesia device, operating characteristics of the anesthesia device, etc. Operating characteristics as referred to herein may include the flow rate of the flow sensor, the pressure differential of the flow sensor, the humidity of the respiratory system, the temperature of the respiratory system, timestamps, ventilation frequency, at least one flow setting, etc.

[0024] The technical effect of identifying sensor usage information can include determining whether a sensor (such as a flow sensor) needs repair or replacement over a period of time. This technology has the advantage of enabling a device to obtain usage information associated with one or more sensors and to determine whether any sensor has been used to monitor a number of respiratory cycles exceeding a predetermined limit. In some examples, the number of respiratory cycles can be associated with multiple patients, as a flow sensor may be coupled to multiple anesthesia devices over time. This technology can prevent sensors from providing inaccurate information or malfunctioning by proactively installing replacement sensors or repairing existing ones.

[0025] Figure 1 This is an example block diagram of a computing device capable of recognizing usage information from a flow sensor. The computing device 100 may be, for example, a hospital monitor, anesthesia equipment, an imaging device such as an X-ray device or magnetic resonance imaging device, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a tablet computer, a mobile phone, or one or more servers providing remote services. The computing device 100 may include a processor 102 adapted to execute stored instructions, and a memory device 104 storing instructions that can be executed by the processor 102. The processor 102 may be a single-core processor, a multi-core processor, a computing cluster, or any number of other configurations. The memory device 104 may include random access memory, read-only memory, flash memory, or any other suitable memory system. The instructions executed by the processor 102 can be used to implement methods capable of recognizing usage information from a flow sensor, as described below. Figures 2 to 10 As described in more detail.

[0026] The processor 102 can also be linked via system interconnect 106 (e.g., PCI, PCI-Express, NuBus, etc.) to a display interface 108 suitable for connecting the computing device 100 to the display device 110. The display device 110 may include a display screen as a built-in component of the computing device 100. The display device 110 may also include externally connected components such as a computer monitor, television, or projector to the computing device 100. The display device 110 may include light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and micro-LEDs, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, etc.

[0027] In some examples, one or more sensors 112 may be connected to processor 102 using system interconnect 106 or any other suitable interconnect and / or interface. Sensors 112 may include any number of flow sensors, such as variable orifice flow sensors, anesthesia-related components, etc. See below for details. Figure 2 and Figure 3In a more detailed description, sensor 112 may include a storage device (not depicted) that can store usage information, a predetermined limit on the maximum number of respiratory cycles to be monitored by the sensor, and other data.

[0028] The processor 102 can be connected to an input / output (I / O) device interface 114 via a system interconnect 106, which is adapted to connect the computing device 100 to one or more I / O devices 116. The I / O device 116 may include, for example, a keyboard and indicating devices, wherein the indicating devices may include a touchpad or a touchscreen. The I / O device 116 may be a built-in component of the computing device 100 or may be an external device connected to the computing device 100.

[0029] In some embodiments, processor 102 may also be linked to storage device 118 via system interconnect 106, which may include a hard disk drive, optical drive, USB flash drive, drive array, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, storage device 118 may include any suitable application. In some embodiments, storage device 118 may include sensor manager 120. In some embodiments, sensor manager 120 may obtain usage information from a first flow sensor (such as sensor 112) coupled to an anesthesia device (such as computing device 100). Sensor manager 120 may also determine that usage information exceeds predetermined limits and generate an alarm indicating that the first flow sensor 112 needs to be replaced.

[0030] In some examples, sensor manager 120 may detect operational characteristics associated with a patient's gas flow from respiratory gas monitor 122, respiratory system temperature sensor 124, ventilation rate detector 126, volumetric flow rate setting 128, respiratory system humidity sensor 130, and / or clock 132. Sensor manager 132 may use these operational characteristics to determine the number of respiratory cycles that sensor 112 has monitored based on data from respiratory gas monitor 122, respiratory system temperature sensor 124, ventilation rate detector 126, volumetric flow rate setting 128, respiratory system humidity sensor 130, and / or clock 132. In some examples, clock 132 acquires or detects a timestamp representing the time and / or date associated with the data acquired from sensor 112.

[0031] In some examples, sensor manager 120 can also detect a first pressure difference from a first flow sensor and a second pressure difference from a second flow sensor. Sensor manager 120 can determine the difference between the first and second pressure differences and generate a condensation message indicating the presence of water condensation in the first or second flow sensor. For example, sensor manager 120 can detect or obtain data from respiratory system temperature sensor 124, respiratory system humidity sensor 130, or a combination thereof, indicating that sensor 112 is operating in a high humidity environment. In response to detecting a pressure difference between at least two sensors, sensor manager 120 can determine that water is present in at least one of the sensors and generate a condensation message. In some examples, sensor manager 120 can provide the condensation message to a user via display device 110, haptic feedback, auditory alarms, etc.

[0032] In some examples, processor 102 may also be linked to ambient air temperature sensor 133 via system interconnect 106. Ambient air temperature sensor 133 can sense the temperature near a flow sensor (such as sensor 112) to detect dew point values ​​and condensation. In some examples, ambient air temperature sensor 133 is able to determine whether condensation has accumulated in the flow sensor, at least in part, based on the dew point or any other value obtained by ambient air temperature sensor 133. For example, a high dew point may indicate that a faulty flow sensor may have condensation, leading to inaccurate sensor data.

[0033] In some examples, a network interface controller (also referred to herein as a NIC) 134 may be adapted to connect computing device 100 to network 136 via system interconnect 106. Network 136 may be a cellular network, radio network, wide area network (WAN), local area network (LAN), or the Internet, etc. Network 136 may enable data (such as alarms, messages, usage information, or predetermined limits of sensors, and other data) to be transmitted from computing device 100 to remote computing devices, remote display devices, etc. For example, network 136 may enable remote device 138 to perform remote services and diagnostics related to sensor 112.

[0034] In some examples, remote device 138 may receive data from computing device 100. Remote device 138 may aggregate data from one or more computing devices and analyze usage information from multiple sensors 112 (such as flow sensors). In some examples, remote device 138 may obtain usage information from one or more flow sensors coupled to one or more anesthesia devices and determine the number of respiratory cycles for each of the one or more flow sensors. Remote device 138 may also determine an accuracy limit value indicating when one or more flow sensors provide inaccurate flow values ​​from the inspiratory or expiratory portion of the patient's breathing circuit and transmit that accuracy limit value to one or more anesthesia devices, such as any number of computing devices 100. The following is in conjunction with… Figure 5 The remote device 138 is described in more detail.

[0035] It should be understood that Figure 1 The block diagram is not intended to indicate that the computing device 100 will include Figure 1 All components shown in the diagram. Instead, the computing device 100 may include... Figure 1 Fewer or additional components not illustrated herein (e.g., additional memory components, embedded controllers, additional modules, additional network interfaces, etc.). Furthermore, any functionality of the sensor manager 120 may be implemented, partially or entirely, in the hardware and / or processor 102. For example, the functionality may be implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit, logic implemented in an embedded controller, or logic implemented in the processor 102, etc. In some embodiments, the functionality of the sensor manager 120 may be implemented using logic, wherein the logic referred to herein may include any suitable hardware (e.g., a processor, etc.), software (e.g., an application program, etc.), firmware, or any suitable combination of hardware, software, and firmware.

[0036] Figure 2 The illustration shows an isometric view of a fluid flow sensor according to some examples. The fluid flow sensor 200 is used to measure the flow rate of a fluid (such as a moist gas) flowing through it, for example, by generating a pressure difference within the fluid flow sensor 200 for measuring the fluid flow rate. The fluid flow sensor 200 has a generally cylindrical configuration. However, the fluid flow sensor 200 can be formed in various shapes and sizes and is still within the scope of this disclosure.

[0037] In one example, the fluid flow sensor 200 may include a housing 202 defining a fluid flow passage 203 having an inlet end 204 and an outlet end 206. When the fluid flow sensor 200 is used to measure the gas flow rate in a breathing device, the fluid flow sensor 200 may be inserted into one or more desired locations in the breathing circuit, wherein breathing gas is introduced into the housing 202 of the fluid flow sensor 200 through the inlet end 204, flows through the fluid flow passage 203, and exits through the outlet end 206 to continue through the breathing circuit. Measurements are taken as gas flows from the inlet end 204 to the outlet end 206 through the fluid flow passage 203 in the housing 202 to determine the flow rate of the gas through the fluid flow sensor 200.

[0038] In some examples, the collar 208 is disposed around the housing 202 of the fluid flow sensor 200. The collar 208 can be configured to cover part or all of the exterior of the housing. In one example, the first portion 210 and the second portion 212 of the collar 208 can each be formed of a suitable material (such as a plastic material) and include an outer wall ( Figure 3 214), along the outer wall ( Figure 3 The opposite sides of 214 extend outward to define the interior within the first part 210 and the second part 212. Figure 3 A pair of sidewalls of (218) Figure 3 Part 210 further defines the extension through the outer wall (216). Figure 3 214) and / or sidewalls ( Figure 3 Multiple channels of 216) Figure 3 220), so that the conduit or hose 222 or other items can be connected via the first part 210 to the measurement port (not depicted) on the housing 202 of the fluid flow sensor 200 to allow determination of the fluid flow rate of the gas passing through the sensor 200.

[0039] In some examples, the second part 212 can be formed from the outer wall ( Figure 3 214) in relation to the sidewall ( Figure 3 216) A recess 224 extending outward in generally opposite directions. In one example, the wire ( Figure 3 228) can extend through the hole 230 in the recess 224 to a suitable power supply and / or controller (not shown) for operation of electrical components.

[0040] In some examples, the first part 210 and the second part 212 are connected at one end by a suitable connector ( Figure 3The first part 210 and the second part 212 are connected to each other. The connector 232 allows the first part 210 and the second part 212 to be separated from each other so that a collar 208 can be placed around the housing 202 of the fluid flow sensor 200. The connector 232 can take any suitable shape or configuration and can completely separate the first part 210 and the second part 212 from each other.

[0041] In some examples, the fluid flow sensor 200 may include a storage device 234 that can store usage information, predetermined limits, and any other suitable data associated with the fluid flow sensor. See below for details. Figure 3 In more detail, storage device 234 may store usage information indicating the number of times the diaphragm of the fluid flow sensor oscillates or otherwise moves during a patient's inspiration or expiration. Storage device 234 may also store a predetermined limit representing the patient's maximum number of breaths, which can be monitored without causing the fluid flow sensor 200 to lose accuracy, deteriorate, or malfunction.

[0042] Figure 3 An example of an internal section of the fluid flow sensor 200 is depicted. In some examples, the diaphragm 302 may be located at any depth within the fluid flow sensor 200. The diaphragm 302 may oscillate or move as gas from the patient is inhaled or exhaled through the fluid flow sensor 200. In some examples, the fluid flow sensor 200 may be placed within the inspiratory portion of the patient's breathing circuit, and a separate fluid flow sensor 200 may be placed within the expiratory portion of the patient's breathing circuit, as described below. Figure 4 As described in more detail. Data from the fluid flow sensor 200 that monitors the patient can be obtained by connecting the flow sensor 200 to anesthesia devices (such as... Figure 1 The flow sensor 200 may use any number of wires, conduits, or hoses 212 to detect, capture, or otherwise acquire the data from the computing device 100. In some examples, the flow sensor 200 may include a wireless transmitter that can use any suitable wireless protocol (such as...). (etc.) provide data to the anesthesia device (not depicted), such as usage information.

[0043] Figure 4 An example of an electronic vaporizer system 10 is depicted, which is operatively connected to a ventilator system 2 and configured to deliver vaporized anesthetic to a patient's breathing circuit 4. The electronic vaporizer system 10 includes an electronic vaporizer 12 and one or more sensors communicatively connected thereto, including a gas monitor 50 configured to measure the end-tidal concentration of the anesthetic in the exhaled gas from the patient 1.

[0044] The electronic vaporizer 12 may include a reservoir 16 containing an anesthetic agent, such as sevoflurane, desflurane, enflurane, etc., to be delivered to the patient. The reservoir 16 is configured to be refillable, such as from a refill bottle. Therefore, the reservoir 16 has sufficient volumetric capacity to receive at least the full volume of a standard refill container. In one embodiment, the reservoir 16 may hold up to about 300 mL of liquid agent. The electronic vaporizer 12 includes a vaporizer unit 14 that vaporizes the liquid anesthetic agent contained in the reservoir 16 and delivers the vaporized agent to the patient's breathing circuit 4. For example, the breathing circuit 4 may include a patient breathing circuit 4, and the vaporizer unit 14 may be configured to deliver the vaporized agent such that an inhaled gas containing the anesthetic agent is injected into the patient's breathing circuit 4 and delivered to the patient 1 via the ventilator system 2.

[0045] The electronic vaporizer 12 also includes a controller 18 configured to control the vaporizer unit to deliver a predetermined amount of vaporized reagent, thereby maintaining the desired end-tidal concentration for patient 1. The control system of the electronic vaporizer system includes the controller 18 for the vaporizer unit 14 and may also include other control devices communicatively connected to the controller 18. For example, the controller 18 may work in conjunction with an anesthesia calculation module 66 on a network 60 communicatively connected to the electronic vaporizer 12 and / or the controller 8 for the ventilator system 2.

[0046] A gas sensor, which may include one or more flow sensors, is positioned to measure the end-expiratory concentration of anesthetic and other gases in the exhaled gas within the patient breathing circuit 4. The patient breathing circuit 4 includes an inspiratory flow sensor 40 and an inspiratory section 4a that delivers inhaled gas from the ventilator system to the patient interface 6. An expiratory section 4b is configured to deliver exhaled gas from the patient back to the ventilator 2 via an expiratory flow sensor 41. The patient interface is typically, for example, an endotracheal tube. In other embodiments, the patient interface 6 may be a mask or some other device configured to form a sealed interface between the patient's airway and the breathing circuit 4. In the depicted example, a gas monitor 50 is positioned between the patient interface 6 and the inspiratory and expiratory arms of the patient breathing circuit 4. A humidity and moisture exchange filter 59 may be positioned between the patient interface 6 and the gas monitor 50 to remove moisture from the exhaled gas prior to measurement.

[0047] The gas sensor is configured to measure the concentration of an anesthetic in the patient's exhaled gas, and may also be configured to measure the concentrations of nitrous oxide (N₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and oxygen (O₂). Such concentration measurements are performed during the expiratory cycle, during which exhaled gas exits the patient's lungs through the patient interface 6, passes through a filter 59 to a first connector end 57 of the unit containing the gas monitor 50, and exits through a second connector end 56, which connects to a connector end 4c of the patient's breathing circuit tubing. The gas monitor 50 may be further configured to measure flow rates, including inspiratory and expiratory flow rates, and other gas concentration measurements, which may be inspiratory or expiratory measurements.

[0048] Concentration and other measurements from gas monitor 50 can be transmitted to electronic vaporizer 12 via physical data connection and / or wirelessly. Figure 4 In this example, gas monitor 50 is connected via cable 52 to receiver port 53 on electronic vaporizer 12. Gas monitor 50 also includes a wireless transmitter 54, which may be a wireless transceiver communication device configured to wirelessly broadcast concentration and other measurements taken by gas monitor 50. Such wireless communication may be received by network 60 (such as a computer network system for operating rooms) and / or by a hospital or healthcare facility network. In some embodiments, the physical connection between gas monitor 50 and electronic vaporizer 12 may be eliminated and electronic vaporizer 12 may be configured to receive wireless transmissions of measurements from gas monitor 50.

[0049] An additional flow sensor, also known as a gas monitor 9, can be configured to measure the input gas from the ventilator to the patient's breathing circuit and to measure the ventilation gas mixture supplied by the ventilator 2. This gas monitor 9 can be located upstream of the delivery point of the vaporized reagent and can be configured to measure the flow rate and gas concentration of the ventilator gas mixture, such as oxygen (O2) and N2O in the ventilator gas mixture. This provides information about the input gas and flow rate supplied by the ventilator system. In some embodiments, the gas monitor 9 can be integrated into the ventilator system 2 and the gas measurement can be transmitted from the ventilator system 2 to the electronic vaporizer 12. In other embodiments, the gas monitor 9 can be a standalone sensor connected at a point in the breathing circuit and configured to communicate directly with the electronic vaporizer 12, which can be done via wired or wireless means as described above. Input gas concentration information can also be supplied by an electronic gas mixer built into the anesthesia machine, if such a configuration is used. For example, an additional gas monitor 9 can be integrated into an electronic gas mixer that automatically mixes and delivers the gas to the patient's breathing circuit (N2O / O2, air / O2, O2, or air). In such embodiments, as described herein, the gas composition is obtained from the electronic gas mixer via wired or wireless communication.

[0050] In some examples, the electronic vaporizer 12 may include a user interface 68 that can provide any suitable data associated with the patient 1. For example, user interface 68 can provide information about the patient 1, such as age and weight, as well as flow settings and the temperature and humidity of the patient's breathing circuit 4. User interface 68 can also provide usage information for one or more flow sensors, such as gas sensors 9 and 50. As discussed above, user interface 68 can provide any suitable usage information related to gas sensors 9 and 50.

[0051] Figure 5 An exemplary remote device electronically coupled to an anesthesia device is depicted. The remote device 500 may be, for example, one or more servers providing remote services, a remote hospital monitor, an anesthesia device, an imaging device (such as an X-ray device or a magnetic resonance imaging device), a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a tablet computer, a mobile phone, etc. The remote device 500 may include a processor 502 adapted to execute stored instructions, and a memory device 504 storing instructions that can be executed by the processor 502. The processor 502 may be a single-core processor, a multi-core processor, a computing cluster, or any number of other configurations. The memory device 504 may include random access memory, read-only memory, flash memory, or any other suitable memory system. The instructions executed by the processor 502 can be used to implement methods capable of identifying usage information from flow sensors, as described below. Figures 6 to 10 As described in more detail.

[0052] The processor 502 can also be linked via a system interconnect 506 (e.g., PCI, PCI-Express, NuBus, etc.) to a display interface 508 suitable for connecting the remote device 500 to the display device 510. The display device 510 may include a display screen as a built-in component of the remote device 500. The display device 510 may also include an externally connected computer monitor, television, or projector to the remote device 500. The display device 510 may include light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and micro-LEDs, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, etc.

[0053] The processor 502 can be connected to an input / output (I / O) device interface 514 via a system interconnect 506, which is adapted to connect the remote device 500 to one or more I / O devices 516. The I / O device 516 may include, for example, a keyboard and indicating devices, wherein the indicating devices may include a touchpad or a touchscreen. The I / O device 516 may be a built-in component of the remote device 500 or may be an external device connected to the remote device 500.

[0054] In some embodiments, processor 502 may also be linked to storage device 518 via system interconnect 506, which may include hard disk drives, optical drives, USB flash drives, drive arrays, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, storage device 518 may include any suitable application. In some embodiments, storage device 518 may include remote flow sensor manager 520. In some embodiments, remote flow sensor manager 520 may receive data from computing device 100. Remote flow sensor manager 520 may aggregate data from one or more computing devices 100 and analyze usage information from multiple sensors 112 (such as flow sensors). In some examples, remote flow sensor manager 520 may obtain usage information from one or more flow sensors coupled to one or more anesthesia devices and analyze the usage information from one or more flow sensors (such as flow sensors). Figure 1 Each flow sensor in sensor 112 determines the number of respiratory cycles. The remote flow sensor manager 520 can also determine the number of respiratory cycles represented by one or more flow sensors (such as...). Figure 1 The sensor 112) provides an accuracy limit value for when it provides an inaccurate flow rate value from the inspiratory or expiratory portion of the patient's breathing circuit, and transmits the accuracy limit value to one or more anesthesia devices (such as any number of computing devices 100).

[0055] In some examples, the network interface controller (also referred to herein as NIC) 522 may be adapted to connect via system interconnect 506 Figure 1 The computing device 100 is connected to a network 524. The network 524 can be a cellular network, radio network, wide area network (WAN), local area network (LAN), or the Internet, etc. The network 524 enables data such as alarms and other data to be transmitted from the remote device 500 to other computing devices, such as… Figure 1 The computing device 100, remote display device, etc.

[0056] It should be understood that Figure 5 The block diagram is not intended to indicate that the remote device 500 will include Figure 5 All components shown. Instead, the remote device 500 may include... Figure 5 Fewer or additional components not illustrated herein (e.g., additional memory components, embedded controllers, additional modules, additional network interfaces, etc.). Furthermore, any functionality of the remote flow sensor manager 520 may be implemented, partially or entirely, in the hardware and / or processor 502. For example, the functionality may be implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit, logic implemented in an embedded controller, or logic implemented in the processor 502. In some embodiments, the functionality of the remote flow sensor manager 520 may be implemented using logic, wherein the logic referred to herein may include any suitable hardware (e.g., a processor, etc.), software (e.g., an application, etc.), firmware, or any suitable combination of hardware, software, and firmware.

[0057] Figure 6 The diagram illustrates a process flowchart for an exemplary method of identifying usage information from a flow sensor. In some examples, method 600 can be implemented using any suitable computing system, such as... Figure 1 Computing device 100 or Figure 5 Remote devices such as 500.

[0058] At box 602, method 600 may include obtaining usage information from one or more flow sensors coupled to an anesthesia device. In some examples, usage information may include the number of times the diaphragm of one or more flow sensors in the breathing circuit has moved. Usage information may also include movement of any component of any other suitable sensor to or incorporated within the anesthesia device. In some examples, usage information may also include operating characteristics of the anesthesia device. Operating characteristics may include flow rate of the flow sensors, differential pressure of the flow sensors, humidity of the respiratory system, temperature of the respiratory system, timestamps, ventilation frequency, at least one flow setting, or combinations thereof. In some examples, usage information may also provide differential pressure from one or more flow sensors. The differential pressure may be displayed via a display device, provided by an audible alarm, or transmitted to a remote device.

[0059] At box 604, method 600 may include determining that usage information exceeds a predetermined limit. For example, the flow sensor may include a storage device to store the predetermined limit along with usage information, such as the number of times the diaphragm of the flow sensor has moved. The number of times the diaphragm or any other component of the flow sensor has moved can indicate how many respiratory cycles the flow sensor has measured or monitored, which can be compared to the predetermined limit. If the usage information exceeds the predetermined limit, the flow sensor has exceeded the intended number of measurements that the flow sensor was designed to obtain or otherwise detect.

[0060] In some examples, predetermined limits can be detected, received, or otherwise obtained from user input, from a remote device or application, or from any other suitable source. Predetermined limits can be fixed values ​​or modifiable values. For example, predetermined limits can be set for a flow sensor and stored during the manufacture of the flow sensor, or the predetermined limit can be modified when the maximum number of respiratory cycles that the flow sensor can monitor is detected. In some examples, when a set of flow sensors is operating, the maximum number of respiratory cycles that the flow sensor can monitor can be adjusted and determined to accurately monitor the number of respiratory cycles of a patient exceeding the original predetermined limit. This will be combined below. Figure 8 A more detailed description of the techniques used to adjust or modify predetermined limits.

[0061] Still at box 604, in some examples, method 600 may include obtaining the number of diaphragm movements from one or more flow sensors using any suitable computing device coupled to the flow sensors. For example, the flow sensors may periodically or continuously transmit data to the computing device in real time, indicating the number of movements of the flow sensor's diaphragm or any other component.

[0062] At box 606, method 600 may include generating an alarm indicating that a flow sensor will be replaced. In some examples, the alarm is not generated until usage information exceeds a predetermined limit. If the usage information does exceed the predetermined limit, the alarm may indicate that a specific flow sensor in the breathing circuit should be replaced. Otherwise, method 600 may continue to track usage information. For example, two flow sensors may be located in the patient's breathing circuit to monitor the patient's inhaled or exhaled gases. One flow sensor (first flow sensor) may be new, while the other flow sensor (second flow sensor) may have been coupled to the patient after monitoring the patient with another anesthesia device. Based on usage information from the second flow sensor, the alarm may indicate that the second flow sensor has exceeded its predetermined limit. In some examples, the anesthesia device may store usage information for each flow sensor along with a unique identifier for each flow sensor, such as a serial number. The unique identifier allows the anesthesia device to identify the flow sensor to be replaced or repaired.

[0063] In some examples, method 600 may also include providing usage information via a display device. The usage information can be continuously displayed regardless of whether an alarm has been generated. For example, the usage information may indicate the number of respiratory cycles that the flow sensor has monitored, providing the user with data indicating the approximate time when the flow sensor will need to be replaced. In some examples, method 600 may also include generating or calculating statistical data based on the operating characteristics of the flow sensor (such as ventilation rate) indicating an estimated time that the flow sensor will exceed a predetermined limit.

[0064] Figure 6 The process flowchart of method 600 is not intended to indicate that all operations of blocks 602 to 606 of method 600 will be included in every example. Additionally, Figure 6 The process flowchart of method 600 describes the possible order of operations. However, it should be understood that the operations of method 600 can be implemented in various orders or sequences. Furthermore, in some examples, method 600 may include fewer or additional operations.

[0065] Figure 7 This is a process flowchart for another exemplary method for identifying usage information from a flow sensor. In some examples, method 700 can be implemented using any suitable computing system, such as... Figure 1 Computing device 100 or Figure 5 Remote device 500, etc. In some examples, method 700 can be implemented using two or more flow sensors, such as... Figure 2 and Figure 3 Fluid flow sensor 200.

[0066] At box 702, method 700 may include obtaining a first pressure value from a first flow sensor and a second pressure value from a second flow sensor. In some examples, method 700 may include obtaining pressure values ​​from any number of flow sensors coupled to the anesthesia device using any suitable wired or wireless protocol. For example, any number of flow sensors may be included in the patient's breathing circuit to monitor inhaled and exhaled gases.

[0067] At block 704, method 700 may include determining a first pressure value and a second pressure value that indicate that a first pressure sensor or a second pressure sensor is operating outside a predetermined accuracy range. For example, method 700 may include comparing the first pressure value and the second pressure value and determining that the difference between the pressure values ​​is within a predetermined accuracy range. If the pressure values ​​have a difference outside the predetermined accuracy range, the process continues at block 706. Otherwise, method 700 may continue monitoring the pressure values ​​obtained from the first flow sensor and the second flow sensor.

[0068] In some examples, the pressure difference across the diaphragm of the flow sensor is measured based on a predefined calibration curve of flow versus pressure difference loaded into the flow sensor's storage device (such as an EEPROM) and used to correlate with the gas flow rate. The flow rate (such as ml / min), or any other measurement, integrated over time, can be used to calculate the machine-delivered inspiratory / expiratory volume. The volume measured by the flow sensor can then be compared to a user-defined target delivery volume. In some examples, when the flow sensor performance drifts due to diaphragm aging, condensation, changes in gas composition, pressure sensor drift, etc., the flow sensor delivery volume calculated by the system will correspondingly shift in magnitude. The system can detect or determine the drift in measurement accuracy under similar conditions by tracking the reported deviation (as measured flow rate) relative to the target flow rate. For example, the system can detect, calculate, or otherwise determine how much the measured pressure difference has changed over time, based on the sensor's local ambient temperature, inhaled gas temperature, humidity, and pressure, under the same user-input target flow rate settings and usage conditions.

[0069] At block 706, method 700 may include generating a second alarm indicating that either the first or second pressure sensor will be replaced. The second alarm may include data such as an identifier indicating the flow sensor to be replaced, usage information of the flow sensor to be replaced, etc. In some examples, method 700 may include transmitting the second alarm and the usage information of the first and second flow sensors to a remote device.

[0070] In some examples, method 700 may further include detecting a first pressure difference from a first flow sensor and a second pressure difference from a second flow sensor, and determining the difference between the first and second pressure differences. Method 700 may also include generating a condensation message indicating the presence of water condensation in the first or second flow sensor. For example, method 700 may include obtaining the temperature and / or humidity of the patient's breathing circuit, and detecting pressure differences that could lead to operation in a high-humidity environment. In some examples, method 700 may include providing the condensation message to a display device coupled to an anesthesia apparatus, providing an auditory alarm representing the condensation message, or a combination thereof.

[0071] In some examples, during general anesthesia, the two sources of heat and moisture in the recirculating breathing circuit can include the rebreathing of exhaled gas and the release of water vapor and heat from the CO2 absorbent in an exothermic reaction. The preservation of heat and moisture in the breathing circuit depends on various factors, including fresh gas flow rate (FGF), breathing system configuration, and operating room temperature. If the humidity and temperature of the breathing circuit gases are measured or known, and if the system also measures the ambient room air temperature, such as using… Figure 1The ambient air temperature sensor 133 can calculate the dew point, which can alert the system and users to potential condensation inside the flow sensor. For example, if the workstation outlet inspiratory limb gas is 28°C (82.4℉) and the actual humidity is 70% (typical), the dew point will be 22.2°C (72℉) of the indoor ambient temperature. In some examples, the operating room is maintained between 70℉ and 75℉ (21°C to 24°C) with a relative humidity of 50% to 60%, as a compromise between patient and operator requirements. Therefore, knowing the ambient air temperature around the flow sensor and the actual humidity percentage of the inspiratory and expiratory limbs allows the system to predict condensation within the flow sensor. In some examples, the system can record temperature and actual humidity data and generate an alarm in response to detecting an environment where condensation is forming in the flow sensor.

[0072] In one example, if condensation is present in a flow sensor (such as a variable orifice flow sensor), the presence of condensation reduces the flow sensor's response by attenuating the deflection of the variable orifice membrane. This might require a high flow rate to achieve the same pressure differential, which would be achievable without condensation. Similarly, if condensation accumulates in the pneumatic sensing conduit or if the very thin laser-cut orifice of the flow sensor's diaphragm becomes clogged due to surface tension, the pressure differential on one flow sensor may spike compared to another flow sensor in the same breathing circuit. This drop in pressure differential can trigger various flow sensor alarms such as "Check Flow," "Expiratory Reverse Flow," "Inspiratory Reverse Flow," and "Vte>InspVt," etc.

[0073] Figure 7 The process flowchart of method 700 is not intended to indicate that all operations of blocks 702 to 706 of method 700 will be included in every example. Additionally, Figure 7 The process flowchart of method 700 describes the possible order of operations. However, it should be understood that the operations of method 700 can be implemented in various orders or sequences. Furthermore, in some examples, method 700 may include fewer or additional operations.

[0074] Figure 8 This is a process flowchart of an exemplary method for identifying accuracy information from a flow sensor. In some examples, method 800 can be implemented using any suitable computing system, such as... Figure 1 Computing device 100 or Figure 5 Remote devices such as 500.

[0075] At box 802, method 800 may include obtaining usage information from one or more flow sensors coupled to one or more anesthesia devices. In some examples, the usage information may be obtained from the anesthesia device or a computing device, as described above. Figure 6As discussed in box 602. The anesthesia device may transmit or forward usage information to a remote device, or the remote device may detect or otherwise obtain usage information directly from the flow sensor.

[0076] At box 804, method 800 may include determining the number of respiratory cycles of one or more flow sensors. In some examples, method 800 may include determining the number of respiratory cycles of a patient by detecting the number of times the diaphragm or any other suitable portion of the flow sensor oscillates or otherwise moves in response to the patient's inspiration or expiration. In some examples, the number of respiratory cycles may be obtained from usage information from any number of flow sensors, and the number of respiratory cycles monitored by each flow sensor may be stored along with the flow sensor's identifier information and any suitable timestamps. The respiratory cycles of each flow sensor or any other suitable usage information may be stored in a database or any other file format.

[0077] At block 806, method 800 may include determining an accuracy limit value indicating when one or more flow sensors provide inaccurate flow values ​​from the inspiratory or expiratory portions of a patient's breathing circuit. In some examples, the accuracy limit value may indicate when the flow sensor is no longer able to provide reliable data associated with inhaled or exhaled gas in the patient's breathing circuit. For example, the accuracy limit value may be 1000 respiratory cycles, 10000 respiratory cycles, 1000000 respiratory cycles, 1000000 respiratory cycles, or any other suitable amount. Flow sensors may become unreliable when monitoring a patient's inspiration or expiration over multiple respiratory cycles exceeding the accuracy limit value.

[0078] In some examples, accuracy limits can be determined by analyzing data from a set of flow sensors. For example, method 800 may include detecting or otherwise acquiring data from a set of flow sensors connected to any number of anesthesia devices. Data from the flow sensors may indicate that the detected data from the flow sensors is outside a predetermined range. For example, the flow rate detected by a first flow sensor in liters per minute may not match the flow rate detected by a second flow sensor in liters per minute. A mismatch in flow data detected by two flow sensors connected to the patient's breathing circuit may indicate that at least one of the two flow sensors is incorrectly measuring or monitoring inhaled gas supplied to or exhaled gas received from the patient. Usage information indicating the number of respiratory cycles monitored by the flow sensors, one or more timestamps associated with the respiratory cycles, and mismatches in the flow sensor data may be transmitted to the anesthesia device and / or a remote computing device for analysis using method 800. Accuracy limits can be calculated by aggregating usage information, flow sensor data, and timestamps from multiple flow sensors and determining the minimum number of respiratory cycles that can be monitored before the likelihood of inaccurate flow sensor data or measurements increases.

[0079] At box 808, method 800 may include transmitting an accuracy limit value to one or more anesthesia devices. In some examples, the accuracy limit value may replace a predetermined limit stored in an anesthesia device or a flow sensor. For example, a flow sensor in a breathing circuit may include a storage device to store a predetermined limit representing the number of respiratory cycles that the flow sensor could monitor before being replaced. In some examples, the accuracy limit value may replace the predetermined limit if method 800 determines that the flow sensor can monitor fewer or additional patient respiratory cycles without reducing the accuracy of the flow sensor.

[0080] Figure 8 The process flowchart of method 800 is not intended to indicate that all operations of blocks 802 to 808 of method 800 will be included in every example. Additionally, Figure 8 The process flowchart of method 800 describes the possible order of operations. However, it should be understood that the operations of method 800 can be implemented in various orders or sequences. Furthermore, in some examples, method 800 may include fewer or additional operations.

[0081] Figure 9 This is an example of a non-transitory machine-readable medium for identifying information used, based on examples in this document. The non-transitory machine-readable medium 900 enables a processor 902 to implement the functions of methods 600, 700, and 800. For example, the processor of a computing device (such as...) Figure 1 processor 102 or Figure 5 The processor 502 can access non-transitory machine-readable medium 900.

[0082] In some examples, the non-transitory machine-readable medium 900 may include instructions for executing the sensor manager 120. For example, the non-transitory machine-readable medium 900 may include instructions for the sensor manager 120 that cause the processor 902 to obtain usage information from a first flow sensor coupled to the anesthesia device, determine that the usage information exceeds a predetermined limit, and generate an alarm indicating that the first flow sensor will be replaced.

[0083] In some examples, sensor manager 120 may also enable processor 902 to detect a first pressure difference from a first flow sensor and a second pressure difference from a second flow sensor. Sensor manager 120 may also determine the difference between the first and second pressure differences and generate a condensation message indicating the presence of water condensation in either the first or second flow sensor. In some examples, non-transitory machine-readable medium 900 may include instructions for any combination of techniques for implementing the methods 600, 700, and 800 described above.

[0084] Figure 10 This is an example of a non-transitory machine-readable medium for identifying usage information of a remote device, based on examples in this document. The non-transitory machine-readable medium 1000 enables a processor 1002 to implement the functions of methods 600, 700, and 800. For example, the processor of a computing device (such as...) Figure 1 processor 102 or Figure 5 The processor 502 can access non-transitory machine-readable medium 1000.

[0085] In some examples, the non-transitory machine-readable medium 1000 may include instructions for executing the remote flow sensor manager 520. For example, the non-transitory machine-readable medium 1000 may include instructions for the remote flow sensor manager 520 that cause the processor 1002 to aggregate data from one or more computing devices and analyze usage information from multiple sensors, such as flow sensors. In some examples, the remote flow sensor manager 520 may obtain usage information from one or more flow sensors coupled to one or more anesthesia devices and determine the number of respiratory cycles for each of the one or more flow sensors. The remote flow sensor manager 520 may also determine an accuracy limit value indicating when one or more flow sensors provide inaccurate flow values ​​from the inspiratory or expiratory portions of a patient's breathing circuit and transmit that accuracy limit value to the one or more anesthesia devices.

[0086] In some examples, the non-transitory machine-readable medium 1000 may include instructions for any combination of techniques for implementing the methods 600, 700 and 800 described above.

[0087] Example

[0088] In some examples, the anesthesia device may include a processor that can obtain usage information from a first flow sensor coupled to the anesthesia device and determine that the usage information exceeds a predetermined limit. The processor may also generate an alarm indicating that the first flow sensor needs to be replaced. The usage information may include the number of times the diaphragm of the first flow sensor has moved.

[0089] Alternatively or additionally, the information may also include operating characteristics of the anesthesia device, wherein the operating characteristics include the flow rate of the first flow sensor, the pressure differential of the first flow sensor, the humidity of the respiratory system including the first flow sensor, the temperature of the respiratory system, timestamps, ventilation frequency, at least one flow setting, or combinations thereof. Alternatively or additionally, the first flow sensor includes a storage device for storing the number of times the diaphragm of the first flow sensor has moved.

[0090] Alternatively or additionally, the processor may provide an alarm to a display device coupled to the anesthesia device or remote device. Alternatively or additionally, the anesthesia device may include a second flow sensor, wherein the processor may obtain a first pressure value from the first flow sensor and a second pressure value from the second flow sensor, determine that the first pressure value and the second pressure value indicate that the first pressure sensor or the second pressure sensor is operating outside a predetermined accuracy range, and generate a second alarm indicating that the first pressure sensor or the second pressure sensor will be replaced.

[0091] Alternatively or otherwise, the processor may transmit usage information of the first flow sensor and the second flow sensor to a remote device. Alternatively or otherwise, the processor may detect a first pressure difference from the first flow sensor and a second pressure difference from the second flow sensor, determine that the difference between the first pressure difference and the second pressure difference is caused by condensation, and generate a condensation message indicating the presence of water condensation in the first flow sensor or the second flow sensor.

[0092] Alternatively or additionally, the processor may provide a coagulation message to a display device coupled to the anesthesia device, provide an auditory alarm indicating the coagulation message, or a combination thereof. Alternatively or additionally, the processor may provide a pressure differential from a first flow sensor via the display device.

[0093] Alternatively or otherwise, the processor may provide usage information via a display device, wherein the usage information includes the number of times the diaphragm of the first flow sensor moves.

[0094] In one aspect, the device may include a processor for obtaining usage information from one or more flow sensors coupled to one or more anesthesia devices, determining the number of respiratory cycles monitored by each of the one or more flow sensors, determining an accuracy limit value indicating when the one or more flow sensors provide inaccurate flow values ​​from the inspiratory or expiratory portion of the patient's breathing circuit, and transmitting the accuracy limit value to the one or more anesthesia devices.

[0095] Alternatively or additionally, the anesthesia device may provide a message indicating that at least one flow sensor coupled to the anesthesia device will be replaced because at least one flow sensor in the flow sensor exceeds an accuracy limit. Alternatively or additionally, the processor may use a unique identifier associated with each of the one or more flow sensors to track usage information from the one or more flow sensors. Alternatively or additionally, the processor may track usage information from the one or more flow sensors when the one or more flow sensors are coupled to a first anesthesia device and when the one or more flow sensors are coupled to a second anesthesia device.

[0096] In one aspect, a method for detecting usage information from a sensor may include obtaining usage information from a first flow sensor coupled to an anesthesia device, wherein the usage information includes the number of times the diaphragm of the first flow sensor has moved, determining that the usage information exceeds a predetermined limit, and generating an alarm indicating that the first flow sensor will be replaced.

[0097] Alternatively or otherwise, the information may include operating characteristics of the anesthesia device, wherein the operating characteristics include the flow rate of the first flow sensor, the pressure differential of the first flow sensor, the humidity of the respiratory system including the first flow sensor, the temperature of the respiratory system, timestamps, ventilation frequency, at least one flow setting, or a combination thereof.

[0098] Alternatively or additionally, the first flow sensor may include a storage device to store the number of times the diaphragm of the first flow sensor has moved. Alternatively or additionally, the method may include obtaining a first pressure value from the first flow sensor and a second pressure value from the second flow sensor, determining that the first pressure value and the second pressure value indicate that the first pressure sensor or the second pressure sensor is operating outside a predetermined accuracy range, and generating a second alarm indicating that the first pressure sensor or the second pressure sensor will be replaced.

[0099] Alternatively or otherwise, the method may include detecting a first pressure difference from a first flow sensor and a second pressure difference from a second flow sensor, determining that the difference between the first and second pressure differences is due to condensation, and generating a condensation message indicating the presence of water condensation in the first or second flow sensor.

[0100] As used herein, elements or steps listed in the singular and beginning with the word "a" or "an" should be understood to not exclude a plurality of such elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly stated. Furthermore, references to "an embodiment" of the invention are not intended to be construed as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also include the referenced features. Moreover, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, embodiments that "comprise," "include," or "have" elements or multiple elements having a particular characteristic may include additional such elements that do not have that characteristic. The terms "comprise" and "in..." are used as concise linguistic equivalents to the corresponding terms "comprising" and "wherein". Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third," etc., are used merely as notations and are not intended to impose numerical requirements or a particular order of position on their objects.

[0101] The embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings and described above are merely exemplary embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims, including any equivalents included within the scope of the claims. Various modifications are possible and will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Any combination of non-mutually exclusive features described herein is intended to be within the scope of the invention. That is, features of the embodiments may be combined with any suitable aspect described above, and optional features of any aspect may be combined with any other suitable aspect. Similarly, features listed in dependent claims may be combined with non-mutually exclusive features of other dependent claims, particularly where the dependent claims are subordinate to the same independent claim. In some jurisdictions that claim a single dependent claim, such dependent claims may have been used in practice, but this should not be construed as meaning that features in dependent claims are mutually exclusive.

Claims

1. An anesthesia device, comprising: Processor, the processor being used for: Usage information is obtained from a first flow sensor disposed in the inspiratory section of the breathing circuit of the anesthesia device, wherein the first flow sensor includes a diaphragm configured to oscillate when gas flows through the first flow sensor; In response to determining that the usage information exceeds a predetermined limit, an alarm is generated indicating that the first flow sensor needs to be replaced, wherein the usage information includes the pressure difference across the diaphragm of the first flow sensor; Detect a first pressure difference from the first flow sensor and a second pressure difference from the second flow sensor; It was determined that the difference between the first pressure difference and the second pressure difference was caused by condensation. as well as Generate a condensation message indicating the presence of water condensation in the first flow sensor or the second flow sensor.

2. The anesthesia device according to claim 1, wherein the usage information further includes the operating characteristics of the anesthesia device, wherein the operating characteristics include the flow rate of the first flow sensor, the humidity of the respiratory system including the first flow sensor, the temperature of the respiratory system, timestamps, ventilation frequency, at least one flow setting, or a combination thereof.

3. The anesthesia device according to claim 1, wherein the first flow sensor includes a storage device for storing the number of times the diaphragm of the first flow sensor moves.

4. The anesthesia device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to provide the alarm to a display device coupled to the anesthesia device or a remote device.

5. The anesthesia device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is used for: A first pressure value is obtained from the first flow sensor, and a second pressure value is obtained from the second flow sensor; Determining that the first pressure value and the second pressure value indicate that the first pressure sensor or the second pressure sensor is operating outside a predetermined accuracy range; and A second alarm is generated indicating that either the first pressure sensor or the second pressure sensor will be replaced.

6. The anesthesia device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the usage information of the first flow sensor and the second flow sensor to a remote device.

7. The anesthesia device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to provide the coagulation message to a display device coupled to the anesthesia device, provide an auditory alarm representing the coagulation message, or a combination thereof.

8. The anesthesia device of claim 1, wherein the processor provides a pressure differential from the first flow sensor via a display device.

9. The anesthesia device of claim 1, wherein the processor provides the usage information via a display device, wherein the usage information includes the number of times the diaphragm of the first flow sensor moves.

10. A method for detecting usage information of a flow sensor, comprising: The usage information is obtained from a first flow sensor located in the inspiratory section of the breathing circuit of the anesthesia device, wherein the first flow sensor includes a diaphragm configured to oscillate when gas flows through the first flow sensor, and the usage information includes a pressure difference across the diaphragm of the first flow sensor. In response to determining that the usage information exceeds a predetermined limit, an alarm is generated indicating that the first flow sensor needs to be replaced; Detect a first pressure difference from the first flow sensor and a second pressure difference from the second flow sensor; It was determined that the difference between the first pressure difference and the second pressure difference was caused by condensation. as well as Generate a condensation message indicating the presence of water condensation in the first flow sensor or the second flow sensor.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the usage information further comprises operating characteristics of the anesthesia device, wherein the operating characteristics include the flow rate of the first flow sensor, the humidity of the respiratory system including the first flow sensor, the temperature of the respiratory system, a timestamp, the ventilation frequency, at least one flow setting, or a combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first flow sensor includes a storage device for storing the number of times the diaphragm of the first flow sensor moves.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising: A first pressure value is obtained from the first flow sensor and a second pressure value is obtained from the second flow sensor; The determination of the first pressure value and the second pressure value indicates that the first pressure sensor or the second pressure sensor is operating outside a predetermined accuracy range; as well as A second alarm is generated indicating that either the first pressure sensor or the second pressure sensor will be replaced.

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