Blood Treatment System Adaptive Program Library

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing blood treatment systems lack flexibility in their operational sequences, restricting user intervention and adaptation to individual patient needs, cultural variations, and local medical practices, often requiring complex training and coordination among healthcare personnel.

Innovation Solution

A program library within the blood treatment system allows users to generate and select customizable functional processes based on interactive input, considering patient, user, and material-specific parameters, enabling the creation and storage of optimized treatment protocols that can be easily adapted and implemented.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Extent of automation

If a fixed predetermined sequence of treatment steps is implemented automatically, then automation and consistency are improved, but flexibility and adaptability to individual patient needs deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomatic program sequenceVSAvoidflexibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Extent of automationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a dynamic program sequence where the treatment steps can be automatically adjusted based on sensor detections and predefined conditions. The system transitions between different temporal modes (preparation, connection, therapy, after-treatment) based on detected states, allowing the automated program to adapt its sequence dynamically rather than following a rigid fixed sequence, thus resolving the contradiction between automation and flexibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Adaptability or versatility

If numerous treatment options and settings are provided, then adaptability to individual needs is improved, but device complexity and training requirements worsen

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetreatment optionsVSAvoidconfiguration complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides self-service through automatic detection of treatment parameters and conditions using sensors, which then automatically configure the appropriate treatment program. This reduces the burden on users to manually configure complex settings, as the system performs self-diagnosis and self-configuration based on detected patient needs and available resources, thereby maintaining high adaptability while reducing operational complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Adaptability or versatility

If user intervention is allowed to modify automated sequences, then flexibility is improved, but safety and risk of erroneous settings worsen

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser flexibilityVSAvoidsafety
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where sensor data continuously monitors the treatment state and provides information to the control device. This feedback loop allows the system to automatically adjust parameters and provide alerts to users, ensuring that any user interventions or automatic modifications are based on real-time system state information, thereby maintaining safety while enabling flexibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

4Ease of operation

If a rigid automatic sequence is enforced, then operational simplicity is improved, but loss of information regarding special patient situations worsens

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperational simplicityVSAvoidpatient-specific information
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary layer between the rigid automated sequence and the patient-specific requirements through sensor-based detection and condition-based program selection. The sensors act as intermediaries that detect patient-specific conditions and translate them into appropriate program modifications, allowing the simple automated sequence to accommodate special situations without requiring complex user intervention or losing critical patient information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS8485998B2Blood treatment system
Publication Date: 2013.07.16 B BRAUN AVITUM
  • US8485998B2 patent drawing
  • US8485998B2 patent drawing
  • US8485998B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A blood treatment system including a computer with a program library containing data sets for the functional processes of blood treatment apparatus. The computer is used to generate data sets with the aid of a catalog of questions to be responded to interactively. In this manner, data sets can be generated corresponding to the individual requirements. The selecting of a data set can also be performed corresponding to the individual needs of the users and patients, respectively.