Heart-Lung Pump Knob Restart After Pump-Stop Trigger Events
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heart lung machines often require users to manually intervene and remove their hand from the control knob to address pump-stop trigger events, such as errors or alarms, which can disrupt the operation and increase the risk of errors during critical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A heart lung machine system with a rotatable knob on the input control device that allows users to start the pump actuator automatically by rotating the knob to a specific position, eliminating the need for additional interactions like overriding alarms or pressing global override buttons.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the pump actuator is stopped in response to a pump-stop trigger event, then safety is improved by preventing operation under error conditions, but the complexity of restarting the pump increases due to requiring multiple user actions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple restart functions into a single rotatable knob. By merging the alarm override function and pump restart function into one control mechanism, the system reduces the number of separate actions required while maintaining safety. The rotatable knob integrates what were previously separate controls (alarm override button and speed control knob) into a unified interface that performs both functions through different rotation positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable knob serves multiple functions: it controls pump speed during normal operation, overrides alarms when rotated to a first position, and restarts the pump when rotated to a second position. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate controls for each operation, simplifying the user interface while maintaining comprehensive control capabilities.
2Reliability
If multiple controls are required to restart the pump actuator, then alarm override safety is improved, but the time required to resume operation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains the alarm state and pump stop condition as pre-configured safety measures, but the rotatable knob provides direct access to restart functionality without requiring sequential actions. The knob is pre-positioned and ready for immediate rotation to the restart position, eliminating the time delay associated with multiple sequential control actions while preserving the safety logic that required the alarm to be triggered in the first place.
Solution Approach 2:
By combining alarm override and pump restart into a single rotational action, the system eliminates the time loss associated with multiple sequential operations. The user can transition from alarm state to operational state through one continuous motion rather than multiple discrete actions, significantly reducing restart time while maintaining safety protocols.
3Measurement precision
If the user must remove hand from the control knob to override alarms, then control precision is maintained, but operational continuity is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable knob is designed to perform both speed control and alarm override/restart functions without requiring the user to switch to a different control mechanism. By making the single knob universal for both functions, the system allows continuous hand placement on the same control element, maintaining precision speed control capability while enabling alarm management without hand removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges speed control and alarm management into one physical control element. This consolidation allows the user to maintain continuous contact with the control knob, using the same rotational motion for both adjusting speed and managing alarms, thereby eliminating interruptions and maintaining operational continuity while preserving control precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A heart lung machine (HLM) includes: a pump actuator; an actuator control unit (ACU) operably connected to the pump actuator; a processing unit configured to receive a set of parameter data from the actuator; a display device configured to present a subset of the set of parameter data; and an input control device operably connected to the pump actuator. The input control device includes a rotatable knob. The ACU may be configured to: determine that the pump actuator has been stopped in response to a pump-stop trigger event; determine that the rotatable knob has been rotated to a first position; and in response to determining that the rotatable knob has been rotated to the first position, starting the pump actuator.