Heart-Lung Machine Safety Check UI for Sensor Alarm Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heart lung machines (HLMs) require manual and redundant safety checks that burden users and are not integrated into the HLM interface, complicating the usability and risking missed or incomplete safety assessments.
Innovation Solution
A semi-automatic safety check process is integrated into the HLM using a control area network (CAN) that communicates with sensors and a control assembly, providing a user interface for sensor activation, alarm state determination, and automated logging of safety check results, with the pump reacting to alarms by ceasing operation if necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual safety checks are performed using external checklists, then safety assessment can be completed, but user burden increases and redundancy occurs as checks must be recorded in multiple locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the external checklist system with the HLM's internal control assembly and user interface. The control assembly now manages safety checks directly within the HLM system, eliminating the need for separate external checklists and dual recording locations. This integration reduces user burden while maintaining safety assessment completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The HLM system performs self-verification of safety checks through its control assembly. The system automatically monitors sensor inputs, determines alarm states, and records results within its own memory, reducing reliance on external manual verification processes and minimizing redundant user actions.
2Reliability
If additional checklist integration is implemented in the HLM, then safety check confirmation is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional interface elements
Solution Approach 1:
The control assembly and user interface are designed to serve multiple functions: they manage both the safety check process and display general system information. By making these components multi-functional, the patent avoids adding dedicated separate systems for safety checks, thereby maintaining reliability while limiting increases in device complexity.
3Productivity
If automated sensor activation and alarm state determination are implemented, then safety check efficiency is improved, but processing requirements and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control assembly automatically activates sensors and determines alarm states without requiring additional external processing systems. The HLM's existing control architecture handles these automated functions, improving safety check efficiency while utilizing already-available processing capabilities within the system.
Data Source
AI summary
A heart lung machine (HLM) includes a control area network (CAN); a pump; a number of sensors; and a control assembly, all communicatively coupled to the CAN. The control assembly includes a control display device and a processing unit, which is configured to facilitate a semi-automatic safety check. To do so, the processing unit is configured to provide an HLM system safety check user interface (UI) on a display device, the HLM system safety check UI including a representation of each sensor; activate a sensor; present, via the UI, an indication of the activation of the sensor; determine an alarm state of the sensor; present a representation of the alarm state of the sensor on the control display device; present a safety check result of the sensor via the UI; and save a safety check result corresponding to the sensor.