Medical Pump Fluid Line Flushing and Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical pumps face challenges in accurately tracking and managing the infusion of medicament during and after infusion procedures, particularly in ensuring complete clearance of the fluid line without wasting medicament or causing unnecessary infusion of flushing fluids, due to manual flushing methods and preprogramming limitations.
Innovation Solution
The medical pump automatically queries clinicians about performing a flushing procedure after an infusion, allowing for accurate tracking of fluid volumes during both infusion and flushing processes, and provides options to adjust settings mid-course if the flushing procedure is interrupted.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual flushing is performed to clear the fluid line, then the medicament is cleared from the fluid line, but the amount of saline infused may be incorrect and the amount of medicament infused cannot be accurately tracked
Solution Approach 1:
The medical pump automatically performs the flushing procedure without requiring manual intervention. The pump self-manages the flushing process by automatically infusing the pre-determined amount of saline and tracking the volume, eliminating the need for manual operation while maintaining accurate medicament tracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump uses feedback from the infusion procedure data to automatically determine and execute the appropriate flushing parameters. The system monitors the infusion volume and rate, then uses this information to calculate and perform the correct flushing volume, ensuring accurate tracking throughout the process.
2Measurement precision
If the medical pump is used to perform a second infusion-like procedure with flushing fluid, then the flushing procedure can be preprogrammed with a precise amount of saline, but the medical pump stops tracking the volume of medicament infused when the first infusion procedure ends
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the infusion procedure and flushing procedure into a single continuous tracking process. Instead of treating them as separate procedures that reset tracking, the system combines them under one unified control framework that maintains continuous volume tracking throughout both phases.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump's tracking system is designed to be universal, handling both medicament infusion and flushing fluid delivery through the same tracking mechanism. This multi-functional approach allows the system to track different types of fluid delivery without losing information or requiring separate tracking systems.
3Reliability
If the fluid line is removed for disposal after infusion, then the patient receives the intended medicament, but the medicament remaining in the fluid line is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of discarding the fluid line with remaining medicament, the system recovers the remaining medicament by flushing it out with saline. The flushing process pushes the residual medicament through the line and into the patient, ensuring complete delivery of the intended dose while the saline carries it through.
Solution Approach 2:
The flushing procedure extends the useful action of medicament delivery beyond the main infusion. By continuing to push fluid through the line after the primary infusion ends, the system ensures continuous and complete delivery of the medicament dose without interruption or waste.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the fluid line is left in place for a subsequent infusion procedure, then the fluid line is reused, but the remaining medicament from the prior procedure is pushed into the patient at the wrong time and may mix with the new medicament
Solution Approach 1:
The flushing saline acts as an intermediary substance between the old and new medicament infusions. It clears the fluid line of residual medicament from the first procedure before the second medicament is introduced, preventing unwanted mixing while allowing the fluid line to be reused.
Solution Approach 2:
The flushing procedure is performed as a preliminary action before the second medicament infusion begins. By clearing the line in advance, the system prevents potential contamination or mixing issues before they can occur, ensuring the fluid line is ready for the new medicament.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and medical pump to perform a flushing procedure are provided. The medical pump is configured to execute the flushing procedure subsequent to an infusion procedure, the flushing procedure and infusion procedure lacking a specified relationship between each other until after performance of the infusion procedure. The method comprises performing an infusion procedure of a medicament with the medical pump and automatically querying in human detectable form whether to execute a flushing procedure in response to conclusion of the infusion procedure.