Maternal Fetal Monitor Integrating Infusion Pump Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current monitoring systems during labor fail to effectively integrate uterine contraction monitoring with intravenous infusion pumps, leading to risks of excessive uterine contractions causing brain damage in newborns and postpartum hemorrhage in mothers, as they lack automatic safeguards to adjust or stop medication administration when contractions exceed predetermined thresholds.
Innovation Solution
A system integrating a maternal fetal monitor with an intravenous infusion pump that measures and displays uterine contraction parameters, automatically shutting off the pump when thresholds are exceeded, and allowing medical professionals to restart it with passcodes, ensuring safe administration of contraction-inducing drugs like Pitocin.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If medical professionals manually monitor uterine contractions and adjust Pitocin administration, then flexibility in managing labor is maintained, but the risk of excessive contractions causing brain damage in newborns and postpartum hemorrhage in mothers increases due to human error and delayed response
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by automatically monitoring uterine contraction parameters and regulating Pitocin infusion without requiring continuous manual intervention. The monitor autonomously detects contraction frequency and intensity, compares readings against predetermined safe thresholds, and automatically adjusts or stops medication administration when thresholds are exceeded, allowing the system to safeguard itself and the patient without constant professional oversight
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously measuring uterine contraction parameters, comparing real-time data against predetermined safe thresholds, and automatically adjusting Pitocin infusion rates based on the comparison. When contractions exceed safe thresholds, the system provides feedback by stopping infusion; when contractions return to safe levels, the system can resume administration, creating a closed-loop control system that dynamically responds to patient condition
2Reliability
If an integrated automated monitoring and control system is implemented, then the safety and reliability of maternal and fetal health is improved, but the device complexity and integration requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges previously separate devices (uterine contraction monitor and Pitocin infusion pump) into an integrated system where the monitor and pump communicate directly. The monitor is configured to directly control the infusion pump through automated threshold-based regulation, eliminating the need for separate manual monitoring and medication adjustment processes while reducing overall system complexity through functional integration
3Measurement precision
If predetermined thresholds are set to automatically stop Pitocin infusion, then the precision of contraction rate control is improved, but the loss of professional discretion in managing labor patterns increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary action by pre-establishing safe contraction thresholds based on medical guidelines before labor management begins. These predetermined thresholds serve as pre-programmed safety parameters that automatically trigger infusion adjustment, allowing the system to maintain precision in contraction rate control while professionals retain the ability to modify thresholds or override decisions when clinical judgment requires adaptation to unique patient circumstances
Data Source
AI summary
In part, the disclosure relates to a safety monitor and related methods to evaluate and manage intrapartum uterine contractions induced or augmented by Pitocin or other contraction inducing agents. The systems and methods include measuring a contraction parameter that may include one or more of frequency, strength, and duration of uterine contractions through a measurement device connected to a monitor. The systems and methods are programmed to stop the pump-based administration of a contraction inducing agent. Various lock out protocols and control over the ability to re-start a given pump are also described herein.