PD Machine Docking Station for Remote Prescription Updates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing peritoneal dialysis (PD) machines have varying hardware and connectivity capabilities, making it difficult to implement across-the-board updates and functionality, and patients often need to manually manage treatment cycles, which is time-consuming and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
An automated PD system with a docking station that provides power and data communication to PD machines, supporting multiple connectors for peripheral devices and enabling wireless communication, allowing seamless integration with medical monitors and remote data platforms, and facilitating automatic treatment prescription updates without requiring machine upgrades.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If across-the-board updates and functionality are implemented in PD machines, then system capability and intelligence are improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a docking station as an intermediary device that houses the complex processing unit, memory, and communication interfaces. This mediator handles data processing, prescription management, and connectivity functions externally, allowing the PD machine itself to remain relatively simple while still providing advanced capabilities through the docking station's resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The docking station is designed as a universal platform that can interface with multiple different PD machines and provide various functions including data processing, communication, prescription management, and monitoring. This multi-functional approach allows system capability to be improved without adding corresponding complexity to each individual PD machine.
2Ease of operation
If manual treatment cycle management is required, then device complexity is reduced, but ease of operation and patient convenience deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The PD machine is designed to automatically perform treatment cycles without requiring manual patient operation. The machine self-manages the dialysis process based on prescriptions stored in memory, automatically initiating and controlling treatment sequences. This self-service capability improves patient convenience by eliminating manual management while the automation handles the complexity internally.
Solution Approach 2:
Treatment prescriptions are pre-configured and stored in the system's memory before treatment begins. The machine retrieves and executes these pre-prepared treatment sequences automatically, eliminating the need for real-time manual decision-making during treatment while maintaining simple operation for the patient.
3Reliability
If frequent PD treatments are performed, then health outcomes are improved, but loss of time for treatment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The automated PD system enables continuous or near-continuous treatment cycles to be performed without interruption or manual setup time between sessions. The machine can automatically sequence multiple treatment cycles back-to-back, maximizing the frequency of beneficial treatments while minimizing the non-treatment time required for manual operations between sessions.
Data Source
AI summary
A peritoneal dialysis (“PD”) system includes a PD machine and a docking station connected to the PD machine via a power cord. The docking station includes a plurality of connectors configured to receive a cable of one or more wired peripheral entity, a transceiver for wireless communication with one or more wireless peripheral entity, and a power supply rated to power the PD machine during a PD treatment that includes batch or inline PD fluid heating.