Universal Gripper for Automated Pharmacy Admixture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for preparing and handling medicinal admixtures in hospital pharmacies are labor-intensive and lack the precision and efficiency needed for accurately mixing and dispensing medications, particularly for individualized prescriptions, due to the variability in sizes and shapes of IV bags, syringes, and vials.
Innovation Solution
An Automated Pharmacy Admixture System (APAS) that includes a manipulator for transporting and mixing medical containers, equipped with a gripper assembly to handle containers of varying shapes and sizes, and a carousel transport system to convey items to aseptic admixing chambers, allowing for precise and efficient preparation of medications in IV bags, syringes, or vials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual methods are used to prepare and handle medicinal admixtures, then flexibility in handling various container formats is maintained, but labor intensity increases and precision decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper assembly is designed with multiple degrees of freedom and adjustable gripping mechanisms that can universally handle various container formats including IV bags, syringes, and vials. This multi-functional design allows the automated system to perform multiple handling operations with a single device, improving productivity without requiring separate manual operations for each container type.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an automated manipulator system as an intermediary between the pharmacist and the medication containers. This intermediary device performs the labor-intensive handling tasks while allowing the pharmacist to maintain control through programming and monitoring, thus improving efficiency without completely eliminating human oversight.
2Measurement precision
If automated systems are implemented to improve precision and efficiency, then medication preparation accuracy increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The automated system is segmented into modular components including the manipulator, gripper assembly, admixture chamber, and transport system. Each module performs a specific function and can be independently controlled or replaced. This segmentation reduces overall system complexity by breaking down the complex automated system into manageable, functionally-specific units that work together to achieve precise medication preparation.
3Reliability
If manual handling of various container sizes and shapes is performed, then adaptability to different formats is maintained, but human error increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gripper assembly incorporates dynamic adjustment capabilities with multiple degrees of freedom that allow it to adapt to different container sizes, shapes, and formats. The gripping force and positioning can be dynamically adjusted based on the specific container being handled, maintaining versatility while eliminating human error through automated control.
4Productivity
If batch preparation of similar medications is performed, then productivity increases for standard prescriptions, but precision may be compromised for individualized prescriptions
Solution Approach 1:
The automated system allows for dynamic parameter changes in the preparation process based on the specific prescription requirements. For batch processing of similar medications, standardized parameters are used to maintain efficiency, while for individualized prescriptions, parameters such as dosage volume, mixing ratios, and container selection can be precisely adjusted to meet specific patient needs, ensuring both productivity and precision.
Data Source
AI summary
An Automated Pharmacy Admixture System (APAS) may include a manipulator that transports medical containers such as bags, vials, or syringes about a substantially aseptic admixing chamber. In a preferred implementation, a gripper assembly is configured to substantially universally grasp and retain syringes, IV bags, and vials of varying shapes and sizes. In an illustrative embodiment, a gripping device may include claws configured to grasp a plurality of different types of IV bags, each type having a different fill port configuration. Embodiments may include a controller adapted to actuate a transport assembly to place a fill port of the bag, vial or syringe into register with a filling port such as a cannula located at a filling station, or be equipped with carousel transport systems that are adapted to convey bags, vials, and syringes to the admixture system and deliver constituted medications in bags, vials or syringes to an egress area.