JP7615751B2 - Syringe pump and program - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a syringe pump.

Various techniques have been proposed for detecting blockages in fluid paths in syringe pumps used for drug administration, etc. For example, JP2007-528236A (Patent Document 1) discloses a syringe pump that stores various parameters. In Patent Document 1, the various parameters include a blockage detection time, and if a given gradient in the pressure of the fluid path is maintained for more than the blockage detection time, the syringe pump generates an alarm for a line blockage.

Special Publication No. 2007-528236

In a syringe pump, the circumstances under which an occlusion alarm should be generated should be set according to the usage conditions of the syringe pump, such as the sliding resistance of each syringe, but Patent Document 1 does not consider this point.

This disclosure was conceived in light of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a technique for detecting blockage of a fluid path in a manner that corresponds to the usage state of a syringe pump.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a syringe pump including a support unit that supports at least a portion of a syringe, a reading unit that acquires information from a display element of the syringe supported by the support unit, and a control unit that acquires a warning pressure value associated with the syringe identified by the information read by the reading unit by accessing one or more databases that associate information identifying the syringe with warning pressure values, and the control unit outputs a warning when the pressure in the flow path of the drug filled in the syringe supported by the support unit is equal to or greater than the acquired warning pressure value.

The syringe pump may further include a drive unit that moves the plunger rod of the syringe. When the pressure is equal to or greater than the warning pressure value, the control unit may drive the drive unit to move the plunger rod so as to reduce the internal pressure of the syringe.

The one or more databases may include a first database that associates syringe-related conditions with individual syringes, and a second database that associates a warning pressure value with the syringe-related conditions. Obtaining the warning pressure value may include accessing the first database to obtain a syringe-related condition associated with the syringe identified by the information read by the reading unit, and accessing the second database to obtain a warning pressure value associated with the obtained syringe-related condition.

The conditions regarding the syringe may include the type of drug filled in the syringe, the shape or type of material of the gasket part of the syringe, the type of coating material on the inside of the syringe barrel, the sterilization method of the syringe, or a combination of these.

The control unit may report an error if the syringe cannot be identified based on the information read by the reading unit while the support unit is supporting the syringe.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a program that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to execute the steps of: acquiring information from a display element of a syringe supported by a support portion of a syringe pump; acquiring a warning pressure value associated with a syringe identified by the read information by accessing one or more databases that associate information identifying the syringe with warning pressure values; and outputting a warning when the pressure in a flow path of a drug filled in a syringe supported by the support portion is equal to or greater than the acquired warning pressure value.

According to the present disclosure, information identifying the syringe is read from the display element of the syringe, and a warning pressure value associated with the information is obtained. Then, when the internal pressure of the syringe reaches or exceeds the obtained warning pressure value, a warning is output. This makes it possible to detect blockage of the fluid path of the drug in the syringe based on the warning pressure value set for each syringe.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a syringe pump and a syringe attached to the syringe pump. 2 is a plan view of the syringe pump of FIG. 1 as viewed from the direction of arrow II. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which a syringe is attached to the syringe pump of FIG. 1 . 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the syringe pump 100. FIG. 1A to 1C are diagrams for explaining a method for detecting an occlusion in a fluid path of a drug filled in a syringe 10 by a syringe pump 100. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of a database of warning pressure values. 13 is a flowchart of a process for outputting a warning regarding a blockage of a fluid path of a drug filled in a syringe 10. 13 is a diagram for explaining the movement direction of the drive unit 120 in step S20. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a connection mode between the syringe pump 100 and an external computer. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a data structure of a first database. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a data structure of a second database.

Below, one embodiment of a syringe pump will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, identical parts and components are given the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, their description will not be repeated.

[External appearance of syringe pump]
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a syringe pump and a syringe attached to the syringe pump. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the syringe pump of Fig. 1 as seen from the direction of arrow II. Fig. 3 is a view showing a state in which a syringe is attached to the syringe pump of Fig. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the syringe pump 100 is a syringe pump applied to a syringe 10. The syringe 10 includes a barrel 20 and a plunger rod 30.

The barrel 20 has a generally cylindrical outer shape. A liquid inlet 22 is provided at the tip of the barrel 20. A first flange 21 is provided at the rear end of the barrel 20. The barrel 20 is made of a transparent or translucent resin such as polypropylene. A lubricating oil such as silicone oil may be applied to the inner peripheral surface of the barrel 20. The inside of the barrel 20 is filled with the medicinal liquid.

The barrel 20 includes a display element 19 that displays unique information about the syringe 10. The display element 19 may be, for example, an integrated circuit (IC) chip such as a radio frequency identifier (RFID) tag, or a label with a quick response (QR) code printed on it. The display element 19 may be attached to the barrel 20, or may be configured as a part of the barrel 20.

The plunger rod 30 is fitted inside the barrel 20 and has a second flange 31 at its rear end. A gasket portion 32 that slides against the inner circumferential surface of the barrel 20 is provided at the tip side of the plunger rod 30. The gasket portion 32 is made of an elastic material such as vulcanized rubber or thermoplastic elastomer. The rest of the plunger rod 30 other than the gasket portion 32 is made of a resin such as polypropylene.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the syringe pump 100 includes a barrel receiving portion 110, a groove portion 111, a drive portion 120, and an operation panel 180.

The barrel 20 is placed on the barrel receiving part 110. The barrel receiving part 110 has a concave part that contacts the lower part of the outer circumferential surface of the barrel 20. The groove part 111 is provided at the rear end of the barrel receiving part 110. The first flange 21 is inserted into the groove part 111. The barrel receiving part 110 and the groove part 111 are formed by integral molding.

The driving unit 120 has a pressing surface 121 that presses the second flange 31, and a movable claw portion 122 that holds the second flange 31 by clamping it against the pressing surface 121. The movable claw portion 122 is biased in a direction approaching the pressing surface 121 by a biasing mechanism such as a spring. The driving unit 120 holds the plunger rod 30 so that it can move toward the barrel 20. When the driving unit 120 moves the plunger rod 30 toward the barrel 20, the medicinal liquid in the barrel 20 is injected into the tube from the injection port 22.

The drive unit 120 further has a clutch lever 123 for manually adjusting the position of the drive unit 120 itself and the position of the movable claw portion 122 in the extension direction of the plunger rod 30 when attaching or detaching the plunger rod 30. Specifically, by rotating the clutch lever 123 in one direction, the drive unit 120 enters a locked state in which manual movement is restricted, and the movable claw portion 122 is maintained in a state in which it is biased toward the pressing surface 121. By rotating the clutch lever 123 in the other direction, the drive unit 120 enters an unlocked state, and the movable claw portion 122 is moved away from the pressing surface 121 against the biasing force.

The configuration of the drive unit 120 is not limited to the above, and the drive unit 120 may have a pressing surface 121 that presses the second flange 31, and a fixed claw portion that houses the second flange 31 between the pressing surface 121.

In this embodiment, the syringe pump 100 further includes a barrel holding portion 112. The barrel holding portion 112 is connected to a rotation shaft 113 so as to rotate in the vertical direction above the barrel receiving portion 110. When the barrel holding portion 112 is rotated down, it holds the barrel 20 placed on the barrel receiving portion 110. In this embodiment, the barrel receiving portion 110 is an example of a support portion that supports at least a portion of the syringe 10, and the barrel holding portion 112 is another example of the support portion. Note that the barrel holding portion 112 does not necessarily have to be provided.

The operation panel 180 includes a display that shows the status of the syringe pump 100, and operation buttons that are operated by a user (e.g., a medical professional).

The syringe pump 100 further includes a reader/writer 190. The reader/writer 190 is positioned to read information about the position facing the display element 19 of the syringe 10 when it is attached to the syringe pump 100.

As shown primarily in FIG. 3, the inlet 22 of the syringe 10 is connected to a tube 901, a transducer 200 is disposed between the tubes 901 and 902, a three-way stopcock 300 is disposed between the tubes 902 and 903, and the tube 903 extends toward a needle (not shown) that is inserted into the patient.

[Block configuration of syringe pump]
Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a control system of the syringe pump 100. As shown in Fig. 4, the syringe pump 100 includes a control unit 150 that controls the operation of the syringe pump 100. The control unit 150 includes a processor 151 that executes a program for controlling the operation of the syringe pump 100, and a memory 152 for storing various data including the program. Note that in the syringe pump 100, the process for controlling the operation may be executed by a dedicated circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA).

The control unit 150 controls the operation of the drive unit 120 and the display of the operation panel 180. The drive unit 120 may include a motor for moving the drive unit 120 itself, and the control unit 150 may control the operation of the motor. In addition, in response to the operation of an operation button on the operation panel 180, the control unit 150 executes an operation according to the type of the button operated.

The syringe pump 100 further includes an alarm unit 160 that performs an alarm operation. The alarm unit 160 may be a warning lamp, a speaker that outputs sound, or a combination of these. The control unit 150 notifies information such as a warning via the alarm unit 160.

The syringe pump 100 further includes a start switch 170. The control unit 150 switches the operation of the syringe pump 100 between ON and OFF in response to the start switch 170 being operated by the user.

The control unit 150 acquires the information read by the reader/writer 190 and acquires the ID of the syringe 10 attached to the syringe pump 100 from the information.

The control unit 150 is connected to the transducer 200, and determines the pressure in the tube 901, i.e., the internal pressure of the syringe 10, based on the signal output from the transducer 200. Note that the transducer 200 is an example of a means for measuring pressure. The internal pressure of the syringe 10 may be measured using other types of hardware elements.

[Occlusion Detection by Syringe Pump 100]
5 is a diagram for explaining a method for detecting an occlusion in the fluid path of the drug filled in the syringe 10 by the syringe pump 100. In the graph shown in Fig. 5, the vertical axis represents the internal pressure of the syringe 10, and the horizontal axis represents the elapsed time from the start of delivery of the drug in the syringe 10.

In FIG. 5, the value Px is the warning pressure value set for the syringe 10. The line L1 shows an example of the change in the internal pressure of the syringe 10.

In line L1, the internal pressure reaches a value Px when a time Tx has elapsed since the start of drug delivery. When the internal pressure reaches the value Px, the syringe pump 100 outputs a warning in the notification unit 160 indicating that the fluid path is blocked.

[Warning pressure value database]
6 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of the database of warning pressure values. The database of warning pressure values may be stored in memory 152 or in any storage device accessible to processor 151.

The database of warning pressure values includes four types of items (syringe ID, drug name, capacity, and warning pressure value). The syringe ID identifies each syringe. The drug name indicates the name of the drug filled in the syringe. The capacity indicates the capacity of the drug contained in the syringe. The warning pressure value indicates a warning pressure value that is preset for each syringe. Note that this database may also include other items such as gasket shape, gasket material, and sterilization method.

In the example of FIG. 6, the syringe identified by the syringe ID "1000101" is filled with a volume of "45 ml" of a drug identified by the drug name "A." A warning pressure value "Px" is set for this syringe.

[Process flow]
Fig. 7 is a flowchart of a process for outputting a warning regarding a blockage of a fluid path of a drug filled in the syringe 10. The syringe pump 100 may realize the process of Fig. 7 by causing the processor 151 to execute a given program.

In step S10, the syringe pump 100 determines whether or not an instruction to start administering a drug has been issued. The syringe pump 100 may determine that an instruction to start administering a drug has been issued in response to an operation of a given operation button in the operation panel 180. The syringe pump 100 maintains control at step S10 until it determines that an instruction to start administering a drug has been issued (NO in step S10), and when it determines that an instruction to start administering a drug has been issued (YES in step S10), it advances control to step S12.

In parallel with the process shown in FIG. 7, the syringe pump 100 starts a process for administering a drug in response to an instruction to start administering the drug. In this process, for example, the drive unit 120 is driven in accordance with a drug administration schedule. As a result, the drug filled in the syringe 10 is administered to the patient via the tube 91 or the like in accordance with the schedule.

In step S12, the syringe pump 100 extracts the syringe ID from the information read from the display element 19 of the syringe 10 by the reader/writer 190.

In step S14, the syringe pump 100 obtains the warning pressure value associated with the syringe ID obtained in step S12 by referring to the database of warning pressure values.

In step S16, the syringe pump 100 acquires a signal from the transducer 200 and determines the internal pressure of the syringe 10 from the acquired signal.

In step S18, the syringe pump 100 determines whether the internal pressure determined in step S16 is equal to or greater than the warning pressure value obtained in step S14. If the internal pressure is equal to or greater than the warning pressure value (YES in step S18), the syringe pump 100 advances control to step S20; if not (NO in step S18), the syringe pump 100 returns control to step S16.

In step S20, the syringe pump 100 outputs a warning indicating a blockage of the fluid path from the notification unit 160. The warning may be visual (illumination of a lamp), audible (output of a voice), a combination of these, or output in other manners.

In step S22, the syringe pump 100 drives the drive unit 120 to move the plunger rod 30 a given distance in a direction in which the pressure in the barrel 20 (the internal pressure of the syringe 10) decreases (see FIG. 8, described later). The syringe pump 100 then ends the process of FIG. 7.

Figure 8 is a diagram for explaining the movement direction of the drive unit 120 in step S20. In Figure 8, arrow A1 is shown as the movement direction of the drive unit 120 in step S20. Arrow A1 represents the movement direction of the plunger rod 30, which increases the volume of the space formed by the barrel 20 and the gasket portion 32.

The syringe pump 100 described above reads information from the display element 19 of the syringe 10, extracts the syringe ID from the read information, obtains a warning pressure value associated with the extracted syringe ID, and outputs a warning when the internal pressure of the syringe 10 is equal to or greater than the obtained warning pressure value. This allows an appropriate value to be set for each syringe as the threshold value for the internal pressure of the syringe for warning of blockage, even if the sliding resistance differs for each syringe.

When an instruction to start administering the drug in the syringe 10 is received (YES in step S10), the syringe pump 100 may output an error from the notification unit 160 if the syringe ID cannot be extracted due to a failure to read the display element 19, for example.

[Modification of system configuration]
In the above description, the process of Fig. 7 may be executed by a computer connected to the syringe pump 100. Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining a connection mode between the syringe pump 100 and an external computer.

FIG. 9 shows a computer 500 as an example of an information processing device that controls the operation of the syringe pump 100. The computer 500 is an alternative to the control unit 150 (FIG. 4) and includes a processor 501 and a memory 502. The computer 500 may realize the processing of FIG. 7 by causing the processor 501 to execute a given program. The computer 500 may include a dedicated circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA that executes the processing of FIG. 7.

[Modification of the method for obtaining the warning pressure value]
The warning pressure value may be set in association with conditions related to the syringe (such as the type of drug filled in the syringe, the shape or material of the gasket portion, the type of coating on the inside of the barrel, the sterilization method of the syringe, or a combination of these).

For example, when a certain syringe is filled with a certain drug in a hospital, the user registers information about the syringe and information about the drug in a database in association with the syringe ID. The syringe pump 100 (or the computer 500) identifies conditions related to the syringe 10 (such as the type of drug filled, the shape or type of material of the gasket part, the type of coating agent on the inside of the barrel, the sterilization method of the syringe 10, or a combination of these) from the syringe ID of the syringe 10 attached to the syringe pump 100. The syringe pump 100 (or the computer 500) then acquires a warning pressure value associated with the identified conditions, and outputs a warning if the internal pressure of the syringe 10 is equal to or greater than the warning pressure value. The syringe pump 100 may acquire conditions related to the syringe 10 by acquiring information associated with the syringe ID in a first database such as that shown in FIG. 10. The conditions related to the syringe 10 may be identified from an element (such as an IC tag) attached to the syringe 10, and the syringe pump 100 may obtain the conditions related to the syringe 10 directly from the element attached to the syringe 10.

Figure 10 is a diagram showing the data structure of the first database. Figure 11 is a diagram showing the data structure of the second database. The first database associates syringe-related conditions with individual syringes. The second database associates warning pressure values with syringe-related conditions. The first database and the second database are stored, for example, in memory 152. Note that the first database and the second database may be stored in different storage devices, such as the first database being stored in a server in a hospital and the second database being stored in memory 152.

As shown in FIG. 10, the first database includes three items (syringe ID, drug name, and gasket material). The syringe ID identifies each syringe. The drug name indicates the name of the drug filled in each syringe. The gasket material indicates the material of the gasket of each syringe.

The example in Figure 10 shows that a syringe identified by S(1) is filled with a drug identified by M(1), and the material of the gasket portion of the syringe identified by S(1) is G(1).

As shown in FIG. 11, the second database stores warning pressure values in a matrix for two items (drug name and gasket material). In the example of FIG. 11, for example, if the drug filled in the syringe is M(1) and the material of the gasket of the syringe is G(1), a value P(1,1) is set as the warning pressure value.

In one implementation example, the medical professional registers in the first database that the syringe S(1) has been filled with the drug M(1). The medical professional further registers in the first database the material G(1) of the gasket portion of the syringe S(1). Instead of the material G(1) of the gasket portion, the medical professional may register other types of information that identify the material of the gasket portion, such as the product number of the syringe S(1). The computer managing the first database may identify the material of the gasket portion from the information registered by the medical professional and register the identified gasket material in the first database.

The first database is stored in a server in the hospital. In response to S(1), M(1), and G(1) being registered in the first database, a computer in the hospital outputs a display element including the ID of syringe S(1). A medical professional attaches the output display element to syringe S(1).

When the syringe S(1) is attached to the syringe pump 100, the syringe pump 100 reads information from the display element attached to the syringe S(1) and extracts the ID of the syringe S(1), i.e., "S(1)", from the read information. The syringe pump 100 then uses the extracted "S(1)" to obtain the warning pressure value, as described as step S13. Obtaining the warning pressure value includes two steps.

As a first step, the syringe pump 100 refers to the first database to obtain the drug name (M(1)) and the material (G(1)) of the gasket part associated with the syringe identified by "S(1)."

In the second step, the syringe pump 100 refers to the second database to obtain a warning pressure value (P(1)) corresponding to the combination of the drug name (M(1)) and the gasket material (G(1)) obtained as described above.

In the above example, a combination of two types of information (the name of the drug filled in the syringe and the material of the gasket part of the syringe) is used as the syringe-related condition used to identify the warning pressure value. That is, the first database associates two types of information with a syringe ID, and the second database specifies the warning pressure value corresponding to the two types of information. Note that the syringe-related condition may be one type of information, or a combination of three or more types of information.

The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

10 Syringe, 19 Display element, 20 Barrel, 30 Plunger rod, 32 Gasket part, 100 Syringe pump, 110 Barrel receiving part, 112 Barrel holding part, 120 Drive part, 150 Control unit, 200 Transducer, 300 Three-way stopcock, 500 Computer, 901, 902, 903 Tube.

Claims (5)

A support portion that supports at least a portion of the syringe;
a reading unit that acquires information from a display element of the syringe supported by the support unit;
a control unit that accesses one or more databases that associate information identifying a syringe with a warning pressure value, to obtain a warning pressure value associated with the syringe identified by the information read by the reading unit;
the control unit outputs a warning when a pressure in a flow path of the medicine filled in the syringe supported by the support unit is equal to or higher than the acquired warning pressure value;
The one or more databases include:
a first database associating syringe related conditions with individual syringes;
a second database relating warning pressure values to conditions relating to the syringe;
Including,
Obtaining the warning pressure value includes:
accessing the first database to obtain a condition related to the syringe associated with the syringe identified by the information read by the reading unit;
accessing the second database to obtain a warning pressure value associated with the obtained condition for the syringe;
Including,
A syringe pump , wherein the conditions regarding the syringe include a type of drug filled in the syringe . A drive unit that moves a plunger rod of the syringe supported by the support unit,
The syringe pump according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit drives the drive unit to move a plunger rod so as to reduce the internal pressure of the syringe when the pressure is equal to or greater than the warning pressure value. 3. The syringe pump according to claim 1 , wherein the conditions related to the syringe further include a shape or type of material of a gasket portion of the syringe, a type of coating material on the inside of the barrel of the syringe, a sterilization method of the syringe, or a combination thereof. The syringe pump according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the control unit notifies an error when the syringe cannot be identified based on the information read by the reading unit while the support unit is supporting the syringe. When executed by a computer, the program causes the computer to:
obtaining information from a display element of a syringe supported by a support of the syringe pump;
obtaining a warning pressure value associated with the syringe identified by the retrieved information by accessing one or more databases that associate the syringe identifying information with warning pressure values;
outputting a warning when a pressure in a flow path of a drug filled in the syringe supported by the support unit is equal to or higher than the acquired warning pressure value;
Run the command ,
The one or more databases include:
a first database associating syringe related conditions with individual syringes;
a second database relating warning pressure values to conditions relating to the syringe;
Including,
The step of obtaining a warning pressure value includes:
accessing the first database to obtain a condition related to the syringe associated with the syringe identified by the information read by the reading unit;
accessing the second database to obtain a warning pressure value associated with the obtained condition for the syringe;
Including,
The condition regarding the syringe includes a type of drug filled in the syringe .

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