Systems and methods for intelligent gas source management
Inventors
Acker, Jaron M. • Tolmie, Craig R. • Roehl, Robin • Schmidt, Jeffrey • Milsap, Jeff
Assignees
Mallinckrodt Pharma IP Trading DAC • Therakos Inc • INO Therapeutics LLC • Mallinckrodt Critical Care Finance Inc
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Publication Number
US-10201674-B2
Publication Date
2019-02-12
Expiration Date
Abstract
Therapy gas delivery systems that provide run-time-to-empty information to a user of the system and methods for administering therapeutic gas to a patient. The therapeutic gas delivery system may include a gas pressure sensor attachable to a therapeutic gas source that communicates therapeutic gas pressure data to a therapeutic gas delivery system controller, a gas temperature sensor positioned to measure gas temperature in the therapeutic gas source that communicates therapeutic gas temperature data to the therapeutic gas delivery system controller, at least one flow controller that communicates therapeutic gas flow rate data to the therapeutic gas delivery system controller, at least one flow sensor that communicates flow rate data to the therapeutic gas delivery system controller, and at least one display that communicates run-time-to-empty to a user of the therapeutic gas delivery system. The therapeutic gas delivery system controller of the system includes a processor that executes an algorithm to calculate the run-time-to-empty from the data received from the gas pressure sensor, temperature sensor, flow controller and flow sensor, and directs the result to the display.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to an intelligent therapeutic gas delivery system for inhaled gases that calculates and displays a run-time-to-empty value. A gas supply subsystem includes a gas source coupling and a gas source valve having an open state and a closed state, with a gas pressure sensor adjacent to and in fluid communication with the gas source valve. The gas pressure sensor measures a gas pressure at the gas source coupling when the gas source valve is in the open state and communicates a pressure value to a therapeutic gas delivery system controller including a CPU.
The CPU calculates the run-time-to-empty value from a volume value, the pressure value, and an average therapeutic gas consumption rate calculated from a gas flow rate value communicated from a therapeutic gas flow controller, and one or more displays communicate with the controller and display the calculated run-time-to-empty value. The system also supports gas source metadata such as gas source volume and an identity of the therapeutic gas supplied by the therapeutic gas source, obtained via a gas source identifier and a reader.
The invention extends to multi-source and redundancy architectures, including multi-subsystem controller behavior and seamless cut-over between cylinders based on run-time-to-empty calculations, as well as primary delivery subsystems with confirmatory flow sensing. The system optionally includes a blending feature for wild stream blending with air/O2 and includes automated purging and pre-use performance verification processes using pressure/leak checks and ratio-metric sensor cross-validation with alarms and fallback to backup sensors when components fail.
Claims Coverage
The independent claims include a core therapeutic gas delivery system that calculates and displays run-time-to-empty, along with dependent claim refinements that add gas source identification, multi-source selection and transition logic, and primary/confirmatory flow sensor comparison logic. In total, the provided independent claim set corresponds to clm-00001 as the explicit independent claim text in the partial content.
Run-time-to-empty calculation from volume, pressure, and consumption rate
A therapeutic gas delivery system with a gas supply subsystem including a gas pressure sensor that measures a gas pressure at the gas source coupling when a gas source valve is in an open state, communicates the pressure value to a therapeutic gas delivery system controller, and a CPU configured to calculate a value for a run-time-to-empty from a volume value, the pressure value, and an average therapeutic gas consumption rate calculated from a gas flow rate value communicated from a therapeutic gas flow controller, wherein one or more displays display the calculated run-time-to-empty value.
Gas source identifier conveying volume and identity
The therapeutic gas delivery system includes a gas source identifier on the therapeutic gas source containing gas source volume and the identity of the therapeutic gas supplied by the therapeutic gas source, and a reader configured to obtain this identifying information when the gas source is properly coupled and send it to the therapeutic gas delivery system controller.
Multi-subsystem RTE-based cut-over selection using controller signaling
A therapeutic gas delivery system having two or more gas supply subsystems, where the controller calculates a run-time-to-empty value for each therapeutic gas source and signals the valve for the therapeutic gas source calculated to have a shortest run-time-to-empty value to transition to an open state.
Primary and confirmatory flow sensor comparison
A therapeutic gas delivery system where primary and confirmatory flow sensors measure gas flow when respective valves are open and send flow-rate values to the therapeutic gas delivery system controller, and the controller compares the two values to determine their difference.
Overall claim coverage centers on calculating run-time-to-empty using gas source volume and pressure together with an average therapeutic gas consumption rate derived from gas flow rate measurements, and displaying the calculated run-time-to-empty value. Dependent refinements in the provided claim excerpts further add gas source identification metadata, multi-source RTE-based valve opening selection, and primary/confirmatory flow sensor comparison logic to determine differences.
Stated Advantages
Displays a calculated run-time-to-empty value to a user.
Allows multi-source selection by transitioning to the therapeutic gas source with the shortest calculated run-time-to-empty value.
Supports flow verification by comparing primary and confirmatory flow sensor measurements to determine a difference.
Pre-use and run-time performance verification including pressure/leak checks and ratio-metric sensor cross-validation, with alarms and fallback to backup sensors when components fail.
Documented Applications
Therapeutic gas delivery for inhaled gases, including optional wild stream blending with air/O2 for respiratory use.
Multi-source management of therapeutic gas sources for transition between cylinders based on run-time-to-empty calculations.
Pre-use performance verification including pressure/leak checks and ratio-metric sensor cross-validation, with alarms and fallback to backup sensors when components fail.
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