Blockage detection in reduced pressure therapy

Inventors

BUSHKO, Justin A. • Jaecklein, William Joseph • Quintanar, Felix C. • ROUSEFF, Christopher Karl Walter

Assignees

Smith and Nephew Inc

Abstract

Embodiments of negative pressure wound therapy systems and methods for operating the systems are disclosed. In some embodiments, a system includes a pump assembly and a wound dressing configured to be positioned over a wound. The pump assembly and the wound dressing can be fluidically connected to facilitate delivery of negative pressure to a wound via a fluid flow path. The system can be configured to efficiently deliver negative pressure and to detect and indicate presence of conditions, such as a blockage in a fluid flow path. Monitoring of the conditions can be performed by detecting a level of activity of a pump of the pump assembly.

Core Innovation

The invention is directed to a negative pressure wound therapy apparatus that includes a source of negative pressure configured to provide negative pressure wound therapy to a wound via a fluid flow path, and control circuitry configured to operate the source. The control circuitry monitors a level of activity of the source of negative pressure and maintains a value in memory indicative of the level of activity, the value being represented by a number of bits.

The control circuitry determines that the memory value is saturated when the level of activity satisfies a preset threshold level of activity that corresponds to a maximum or minimum value representable with the number of bits. In response to determining that the value is saturated, the control circuitry detects a presence of an abnormal operating condition associated with provision of the negative pressure wound therapy to the wound and provides an indication responsive to the detection of the abnormal operating condition.

In particular implementations reflected in the dependent claim language, the abnormal operating condition corresponds to a blockage in the fluid flow path. The level of activity can be characterized by an actuator speed monitored by a tachometer, and saturation can be determined as a time-period condition. Dependent limitations also indicate that the control circuitry may provide an indication by activating at least one of a visual indicator, an audio indicator, or a tactile indicator.

Claims Coverage

The document contains two independent claims, apparatus and method. The coverage centers on an activity value maintained as a bit-represented memory value, a saturation determination relative to a preset activity threshold corresponding to a maximum or minimum representable value, and using saturation to detect an abnormal operating condition and provide an indication.

Overall, the claim set covers negative pressure wound therapy operation in which a bit-represented activity value is monitored and maintained, saturation is determined based on a preset threshold tied to a maximum or minimum representable value, and saturation triggers detection of an abnormal operating condition with a responsive indication. Dependent claim refinements specify that the abnormal condition may be a fluid flow path blockage, that activity may be characterized by actuator speed measured by a tachometer, that saturation determination may be time-based, and that the indication may be visual, audio, and/or tactile.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications