Health checks for infusion pump communications systems
Inventors
Xavier, Ben • Krabbe, Dennis • Enger, Larry • Deosthale, Chaitanya • Isensee, Anthony
Assignees
Interested in licensing this patent?
MTEC can help explore whether this patent might be available for licensing for your application.
Publication Number
US-12755827-B2
Publication Date
2026-10-06
Expiration Date
Abstract
A distributed system can include a server outside of a clinical environment and a connectivity adapter and a plurality of infusion pumps within the clinical environment. The connectivity adapter can monitor microservices that measure the quality of connectivity adapter's performance. If the performance is below a threshold level, a message indicating poor performance can be sent to the server. The message can be sent when a prior message relating to poor performance has not already been sent within a predetermined time period.
Core Innovation
The claimed apparatus and method receive messages over a first communication channel in a clinical environment and transmit operational software updates, drug library updates, or both to infusion pumps over a second communication channel. The system monitors parameters associated with microservices, determines when a parameter exceeds a threshold without a corresponding indication in messages during a first time period, formats and transmits an alert, and resets an associated microservice.
The connectivity adapter caches drug library or operational software updates and distributes them to infusion pumps using staged notifications and block streaming. The architecture includes a clinical environment, a cloud environment, a cache, and separate messaging and data channels, supporting server-mediated status requests, status message analysis, and apparatus reboot.
Claims Coverage
The two independent claims cover an apparatus and a method, represented by four inventive features across independent and dependent claims.
Clinical apparatus for update transmission and microservice monitoring
Claim 1 recites an apparatus that receives messages over a first communication channel and transmits operational software updates, drug library updates, or both to infusion pumps over a second communication channel. The apparatus monitors parameters associated with microservices, detects a parameter exceeding a threshold when messages in a first time period exclude an indication of that condition, formats and transmits an alert message, and resets an associated microservice.
Method for update transmission and microservice monitoring
Claim 11 recites receiving clinical messages over a first communication channel, transmitting operational software updates, drug library updates, or both to infusion pumps over a second communication channel, and monitoring parameters associated with microservices. The method determines that a parameter exceeds a threshold without a corresponding indication in messages during a first time period, formats and transmits an indicating message, and resets an associated microservice.
Monitoring specified operational parameters
Dependent claims identify monitored parameters including queue size, latency, memory size, disk space, number of connected devices, and CPU time, and recite microservices creating containers of unstructured data associated with a monitored parameter.
Server-mediated status and response functions
Dependent claims recite a server receiving a user request for apparatus status, requesting parameter status from the apparatus, analyzing transmitted messages, and causing a microservice reset or apparatus reboot.
The independent claims cover apparatus and method implementations combining clinical message handling, infusion-pump update transmission, microservice parameter monitoring, threshold-related alerting, and microservice reset, with dependent claims specifying monitored parameters and server-mediated control.
Stated Advantages
Staged notifications and block streaming reduce network congestion during delivery of updates to infusion pumps.
Documented Applications
Transmission, caching, and distribution of operational software updates, drug library updates, or both to one or more infusion pumps in a clinical environment.
Monitoring microservice parameters associated with apparatus functionality, including communicating threshold-breach messages, server-mediated status requests, and status message analysis with a cloud server.
Interested in licensing this patent?