Intravenous infusion monitoring apparatus, system and method

摘要

An intravenous infusion system that shows infusion flow rate, volume of medication infused, and alarming during malfunction. User intervention to adjust flow rates deviation is possible, using the data already stored in the system prior to the onset of making the adjustment. The system detects flow rate by measuring temperature dynamics in a section of the fluid path, unlike other systems that measures the electromechanical output of the pumping source if the counting of drops is not possible. This fundamental difference allows the invention to be used in any system that has a pumping source that provides a continuous fluid path as it measures actual flow of fluid in a segment of the fluid path, independent of pumping mechanism design.

主权项

1. A device for measuring flow rate of a fluid passing through a fluid channel, the device comprising:
a housing having a coupling interface to which the fluid channel is attachable; a thermal source disposed in the housing and adjacent to the coupling interface at a first location, wherein the thermal source is to emit a first thermal signal from the coupling interface into the fluid channel; a first thermal sensor disposed in the housing and adjacent to the coupling interface at a second location spaced apart from the first location with a first interval; wherein the first thermal sensor is to receive a first thermal signal at the coupling interface from the fluid channel; a microprocessor disposed in the housing and coupled to the thermal source and the first thermal sensor, wherein the microprocessor is to record a first instant at which the first thermal signal is emitted from the thermal source, a second instant at which a second thermal signal is received by the thermal sensor, and to determine the flow rate based on said first interval, the first instant, the first thermal signal, the second instant and the second thermal signal characterized in that the fluid channel includes a tubular member; the device includes a first plate and a second plate connected to each other with the tubular member sandwiched therebetween; wherein the tubular member being resiliently deformable, a distance between the first plate and the second plate is less than an external diameter of the tubular member such that the tubular member is compressed between the first plate and the second plate.