Intravenous liquid leveling device

摘要

The surface of the intravenous liquid in a container is maintained at substantially constant height above the patient by suspending the container from an elastic member which stretches along an axis other than the suspension axis for the container. In this manner, the total vertical length of the intravenous unit, including the container, the elastic member and the support hook, is minimized. In a particular embodiment the elastic member is a spring oriented substantially horizontal and combined with a pulley and idler roller to redirect the suspension cord for the intravenous liquid container. In another embodiment the spring is disposed vertically along an axis parallel to the suspension axis. An alarm circuit includes one or more micro switches which are actuated by the moveable spring-attached pulley to provide an audible or visible alarm indication when the suspension spring retracts to a specified position, thereby indicating that the intravenous container is approaching an empty condition.