Angiographic Injector System with Multiple Processor Redundancy

Abstract

An angiographic injector system and a method of controllably delivering medical fluid to a patient from an angiographic injector system are disclosed. A multiple processor control system is used to actively control the injection process and to monitor sensed functions of the system. The multiple processors provide dual redundancy safety circuits for critical control functions such as syringe motor drive speed and current. A motor / servo-amplifier nested control function is also disclosed. A unique method and apparatus are disclosed for establishing injection parameter default values just prior to an injection procedure that are based on physiological values of the patient to be treated. The injector system uses an interactive display panel that presents sequenced set-up screens to the user and which enables the user to select injection procedures, parameters and other modes of operation directly through the interactive panel.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ filed on Oct. 24, 1997, entitled ANGIOGRAPHIC INJECTOR SYSTEM WITH AUTOMATIC HIGH / LOW PRESSURE SWITCHING which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08 / 946,293, filed on Oct. 7, 1997, which is a file wrapper continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08 / 426,148 filed on Apr. 20, 1995, which are all herein incorporated by reference. This application also incorporates by reference the contents of the following U.S. patent applications: Ser. No. ______, entitled Dual Port Syringe, filed on Oct. 24, 1997; Ser. No. ______, entitled Pneumatic Controller and Method, filed on Nov. 6, 1997; and Design application Ser. No. ______; entitled Hand-Held Pneumatic Control Device, filed on Nov. 6, 1997; all three of which are owned by a common assignee of this application.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]This invention relates genera...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013]This invention provides an automated angiographic injection system that is extremely flexible and user friendly and which provides real-time instantaneous injection parameter information to the operator. The system features a liquid crystal display screen that displays a sequence of calibration and start-up instructions to the operator without requiring additional manuals or hard copy instructions during such procedures. User communication with the system's microprocessor(s) is readily and accurately permitted through touch-responsive pads on the visual display. Since the system microprocessor(s) always includes the most updated system intelligence, there is no chance of operator error as a result of using outdated manuals. As the injection procedure progresses, the system microprocessor(s) instantaneously communicates with the operator, providing the operator with real-time information including the instantaneous value of the injection parameters and the cumulative volume of contrast material that has been injected into the patient. Such information prevents administration of toxic doses of the contrast material to the patient that might otherwise occur as a result of successive injections during an extended diagnostic or treatment procedure.

[0015]This invention further contemplates the system incorporating a plurality of active intelligence systems such as microprocessors, for providing simultaneous servicing of system sensors and dual redundancy safety feature for critical safety injection procedures. Such system enables redundant active decision-making capability that does not simply require termination of a function in the event of errant signals generated by one microprocessor. According to one aspect of the invention an injector system is provided that simultaneously uses an embedded core operating system particularly configured for sensing and hardware control, along with a personal computer (PC) based operating system that readily provides operator interface capabilities, for providing a multiple redundant intelligence control system.

[0016]According to yet a further aspect of the invention, control of the prime mover of the contrast material injecting syringe plunger is accurately and efficiently achieved with a commercially available servo amplifier and the use of unique nested control loops.

Problems solved by technology

Such manual systems typically do not accommodate any safety features such as the restriction or prevention of injections outside of predetermined injection parameters (such as rate or pressure), and generally do not include active sensors or alarms to detect air bubbles or other hazards.

Since the optimal flow rate can vary considerably between patients, the lack of ability of such prior art systems to vary the rate of injection during an injection procedure can result in suboptimal quality of angiographic studies.

Consequently, the initially selected volume or flow rate parameters for an injection of contrast material may be insufficient to outline a desired structure on an X-ray image, thereby necessitating another injection.

Conversely, an excessive flow rate may injure the cardiovascular vessel being injected, cause the catheter to be displaced relative to the patent or lead to toxic effects (such as abnormal heart rhythm) from contrast material overdose.

While the prior automated systems have significantly improved the accuracy and reliability of angiography injection procedures, the known systems have not been as user friendly as desired, have not had automated capability to determine default injection parameters unique to the physiology or other values of the patent to be treated, and have not incorporated pro-active safety features in their system designs.

Heretofore, such automated systems have not been particularly user friendly, but have required the operator or set-up technicians using the system to follow a set-up setup and initialization procedure according to instructions in a user manual.

Besides the nuisance factor associated with the care and handling of such manuals, it is possible to mistake a manual of one injector with that of another or to use an outdated manual that does not include the most current initialization procedures and / or parameters.

A further shortcoming of prior automated systems is that such systems do not maintain and display to the operator the actual real-time injection parameters existing at any instant of the injection procedure, or the cumulative amount of contrast material that has been administered to a patient from the beginning of the injection procedure, to the present.

A deficiency of such prior systems, however, is that such default and stored parameter values are arbitrarily determined and are not generally determined using unique properties or values or characteristics of the patient being treated.

Known automated injection systems also have not incorporated pro-active safety features in their system designs.

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