US20050038389A1 - Injector - Google Patents

Injector Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US20050038389A1
US20050038389A1 US10/948,921 US94892104A US2005038389A1 US 20050038389 A1 US20050038389 A1 US 20050038389A1 US 94892104 A US94892104 A US 94892104A US 2005038389 A1 US2005038389 A1 US 2005038389A1
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
injector
syringe
powerhead
drive ram
injection
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US10/948,921
Inventor
Frank Fago
Charles Neer
Jonathon Gibbs
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Liebel Flarsheim Co LLC
Original Assignee
Mallinckrodt Inc
Liebel Flarsheim Co LLC
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Mallinckrodt Inc, Liebel Flarsheim Co LLC filed Critical Mallinckrodt Inc
Priority to US10/948,921 priority Critical patent/US20050038389A1/en
Publication of US20050038389A1 publication Critical patent/US20050038389A1/en
Assigned to LIEBEL-FLARSHEIM COMPANY reassignment LIEBEL-FLARSHEIM COMPANY ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: MALLINCKRODT INC.
Priority to US12/247,601 priority patent/US20090036771A1/en
Priority to US13/080,499 priority patent/US8882704B2/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M5/00Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests
    • A61M5/14Infusion devices, e.g. infusing by gravity; Blood infusion; Accessories therefor
    • A61M5/142Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps
    • A61M5/145Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps using pressurised reservoirs, e.g. pressurised by means of pistons
    • A61M5/1452Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps using pressurised reservoirs, e.g. pressurised by means of pistons pressurised by means of pistons
    • A61M5/14546Front-loading type injectors
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M5/00Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests
    • A61M5/178Syringes
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M5/00Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests
    • A61M5/178Syringes
    • A61M5/20Automatic syringes, e.g. with automatically actuated piston rod, with automatic needle injection, filling automatically
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M5/00Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests
    • A61M5/178Syringes
    • A61M5/31Details
    • A61M5/315Pistons; Piston-rods; Guiding, blocking or restricting the movement of the rod or piston; Appliances on the rod for facilitating dosing ; Dosing mechanisms
    • A61M5/31525Dosing
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61BDIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B6/00Apparatus for radiation diagnosis, e.g. combined with radiation therapy equipment
    • A61B6/54Control of apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis
    • A61B6/548Remote control of the apparatus or devices
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M5/00Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests
    • A61M5/14Infusion devices, e.g. infusing by gravity; Blood infusion; Accessories therefor
    • A61M2005/1401Functional features
    • A61M2005/1402Priming
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M5/00Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests
    • A61M5/14Infusion devices, e.g. infusing by gravity; Blood infusion; Accessories therefor
    • A61M2005/1401Functional features
    • A61M2005/1403Flushing or purging
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M5/00Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests
    • A61M5/14Infusion devices, e.g. infusing by gravity; Blood infusion; Accessories therefor
    • A61M5/142Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps
    • A61M5/145Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps using pressurised reservoirs, e.g. pressurised by means of pistons
    • A61M5/1452Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps using pressurised reservoirs, e.g. pressurised by means of pistons pressurised by means of pistons
    • A61M5/14546Front-loading type injectors
    • A61M2005/14553Front-loading type injectors comprising a pressure jacket
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M2205/00General characteristics of the apparatus
    • A61M2205/33Controlling, regulating or measuring
    • A61M2205/3317Electromagnetic, inductive or dielectric measuring means
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M2205/00General characteristics of the apparatus
    • A61M2205/33Controlling, regulating or measuring
    • A61M2205/3331Pressure; Flow
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M2205/00General characteristics of the apparatus
    • A61M2205/35Communication
    • A61M2205/3546Range
    • A61M2205/3561Range local, e.g. within room or hospital
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M2205/00General characteristics of the apparatus
    • A61M2205/35Communication
    • A61M2205/3546Range
    • A61M2205/3569Range sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M2205/00General characteristics of the apparatus
    • A61M2205/36General characteristics of the apparatus related to heating or cooling
    • A61M2205/3653General characteristics of the apparatus related to heating or cooling by Joule effect, i.e. electric resistance
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M2205/00General characteristics of the apparatus
    • A61M2205/70General characteristics of the apparatus with testing or calibration facilities
    • A61M2205/702General characteristics of the apparatus with testing or calibration facilities automatically during use
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M5/00Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests
    • A61M5/007Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests for contrast media
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M5/00Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests
    • A61M5/14Infusion devices, e.g. infusing by gravity; Blood infusion; Accessories therefor
    • A61M5/142Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps
    • A61M5/145Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps using pressurised reservoirs, e.g. pressurised by means of pistons
    • A61M5/1452Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps using pressurised reservoirs, e.g. pressurised by means of pistons pressurised by means of pistons
    • A61M5/14566Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps using pressurised reservoirs, e.g. pressurised by means of pistons pressurised by means of pistons with a replaceable reservoir for receiving a piston rod of the pump
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M5/00Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests
    • A61M5/14Infusion devices, e.g. infusing by gravity; Blood infusion; Accessories therefor
    • A61M5/142Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps
    • A61M5/145Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps using pressurised reservoirs, e.g. pressurised by means of pistons
    • A61M5/1452Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps using pressurised reservoirs, e.g. pressurised by means of pistons pressurised by means of pistons
    • A61M5/1458Means for capture of the plunger flange
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M5/00Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests
    • A61M5/14Infusion devices, e.g. infusing by gravity; Blood infusion; Accessories therefor
    • A61M5/168Means for controlling media flow to the body or for metering media to the body, e.g. drip meters, counters ; Monitoring media flow to the body
    • A61M5/16804Flow controllers
    • A61M5/16827Flow controllers controlling delivery of multiple fluids, e.g. sequencing, mixing or via separate flow-paths
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M5/00Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests
    • A61M5/14Infusion devices, e.g. infusing by gravity; Blood infusion; Accessories therefor
    • A61M5/168Means for controlling media flow to the body or for metering media to the body, e.g. drip meters, counters ; Monitoring media flow to the body
    • A61M5/172Means for controlling media flow to the body or for metering media to the body, e.g. drip meters, counters ; Monitoring media flow to the body electrical or electronic
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61MDEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR
    • A61M5/00Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests
    • A61M5/44Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests having means for cooling or heating the devices or media
    • A61M5/445Devices for bringing media into the body in a subcutaneous, intra-vascular or intramuscular way; Accessories therefor, e.g. filling or cleaning devices, arm-rests having means for cooling or heating the devices or media the media being heated in the reservoir, e.g. warming bloodbags
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02ATECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02A90/00Technologies having an indirect contribution to adaptation to climate change
    • Y02A90/10Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Definitions

  • various fluids are injected into patients for purposes of diagnosis or treatment.
  • An example of one such fluid is contrast media used to enhance angiography or CT imaging.
  • Such fluids may also be used in other modalities, such as intravenous pyelogram (IVP) and cardiology.
  • IVP intravenous pyelogram
  • the injectors used in these procedures are often automated devices that expel the fluid from a syringe, through a tube, and into the subject.
  • injectors suitable for these applications generally include relatively large volume syringes and are capable of producing relatively large flow rates and injection pressures. For these reasons, injectors for such applications typically include large, high mass injection motors and drive trains. These are typically housed in an injection head, which is supported by a floor, wall, or ceiling mounted arm. Certain such injectors include the CT9000 ADV and the Optistar MR Injection System (K948088). Such devices are generally designed to meet both the ordinary needs of the market as well as advanced needs.
  • a hand syringe provides inferior images as compared to those generated when using a power injector.
  • many costly, large injector units may include a number of features which may not be necessary for the purposes for which they are to be used at some smaller hospitals and other medical facilities. Such facilities may be better served by an injector which does not include all the numerous features of large injectors, but which might thereby be more affordable.
  • High flow rates and pressures can cause the implanted catheter portion of the access port to break and require surgery to remove.
  • 100 psi is generally a threshold of pressure that a typical access port is able to withstand.
  • a typical large CT injector can attain pressures during delivery of media of 300 psi at all flow rates.
  • the access ports in a patient can be become over-pressured and possibly fail.
  • Limiting the pressure for the injection of fluid into an access port for a contrast study requires a technologist to reprogram the injector to reduce the pressure limit. If the technologist forgets to reset the limit to the higher setting once the application has been performed, the desired flow rates may not be achieved during injections for subsequent patients. This can result in ineffective injections and a waste of media, among other costs attendant to repeating the injection procedure.
  • Injectors may include a trigger lever which may be manipulated by an operator in order to dispel media or other fluid from a syringe into a subject or to pull fluid from a container and into a syringe.
  • the triggers of these large power injectors may often operate only at a constant set speed. Once the injection has begun, it may automatically proceed to completion at a set pressure and flow rate. An operator may be generally unable to change the injection speed or rate or pressure as an injection is occurring, without actually halting the injection procedure.
  • syringes include a face plate, which is disposed at the forward end of the injector.
  • the front face plate which facilitates coupling between the syringe plunger and the plunger drive ram, is moved, the used syringe detached, and a fresh syringe attached.
  • the syringes may be pre-filled or may be initially empty, to be filled after being attached to the injector.
  • the plunger drive ram of the injector is disposed within the injector housing on one side of the face plate, while the syringe is attached to, and extends from, the opposite side of the face plate. When the syringe is connected to the face plate, it is substantially co-axially aligned with the plunger drive ram.
  • the face plates used in operatively connecting the syringe to the injector may be cumbersome and time-consuming to operate.
  • injectors may include a separate console for controlling the injector.
  • the console typically includes programmable circuitry which can be used for automatic programmed control of the injector. This may be beneficial in that the operation of the injector can be made predictable and operate in concert with the operations of other medical equipment. Thus, at least a part of the injection process may be automatically controlled.
  • any filling procedure, and typically some part of the injection procedure may be performed by an operator using hand-operated movement controls on the injector head.
  • the hand-operated movement controls may include buttons for reverse and forward movement of the injector drive ram, to respectively fill and empty the syringe. In some cases, a combination of buttons is used to initiate movement of the ram or to control ram movement speed.
  • the injector head also typically includes a gauge or display for indicating injection parameters to the operator. Unfortunately, operators have found it cumbersome to use the hand-operated movement buttons and to read the injector head gauges and displays.
  • a warming unit may be included in the injector to raise and maintain the temperature of a fluid to a predetermined level.
  • media will be maintained at a particular temperature in a separate warming unit and subsequently attached to the injecting unit.
  • any lag time involved in removing the media from its warming cradle, and attaching the syringe, and injecting the media may result in a decrease of the temperature of the media.
  • an injector system including an injector in which pressure limits may be easily set within safety thresholds. It would be further desirable to provide an injector which allows for manipulation of injection speeds, rates, and/or pressures during the injection procedure. Further, it would be desirable to provide an injector which reduces or eliminates power connections to the injector itself. It would also be desirable to provide an injector to facilitate attachment of a syringe. Further, it would be desirable to provide an injector which has the capability of warming and/or maintaining the temperature of the media or other fluid to be injected. Additionally, it would be desirable to provide an injector which is capable of communicating with other injectors.
  • the apparatus of the present invention includes an injector system having an injector which overcomes and eliminates the drawbacks of injector systems and injectors as described above in the background of the invention.
  • injector system generally applies to any number of injectors, consoles, power supplies, interconnections, and other peripherals used to complete an injection procedure, while the term “injector” generally refers to the particular equipment which directly discharges fluid, such as media, from a syringe.
  • the terms “injector” and “injector system” may be used interchangeably herein.
  • the injector of the present invention may be used to deliver radiographic contrast media and/or flushing solution into a patient's vascular system for the purpose of obtaining enhanced diagnostic x-ray images.
  • the injector is not limited to this purpose, and may be used to deliver other media for other applications.
  • the invention provides an ergonomic, light-weight powerhead injector that may be hand-held. This allows the injector to be more portable and economical than current large mounted injectors. Such a handheld injector is amenable for use in facilities which rely upon hand injection, or for use in combination with a mounted single powerhead to provide a dual syringe capability in CT applications.
  • the injector of the present invention may deliver radiographic contrast media at a controlled flow rate and volume into a patient's vascular system for the purpose of obtaining enhanced diagnostic images.
  • the injector of the present invention is made up generally of at least the following components:
  • the present invention may also include an optional remote console which communicates with the powerhead to program and initiate injection protocols, displays the injection status, and displays a timer.
  • the present invention may thus include, but is not limited to, the following features: (1) a syringe mount for attachment of a syringe to the injector; (2) display and controls for volume and flow rates; (3) automatic limiting of the operating pressure of the injector as determined by the selection of a flow rate; (4) a syringe cradle having a warming capability; (5) a purge/retract trigger including a trigger lever for control of the injection procedure having intuitive direction (i.e., forward for injecting, reverse for filing) coupled with variable velocity of the drive ram, non-contact control transmission through the housing of an injector for an improved seal integrity, a speed lock, and/or the ability to change the concentration and/or flow rate of media or other fluid during an injection procedure; (6) a switch to determine when the drive ram is in a “home” position; (7) a “soft” on/off power switch separate from the injector; and (8) a structure to prevent rotation of the drive ram about its axis of symmetry.
  • the injector system may include software for the control of various components. It will be apparent to those of skill in the art that many of the features of the injector of the present invention may also be applicable to the large ceiling, floor, or wall mounted injectors described above in the background of the invention.
  • the injector of the present invention delivers media, such as contrast media for example, under pressure, into a patient for the purpose of obtaining contrast enhanced diagnostic images.
  • media such as contrast media for example, under pressure
  • many current markets are served by larger, more permanent injector systems which are mounted to the exam table suspended from the ceiling, or fitted to a pedestal-type mobile stand, as described above in the background of the invention.
  • These previous injectors may only be available at a cost that is prohibitive in many markets.
  • the injector of the present invention may be small and light weight, thus allowing the user the option of holding the injector by hand during injections, thus allowing for a greater level of control.
  • Such a small handheld injector requires less materials and may therefore be produced at a lower cost.
  • the injector of the present invention is designed to meet ordinary needs of the medical market and is therefore less expensive, smaller, and less complicated to operate.
  • Features such as stored protocols, multi-phasic injections, high flow rate, and optional printer may be omitted from the injector of the present invention in order to reduce costs and simplify the user interface.
  • Another aspect of the injector of the present invention is the use of noncontact control associated with the trigger in order to reduce power connections through the housing in order to seal the housing.
  • non-contact control may occur through a series of magnets associated with the trigger, the magnets being sensed by a magnetic sensor that is operatively connected to a circuit board within the housing of the injector.
  • the injector of the present invention may include a speed lock associated with the trigger. This allows an operator to operate injection and filling functions of the injector at constant speeds by engaging the speed lock, or alternatively at variable speeds by disengaging the speed lock.
  • the injector of the present invention provides a syringe mount including first and second gripping members that are designed to be substantially circumferential around the cylindrical body of a syringe when the syringe is loaded into the injector. These gripping members are biased towards the longitudinal axis of the syringe so that as a syringe is placed into the injector, the gripping members bias toward and clamp around the cylindrical body of the syringe.
  • the handheld injector of the present invention may include a warming cradle that is operatively connected to the injector.
  • This warming cradle allows the contents of a syringe to be maintained at a particular desired temperature while the syringe is attached to the injector.
  • the warming unit may be a cradle present on a hanger which can be associated with the injector of the present invention.
  • the injector including syringe
  • the injector is operatively connected to the hanger with the syringe oriented in a downward fashion. This brings the cylindrical body of the syringe into proximity with the cradle such that the media within the syringe is warmed. This configuration reduces and eliminates any cooling problems present with the use of previous separate warming units and injectors.
  • the present invention also allows for limitation of the pressure supplied by the injector. Since low flow rates require less pressure, the injector of the present invention automatically assigns the pressure limit based on the flow rate. The pressure limit value is thus high enough to achieve the programmed flow rate under normal conditions, but won't allow high pressure to develop in the event of unexpected restriction or blockage within the syringe or tube or access port. By automatically assigning a pressure limit based on the flow rate, an operator does not need to remember to alter the pressure limit each time the injector is used. Thus, the injector is able to deliver media at desired rate, but does not allow too much reserved pressure to build in the event that a blockage occurs. This increases the safety of the injector of the present invention over that of injectors of the prior art.
  • the injector of the present invention may also be adapted to be used with other injectors.
  • These other injectors may include, but are not limited to, handheld injectors, ergonomic lightweight powerhead injectors, or other CT injectors, and may utilize multiple device communication links.
  • the communication format used is a Controller Area Network (CAN).
  • CAN Controller Area Network
  • the injector could potentially use any communication format.
  • the communication may occur through wires, fiber optic cable, or may occur through wireless communication.
  • the injector of the present invention also includes a ram home detector.
  • the ram home detector accurately detects both when the ram is a certain distance from the home position and when the ram is at the home position. This detection may be achieved through the use of magnets. This allows the elimination of secondary analog position devices such as a potentiometer.
  • many present injectors use potentiometers and/or encoders on the motor as redundant systems to track the location of the drive ram of an injector.
  • the injector of the present invention does not include such a system. Rather, the injector of the present invention includes a magnet disposed on the ram that interacts with sensors along the inner part of the injector to detect the location of the ram.
  • the injector of the present invention calibrates a value which it assigns to the ram when the ram is in its home position, generally flush with the outer edge of the front surface of the injector. In this way, the ram can be run and reversed such that it always comes to a rest in the same home position. This is necessary in being able to remove and replace various syringes, into and out of the drive ram when in the correct location.
  • the injector may reverse the ram at a relatively rapid rate until it recognizes that it is close to the home position.
  • the injector of the present invention also includes an on/off power switch, referred to as a “soft” power switch, located on the remote console which is present in addition to the switch located on the power supply and/or on the injector itself.
  • Consoles used in injection procedures generally have an off switch for DC power while the AC power of the power supply remains active.
  • the on/off switch of the injector of the present invention communicates with the console such that if the console is in its off position, the injector and console will automatically be turned on when the power supply reads that the console has been turned on.
  • this switch includes a normally closed/normally open contact that communicates with a processor inside the console of the injector. When the contact is open, the processor communicates with a communication component within the injector to cause the power supply to turn off.
  • Software may be included in the injector of the present invention to ensure that the switch does not start the actual running of an injection procedure.
  • the injector of the present invention also includes a structure to prevent rotation of the drive ram. In particular, this prevents the ram from. rotating about its axis of symmetry during an injection procedure.
  • the anti-rotation of the ram is caused by the shape of the drive ram itself.
  • a cross-section of the drive ram taken perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the drive ram is in the shape of back to back D's, having a flat surface across the top of the ram, a flat surface across the bottom of the ram and a curved surface on both sides of the ram.
  • This drive ram inserts through a similarly shaped orifice 134 in a plate in the end of the housing of the injector of the present invention nearest the syringe.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the injector of the present invention, depicting the intuitive trigger and the syringe mount in accordance with principles of the present invention and also including a power supply and a remote console;
  • FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention including two injectors, two remote consoles, and two power supplies;
  • FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the injector of the present invention taken along lines 2 - 2 of FIG. 1 , and depicting the intuitive trigger of the present invention;
  • FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the intuitive trigger of the present invention depicting the trigger in a forward position
  • FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the intuitive trigger of the present invention depicting the trigger in a reverse position
  • FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the syringe mount depicting a syringe attached to the injector of the present invention
  • FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the hanger of the injector in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
  • FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the injector of the present invention, including a hanger with a syringe attached to the injector and associated with the hanger;
  • FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the hanger and warming cradle of the injector in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
  • FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the injector of the present invention including a hanger and warming cradle with a syringe attached to the injector and associated with the hanger and warming cradle;
  • FIG. 10 is a schematic of the control board of the remote console in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
  • FIG. 11 is a schematic of the control board of the remote console in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
  • FIG. 12 is a schematic of the power supply interconnect board in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
  • an injector 20 of the illustrated embodiment of the present invention may be provided in a “wand” shape in order to be hand held.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention is designed to meet ordinary needs of the medical market and is therefore less expensive, smaller, and less complicated to operate.
  • Features such as stored protocols, multi-phasic injections, high flow rate, and optional printer may be omitted in order to reduce costs and simplify the user-injector interface 30 .
  • an optional injector-injector interface 31 FIG.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention may be joined with other compatible injectors in order to deliver greater volume injections, or a flushing solution (normally saline) in a similar manner as some other injection systems such as the Optistar MR injection system. It will, however, be recognized by those of skill in the art that many of the features of the present invention are amenable for use on larger injectors, such as wall, ceiling, or floor mounted CT injectors.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention may deliver radiographic contrast media at a controlled flow rate and volume into a patient's vascular system for the purpose of obtaining enhanced diagnostic images.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention is made up generally of at least the following components:
  • the present invention may also include an optional remote console 44 which communicates with the powerhead 22 to allow a user to program and initiate injection protocols and control injections, such as by starting and stopping an injection.
  • the remote console 44 also may include a user-console interface 45 which may display injection parameters such as volume and flow rate while injecting, may display the injection status, and may display a timer.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention may include a syringe mount 26 on the injector 20 in order to facilitate attachment of a syringe 28 to the injector 20 in alignment with a drive ram 46 .
  • the injector 20 may include a cradle 48 having a warming capability.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention may include a purge/retract trigger 36 having intuitive direction capabilities. These include pushing the trigger 36 in a forward direction for injecting, and pushing the trigger 36 in a reverse direction for filling. Additionally, the velocity of the drive ram 46 may be varied, depending on the degree of deflection of the trigger 36 away from a “home” position.
  • the trigger 36 also may include a non-contact control transmission through a housing 47 of the injector.
  • the trigger 36 also may include a speed lock which allows a user to have the ability to change the concentration or flow rates of the fluid being injected during the actual operation of an injection procedure.
  • the utility of an injector 20 that may be small and light weight along with the ability to dynamically adjust the flow rate while performing an injection gives the user greater levels of control over the injection. Further, the pressure generated by the injector 20 of the present invention may be automatically limited by the selection of a particular flow rate.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention also may include a ram home detector 50 that is used to determine when the drive ram 46 of the injector 20 is located in a “home” position.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention also may include an on/off power switch 52 on the remote console 44 which is separate from other power switches.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention may also include the drive ram 46 having a particular structure that operates to prevent rotation of the drive ram 46 about its axis of symmetry 76 .
  • the injector 20 of the present invention operates in combination with a syringe 28 .
  • a syringe mount 26 Proximal to the forward end 56 of the injector housing 47 , positioned between the injector 20 and the syringe 28 , is a syringe mount 26 to facilitate attachment of the syringe 28 to the injector 20 .
  • a pressure jacket preferably transparent, may extend outwardly from the forward end 56 of the housing 47 , in order to receive a replaceable syringe 28 .
  • the syringe 28 and pressure jacket are constructed such that they withstand the injection pressures created by the injector 20 during an injection operation.
  • the injector 20 may include a pressure jacket that surrounds the syringe 28 .
  • a cradle may extend outwardly from the forward end 56 of the housing 47 , in order to support the syringe 28 .
  • a cradle may have a heating capability, in order to warm the contents of the syringe 28 .
  • the injector 20 may include a cradle to support the syringe 28 .
  • the syringe 28 may simply extend freely from the injector 20 , with no structure for its support other than its connection to the injector 20 itself.
  • the syringe 28 may include a syringe plunger.
  • the syringe 28 for use with the injector 20 of the present invention generally includes a body 54 which may be in the form of an exterior cylindrical barrel, which at its forward end 55 is integral with a conical front wall section 58 .
  • a neck 60 terminating in a discharge tip 62 , generally extends forwardly from and may be integral with the conical front wall section 58 .
  • the body 54 of the syringe 28 may engage the interior wall of a pressure jacket or a cradle, as described above, when such a pressure jacket or cradle is present on the injector 20 .
  • the illustrated embodiment depicts a syringe 28 extending freely from the front of the injector 20 .
  • the syringe 28 as used in conjunction with the injector 20 of the present invention, includes a syringe mating section 64 , which may be in the form of a radially outwardly extending flange.
  • This syringe mating section 64 is positioned in a plane perpendicular to the axis of symmetry 66 of the syringe 28 and integral with the rear end 67 of the cylindrical barrel of the body 54 of the syringe 28 .
  • This flange may be annular.
  • the discharge tip 62 of the syringe 28 generally contains an orifice 68 in its remote end which may communicate with an internal syringe cavity 70 formed within the neck 60 , the conical front wall 58 , and the body 54 of the syringe 28 .
  • the rear end of the cavity 70 may be further defined by a forward facing surface 72 of a syringe plunger 74 .
  • this surface 72 is conical.
  • the conical surface 72 is of a slope which conforms to the slope of the interior of the conical front wall 58 .
  • the syringe plunger 74 may be snugly slidable within the body 54 of the syringe 28 such that the cavity 70 is of variable volume.
  • the syringe plunger 74 can be seen more clearly within the cylindrical barrel of the body 54 of the syringe 28 .
  • the syringe plunger 74 when the syringe 28 is attached to the injector 20 , is located proximal to and in substantial alignment with the plunger drive ram 46 of the injector 20 .
  • the plunger drive ram 46 is driven by a motor to move in a forward or rearward motion along its longitudinal axis of symmetry 76 to deploy the plunger drive ram 46 and thus the syringe plunger 74 in a forward or rearward motion along the axis of symmetry 66 of the syringe 28 to inject fluid into a human or animal subject or fill the syringe 28 with fluid, respectively.
  • a motor to move in a forward or rearward motion along its longitudinal axis of symmetry 76 to deploy the plunger drive ram 46 and thus the syringe plunger 74 in a forward or rearward motion along the axis of symmetry 66 of the syringe 28 to inject fluid into a human or animal subject or fill the syringe 28 with fluid, respectively.
  • a pre-filled syringe into the injector 20 of the present invention, and by deploying the plunger 74 in a forward direction, may thereby expel fluid from the syringe 28
  • an empty syringe 28 may be loaded into the injector 20 and deploy the syringe plunger 74 to its forward-most position. Thereafter fluid may be loaded into the syringe 28 by operatively connecting the syringe 28 to a source of fluid and retracting the syringe plunger 74 in a rearward direction in order to pull fluid into the syringe 28 .
  • the injector 20 involves single phase injections to deliver fluid such as x-ray contrast agents, flushing solutions, and other media for purposes such as enhancing diagnostic imaging in humans.
  • the injector 20 may include a protocol which may be programmed for a single phase injection.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention also may include a manual X-ray scan delay timer which operates for a maximum period of twenty minutes.
  • the syringe drive system 24 may be electromechanical and the injector 20 may be used either with pre-filled syringes or may be used with empty syringes which may then be filled.
  • the syringe filling rate is generally in the range of about 1 ml/second to about 8 ml/second.
  • the flow rate during an injection is generally in the range of about 0.1 ml/second to about 6 ml/second. This same flow rate may be used for a flushing fluid.
  • the maximum pressure limit of the injector 20 in one embodiment of the present invention is about 250 psi.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention may be designed to operate within an ambient temperature range of about 15EC to about 45EC. Further, the injector 20 may be designed to withstand an ambient storage temperature range of about ⁇ 20EC to about 60EC.
  • the injector 20 may be designed to operate properly within about 1 hour of being in ambient operating temperatures after being subjected to storage temperatures. Additionally, the injector 20 may be designed to operate up to a relative humidity of about 90%.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention may also include a post-injection readout on an LED display 34 , and a safety stop mechanism which provides for an electrical stop when the injection parameters are outside the specification of the injection protocol.
  • the user-injector interface 30 of the injector 20 of the present invention includes a purge/retract trigger 36 in order to control filling and expelling fluid from the syringe 28 and may include a remote console 44 .
  • Programming injections may be controlled by controls 90 , such as buttons, on the console 44 and/or the powerhead 22 of the injector 20 .
  • a display screen 34 on the powerhead 22 may, in one embodiment, provide information regarding the volume of fluid remaining in the syringe 28 .
  • the display screen 34 may also provide information regarding the flow rate at which the injection is proceeding.
  • the user-injector interface 30 may be provided in plastic and/or metal form, or a combination of plastic and metal.
  • the plunger drive ram 46 may include a first coupling element 80 in order to engage a second coupling element 82 disposed on the syringe plunger 74 . This allows the syringe plunger 74 to be coupled to the drive ram 46 . Thus, once the syringe plunger 74 has been deployed, the plunger drive ram 46 may be retracted, at the same time retracting the syringe plunger 74 within the cylindrical body 54 of the syringe 28 . In one embodiment, and referring to FIGS. 2-4 , the coupling between the drive ram 46 and syringe plunger 74 is passive.
  • the first coupling element 80 of the drive ram 46 includes a slot 84 on an end of the drive ram 46 most proximal to the forward end 56 of the housing 47 of the injector.
  • This slot 84 is sized and shaped to match and receive the second coupling element 82 , which may be in the form of a rearwardly-facing extension 88 disposed on the syringe plunger 74 . While the slot 84 and extension 88 of the illustrated embodiment are mushroom-shaped, it will be recognized by those of skill in the art that any shape which facilitates coupling may be used.
  • first and second coupling elements 80 , 82 that result in a passive coupling
  • first and second coupling elements that result in an active coupling one which involves some degree of positive gripping
  • the injector 20 of the present invention may receive pre-filled syringes.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention may receive empty syringes which must then be filled prior to injecting fluid into a human or other animal subject.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention is adapted to receive 125 ml pre-filled syringes, such as the Ultraject syringe, commercially available from Mallinckrodt Inc. of St. Louis, Mo. Such syringes are used for injecting contrast media to a patient.
  • 125 ml syringes may be pre-filled with varying amounts of fluid, such as 50 ml, 75 ml, 100 ml or 125 ml, for example.
  • the injector 20 may receive empty 125/130 ml syringes for indications such as coronary angiography.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention is adapted to receive 130 ml syringes available from Liebel Flarsheim (part no. 600172).
  • the injector 20 of the present invention may receive 50 ml, 75 ml or 100 ml syringes.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention may be adapted to receive syringes of other sizes.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention includes a powerhead 22 which is operatively connected to a power pack 38 including a power supply 40 .
  • the injector system can be expanded to include at least one remote console 44 having a console interface 89 to the injector 20 , to allow for remote control of the injection. This will be discussed in greater detail below.
  • the injector 20 of the illustrated embodiment includes a user-injector interface 30 having a plurality of controls 90 which are used to control the operation of the injector powerhead 22 . These may include controls including, but not limited to, “start”, “stop”, “pause”, “flow rate increment”, “flow rate decrement”, “volume increment”, and “volume decrement”.
  • the powerhead 22 of the injector 20 also may include a display screen 34 to relay information about an injection procedure to an operator. This information indicates to the operator when an injection is enabled and when an injection is in progress.
  • the display 34 may include two numeric displays, one for displaying volume information and one for displaying flow rate information.
  • the volume display displays the programmed volume when the injector 20 is in a programming mode, and displays the injection volume when injecting.
  • the flow rate display displays the programmed flow rate when the injector 20 is in a programming mode, and displays the injection flow rate when in injection mode.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention may also include a visual indicator 91 to indicate: (1) when the injector 20 is enabled and ready to inject, (2) when an injection is in progress, and (3) when an injection is complete. Additionally, if the flow rate is reduced during an injection, the visual indicator 91 may signal this as well. Further, if the injector 20 detects an injector 20 fault condition, the visual indicator 91 may signal this information. This visual indicator 91 may appear on the display screen 34 of the user interface 30 , or may be separate from the display screen 34 . In the illustrated embodiment, the visual indicator 91 may include an LED display.
  • FIGS. 2-6 the combination of the syringe 28 being operatively connected to the injector 20 of the present invention, by way of the syringe mount 26 , is more clearly shown.
  • the syringe 28 is inserted into the injector 20 such that a syringe mating system 64 , which may be in the shape of a flange circumferential about a distal end of the cylindrical barrel of the syringe 28 , communicates with an engaging slot 84 disposed in the forward end 56 of the injector powerhead housing 47 .
  • a syringe mating system 64 which may be in the shape of a flange circumferential about a distal end of the cylindrical barrel of the syringe 28 , communicates with an engaging slot 84 disposed in the forward end 56 of the injector powerhead housing 47 .
  • the syringe 28 As the syringe 28 is positioned in proximity to the slot 84 and moved downwardly toward the base of the injector 20 so as to be inserted in the slot 84 , it engages a first member 92 and a second member 94 which may each be gripping members and may each be movable about a pivot point 96 and are biased toward the longitudinal axis of symmetry 76 of the plunger drive ram 46 .
  • the gripping first and second members 92 , 94 may further include an internal groove 98 disposed in the first and second gripping members 92 , 94 . This groove 98 may communicate with the slot 84 to thereby form a retention area to aid in connection of the syringe 28 to the injector 20 .
  • the engagement of the syringe 28 with the first and second gripping members 92 , 94 of the syringe mount 26 may cause the first and second gripping members 92 , 94 to be spread outwardly by the body 54 of the syringe 28 as the syringe 28 slides past the gripping members 92 , 94 .
  • the biased nature of the first and second gripping members 92 , 94 may move them back toward the longitudinal axis 76 of the plunger drive ram 46 .
  • the force provided by the cylindrical barrel of the body 54 of the syringe 28 against the base of the gripping members 92 , 94 facilitates movement of the first and second gripping members 92 , 94 toward the longitudinal axis 76 of the plunger drive ram 46 .
  • the first and second gripping members 92 , 94 move into gripping relationship circumferentially around the body 54 of the syringe 28 to thereby couple the syringe 28 to the injector 20 in proximity to and in substantially co-axial alignment with the plunger drive ram 46 .
  • This alignment allows for subsequent forward translation of the drive ram 46 to express contrast media or other fluid from the cylindrical body 54 of the syringe 28 , through the discharge tip 62 of the syringe 28 , and into an animal subject, such as a human.
  • the syringe plunger 74 is connected to the plunger drive ram 46 by the first and second coupling elements 80 , 82 as described previously.
  • the first and second gripping members 92 , 94 are diametrically opposite one another, about the axis of symmetry 76 of the plunger drive ram 46 , so that the first and second gripping members 92 , 94 have circumferential portions on opposed faces 100 , 102 that are diametrically opposite one another and exterior to the cylindrical barrel of the syringe 28 .
  • the first and second biased movable gripping members 92 , 94 of the injector 20 engage the side surface of the exterior cylindrical body 54 of the syringe 28 , as described above, to hold the syringe 28 in place against and in alignment with the drive ram 46 of the injector 20 of the present invention.
  • the syringe mount 26 of the injector 20 of the present invention includes first and second gripping members 92 , 94 having opposed faces 100 , 102 , which are preferably arcuately shaped.
  • the arcuate opposed faces 100 , 102 may further include a metal ridge (not shown) in order to “bite” into the body of the syringe to facilitate gripping of the syringe.
  • each arcuate face of the first and second gripping members may bear a plurality of ridges of teeth (not shown). Such teeth may be on the first and second members, or may be included on any metal ridges.
  • first and second gripping members alters the distance between their arcuate faces, as they pivot toward and away from one another.
  • these first and second gripping members are each movable.
  • the first and second movable gripping members 92 , 94 may each be pivotally mounted about shafts or pivot pins 104 , which, in certain embodiments may also include bias springs 106 associated with each of the first and second gripping members 92 , 94 .
  • bias springs 106 associated with each of the first and second gripping members 92 , 94 .
  • one end of each of the bias springs 106 is in contact with its respectively associated gripping member, and the opposite end of each bias spring 106 seats or bears against portions of the housing 47 of the injector 20 .
  • the bias springs 106 are journalled about the pins 104 which form the pivot axes of the first and second gripping members 92 , 94 .
  • the first and second gripping members 92 , 94 as described above are biased toward the axis of symmetry 76 of the plunger drive ram 46 by the bias springs 106 . Stated differently, the bias springs 106 bias the first and second gripping members 92 , 94 such that their confronting faces 100 , 102 are urged toward each other. In certain embodiments, once the cylindrical body 54 of the syringe 28 is inserted into the syringe mount 26 , it cannot be extracted by lifting the syringe 28 away from the syringe mount 26 .
  • any such movement of the syringe 28 away from the syringe mount 26 in such an embodiment of the invention may result in intensified gripping of the cylindrical body 54 of the syringe 28 by the first and second gripping members 92 , 94 .
  • the gripping intensity of the first and second members 92 , 94 is such that any movement intensifies the gripping.
  • bias springs 106 are not necessary for the coupling of syringe 28 to injector 20 .
  • the positive force of the syringe barrel against the first and second gripping members 92 , 94 will retain the syringe 28 within the gripping members 92 , 94 .
  • the syringe 28 is connected to the injector 20 through a friction fit that supplies enough force to retain the syringe 28 during an injection procedure, but which releases the syringe 28 upon positive movement of the syringe 28 away from the injector 20 .
  • first and second gripping members 92 , 94 are not necessary for the gripping function.
  • a single gripping member may be used to grip the syringe, thereby operatively connecting the syringe to the injector.
  • the gripping member must be of a curved shape and cover enough of the circumference of the syringe when in contact with the cylindrical barrel in order to hold the syringe against the injector.
  • each arm extending from the center point of the gripping member has a degree of elasticity such that the arms may splay outwardly and inwardly to allow for the insertion and/or removal of a syringe.
  • the various embodiments of the syringe mount 26 of the injector 20 of the present invention may include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) a syringe mount 26 that holds the cylindrical barrel of the syringe 28 on a contiguous 210E of the syringe circumference; (2) a metal spring clip that allows a contiguous 230E contact area with the circumference of the cylindrical barrel of the syringe 28 and provides a sharp edge to bite into the syringe 28 ; (3) first and second gripping members 92 , 94 having opposing faces 100 , 102 , each contacting 45E of the circumference of the cylindrical barrel of the syringe 28 for a total of 90E of contact area; (4) first and second gripping members 92 , 94 , each of the arcuate faces 100 , 102 having 80E of contact area with the circumference of the cylindrical body 54 of the syringe 28
  • the gripping members 92 , 94 may include or be made of a metal, such as stainless steel, so they bite into the cylindrical body 54 of the syringe 28 .
  • a motor of the injector 20 may be used to deploy the plunger drive ram 46 into the syringe cavity 70 to expel fluid from the syringe 28 .
  • the drive ram 46 may be retracted from the distal end of the syringe 28 .
  • the syringe 28 may be removed from the syringe mount 26 in one embodiment of the injector 20 through the use of a release catch (not shown in the illustrated embodiment) which moves the first and second biased movable gripping members 92 , 94 away from and out of engagement with the exterior cylindrical body 54 of the syringe 28 .
  • the plunger drive ram 46 may first be extended into the syringe cavity 70 . It may then be retracted in order to draw fluid into the syringe 28 .
  • This fluid may then be injected into a subject by once again translating the plunger drive ram 46 in a forward direction. After subsequently retracting the plunger drive ram 46 , the syringe 28 may be released by operating the release catch.
  • the syringe mount 26 may not include a release catch, but rather may connect the syringe 28 to the injector 20 through a friction fit that supplies enough force to retain the syringe 28 during an injection procedure, but which releases the syringe 28 upon positive movement of the syringe 28 away from the injector 20 .
  • the injector 20 of the present invention also features a hand-operated purge/retract trigger 36 which facilitates operator control of the injector 20 .
  • the trigger 36 allows a user to purge air from the syringe 28 and to retract the drive ram 46 after an injection. Additionally, the trigger 36 allows a user to dynamically vary the flow rate while injecting or retracting.
  • This aspect of the present invention includes a trigger 36 movable between home, forward, and reverse positions.
  • Movement of the trigger 36 to the forward position causes the injector 20 to move the plunger drive ram 46 forward to expel fluid from the syringe 28
  • movement of the trigger 36 to the reverse position causes the injector 20 to move the drive ram 46 in reverse to potentially draw fluid into the syringe 28 , or to retract the drive ram 46 from the syringe 28 prior to removing the syringe 28 from the injector 20 .
  • the intuitive trigger 36 is designed such that it allows for variable injection speeds and also may include a locking mode which allows for hands free injection.
  • the trigger 36 is mounted on a pivot 110 , and is biased to the home position by at least first and second springs 112 , 114 positioned on opposite sides of the trigger 36 .
  • Rotation of the trigger 36 away from the home position progressively compresses the springs 112 , 114 to an increasing degree at increasing angles of lever rotation.
  • Sensors 116 located in the interior of the housing 47 and associated with the trigger 36 then detect the angle of the trigger 36 so that this angle can be used to control the speed of motion of the plunger drive ram 46 .
  • the relative position of the trigger 36 can be made proportional to the flow rate of fluid into or out of the syringe 28 which is attached to the injector 20 , thereby providing the operator with intuitive feedback on the operation of the injector 20 .
  • the trigger 36 is rotatable on an axis of rotation 118 .
  • the hand operated trigger 36 When the hand operated trigger 36 is left in its home position, no motion of the drive ram 46 is generated by the powerhead 22 .
  • the hand operated trigger 36 is rotated toward the syringe 28 (i.e., to forward position)
  • forward motion of the drive ram 46 is generated by the powerhead 22 , thereby expelling fluid or air from the syringe 28 .
  • the trigger 36 is rotated away from the syringe 28 (i.e., to a reverse position)
  • reverse motion of the drive ram 46 is generated by the powerhead 22 , thereby filling the syringe 28 with fluid or air.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention generally may include a compact modular design facilitating manufacture as a hand-held injector 20 in one embodiment.
  • control circuitry of the injector 20 of the present invention may be incorporated onto a printed circuit board 120 .
  • One feature of the injector 20 of the present invention is the use of magnetic conductors 122 to channel magnetic field energy from magnets 124 positioned in the intuitive trigger 36 through the injector housing 47 and into the vicinity of magnetic sensors 116 operatively connected to the circuit board 120 .
  • circuit board mountable magnetic sensors 116 can be used thereby reducing the overall cost as compared to individually packaged sensors for mounting in an injector housing.
  • the use of such non-contact control also eliminates the need for wiring through the housing 47 , thereby enhancing seal integrity.
  • a plurality of magnets 124 may be disposed on or in the trigger 36 , so that rotation of the trigger 36 increases or decreases distances between magnets 124 on the controls of the trigger 36 and in the injection housing 47 , creating a changing magnetic field that can be detected by the magnetic sensors 116 associated with the control circuitry of the powerhead 22 .
  • the injector 20 of the present invention may use a Hall-effect sensor in one embodiment.
  • the function of the Hall sensor is based on the principle of the Hall effect: namely, that a voltage is generated transversely to the current flow direction in an electric conductor if a magnetic field is applied perpendicularly to the conductor.
  • one suitable Hall element is a small platelet made of semiconductor material.
  • a Hall plate with current terminals and taps for the Hall voltage may be arranged on a surface of the sensor. This sensor elements detects the components of the magnetic flux perpendicular to the surface of a chip and emits a proportional electrical signal which is processed in the evaluation circuits integrated in the circuit board 120 .
  • the injector 20 includes analog, or linear sensors. Linear Hall sensors generate an analog output voltage which is proportional to the magnetic flux perpendicular through the Hall plate.
  • the sensors operatively connected to the circuit board 120 of the injector 20 of the present invention can determine from the magnetic flux the degree to which the trigger 36 has been rotated away from the home position, and adjust the electrical output and thus the velocity of the plunger drive ram 46 accordingly.
  • the sensors 116 associated with the control circuitry detect this rotation from signals produced by the magnetic field, and causes the plunger drive ram 46 to move forward, i.e., outward from the powerhead housing 47 , at a velocity proportional to the angle of deflection of the trigger 36 away from the home position.
  • the control circuitry detects this rotation from signals produced by the magnetic field, and causes the plunger drive ram 46 to move backward, i.e., into the powerhead housing 47 , at a velocity proportional to the angle of deflection of the trigger 36 away from the home position.
  • the power injector may also include first and second springs 112 , 114 associated with the control trigger 36 which engage the housing 47 of the injector 20 and produce torque tending to return the shaft to the home position.
  • the springs 112 , 114 apply opposing torques to the trigger 36 , tending to hold the trigger 36 in the home position.
  • the sensors 116 produce a signal indicating that the trigger 36 is in the home position.
  • the control circuit of the powerhead 22 can determine that no motion of the drive ram 46 is being requested through hand operated movement control of the trigger 36 .
  • the sensors 116 When the trigger 36 is rotated away from the home position, the sensors 116 produce a signal, which may be an analog signal, indicating that the trigger 36 is away from the home position. As this occurs, the control circuit may read the signal produced by the magnets 124 to determine the position of the trigger 36 and produce the appropriate motion of the plunger drive ram 46 .
  • the velocity of motion of the plunger drive ram 46 is proportional to the extent of the movement or rotation of the trigger 36 away from the home position.
  • the mechanical structure of the first and second springs 112 , 114 insures that a return torque is being applied to the trigger 36 as the trigger 36 is rotated to increasing angles away from the home position.
  • this return torque may be approximately equal at all deflection angles, or may increase or decrease over increasing and decreasing deflection angles.
  • An increasing return torque compared to the deflection angle may provide the operator with additional feedback on the velocity of the drive ram 46 .
  • first and second springs 112 , 114 also offer a degree of tension to bias the trigger 36 in the home position. This assists in preventing accidental deflection of the trigger 36 away from its home position when it casually abuts another object, such as when the injector 20 is laid down on a table.
  • the injector 20 may include other mechanisms to ensure that the trigger 36 is not accidentally displaced from the home position.
  • the trigger 36 may be designed so the user has to intentionally enable the trigger mechanism to operate the injector 20 .
  • any such optimal injection flow rate may be dependent on the particular procedure and/or the fluid to be injected.
  • the operator should have feedback as to when an ideal speed has been reached, so that syringes can be filled or discharged at this optimal speed.
  • the injector 20 may include a mechanism to prevent the discharge of fluids above certain speeds.
  • first and second springs 112 , 114 are to provide the operator with mechanical feedback of the angle of deflection of the trigger 36 , which may correspond approximately to the ideal fill speed. More specifically, the control circuit of the powerhead 22 may establish that the plunger drive ram 46 will move near to the ideal speed when the trigger 36 has been rotated to a certain position. Accordingly, an operator wishing to fill a syringe 28 at the ideal speed, can rotate the trigger lever until the increasing torque is noted and then hold the trigger lever at that location to fill the syringe 28 .
  • the injector 20 of the present invention may include a speed lock associated with the trigger 36 of the injector 20 .
  • This speed lock allows an operator to program in and inject or retract the drive ram 46 at a particular flow rate. This injection may occur at a particular flow rate regardless of the extent to the depression of the trigger 36 itself or, alternatively, may be programmed to inject at a particular flow rate unless that program is overridden by a change in the deflection of the trigger 36 .
  • the trigger speed lock may be located on the control panel of the injector 20 . It operates to lock in the current speed of the drive ram 46 , whether retracting or injecting, when the speed lock is activated.
  • any plunger drive ram 46 movement may be halted when any other control 90 or the trigger 36 itself is depressed while the lock is active. While in the illustrated embodiment, it is noted that the controls for the trigger speed lock are located on the injector powerhead 22 , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the speed lock controls may be located on the remote console 44 , or any other component of the injector system.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention may be enabled to allow the speed lock feature to be activated while expelling contrast media or other fluid from a syringe 28 associated with the injector 20 . If the injector 20 is speed locked on a particular flow rate, and any of the powerhead 22 switches are activated, or the purge/retract trigger 36 is reactivated, the injector 20 may be designed to unlock the flow rate and run at the flow rate determined by the purge/retract trigger 36 . Additionally, when retracting, the injector 20 may activate the flow rate speed lock feature when the purge/retract trigger 36 is fully engaged in the retract direction for a minimum period of time, such as for two seconds. When retracting and the flow rate speed lock is activated, the injector 20 may be deactivate the speed lock if the purge/retract trigger 36 is reactivated or the injector ram reaches its home position.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention also includes a structure to prevent rotation of the drive ram 46 .
  • the anti-rotation of the drive ram 46 is achieved by the shape of the drive ram 46 itself.
  • a cross-section of the drive ram 46 taken perpendicular to the axis of symmetry 76 of the drive ram 46 is in the shape of back to back “D”s, having a first flat surface 126 across the top of the ram, a second flat surface 128 across the bottom of the ram and two curved surfaces 130 , 132 , one on each side of the ram 46 .
  • This drive ram 46 inserts through a similarly shaped orifice 134 in a plate 136 located in the forward end 56 of the housing 47 of the injector 20 of the present invention nearest the syringe 28 .
  • the drive ram 46 During movement of the drive ram 46 in either forward or reverse directions, the drive ram 46 , at all times, remains disposed through the similarly shaped orifice 134 in the plate 136 .
  • the orifice 134 in the plate 136 is sized such that the drive ram 46 may move freely within the orifice 134 , but will cause the drive ram 46 to abut the edge of the orifice 134 should the drive ram 46 begin to rotate about its longitudinal axis 76 .
  • the ram 46 is thus unable to rotate as it moves forward. This is important in keeping the first coupling element 80 , disposed at the forward end 56 of the drive ram 46 , properly aligned, such as in an upward facing direction, so that syringes 28 may be removed and replaced into the injector 20 . While the illustrated embodiment depicts a back-to-back “D” shape, those of skill in the art will recognize that other shapes may be used.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention also includes a ram home detector 50 which operates to determine whether an end of the drive ram 46 is proximal to the forward end 56 of the injector housing 47 .
  • This position is the “home” position of the drive ram 46 .
  • the ram home detector 50 accurately detects both when the drive ram 46 is a certain distance from the home position (such as 1/2 inch) and when the ram 46 is at the home position. This detection may be achieved through the use of magnets 138 . This allows the elimination of secondary analog position devices, such as a potentiometer.
  • a magnet 138 may be disposed on the surface of the drive ram 46 and a magnetic sensor 140 may be positioned in the housing 47 .
  • the magnetic sensor 140 can detect a magnetic field produced by the magnet 138 . This magnetic field will increase in intensity as the magnet 138 on the drive ram 46 approaches the sensor 140 .
  • the intensity of the magnetic field can be calibrated to determine when the drive ram 46 is at its home location.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention does not include such a system. Rather, the injector 20 of the present invention includes a magnet 138 disposed on the ram that interacts with sensors 140 along the inner part of the injector 20 to detect the location of the ram 46 . When reversing the ram 46 to its home position, for example, this allows the ram 46 to run quickly in reverse mode until it is a certain distance from its home position.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention calibrates a value which it assigns to the ram 46 when the ram 46 is in its home position flush with the outer edge of the forward end 56 of the injector 20 .
  • the ram 46 can be run and reversed such that it always comes to a rest in the same home position. This is necessary in being able to remove and replace various syringes, into and out of the drive ram 46 , when in the correct location.
  • the injector 20 may reverse the ram 46 at a relatively rapid rate until it recognizes that it is close to the home position. The rate of reversal of the ram 46 is then slowed until the injector 20 recognizes that it has reached the pre-calibrated home position. Movement of the ram 46 is then halted such that syringes 28 may be removed from and/or inserted into the injector 20 .
  • the injector 20 of the present invention may also include a warming cradle 48 .
  • this warming cradle 48 includes an annular plastic section 142 and a molded plastic base 144 .
  • this warming cradle 48 may be integral with the injector 20 such as by extending from the forward end 56 of the housing 47 of the injector 20 .
  • the warming cradle 48 may be part of a hanger 146 to which the injector 20 and syringe 28 are operatively connected prior to starting an injection procedure.
  • the plastic section 142 may extend from the hanger 146 in such a manner as to be disposed proximally to and in confronting relationship with the syringe 28 when the syringe 28 and injector powerhead 22 are operatively connected to the hanger 146 and warming cradle 48 .
  • the plastic section 142 of the warming cradle 48 includes a filament of wire 148 which generates heat when an electrical current is driven through it via a suitable electric power source.
  • the filament 148 may extend throughout the region of an annular portion of the plastic section 142 which is in contact, or in confronting relationship, with the syringe 28 and/or pressure jacket, and terminates at either end in electrical leads (not shown) which may be encased in an insulating cable (not shown) which can be operatively connected to the control circuitry of the powerhead 22 . Such connection may occur directly through an aperture in the housing 47 of the powerhead 22 , or may occur through electrical contacts disposed on the exterior of the powerhead housing 47 which contact electrical contacts disposed on the exterior of the cradle 48 or hanger 146 .
  • the filament 148 When current from the powerhead 22 is forced through the leads in the cable and through the filament 148 , the filament 148 generates an even heat which warms fluid inside the syringe 28 , or maintains the temperature of fluid in a pre-warmed syringe 28 .
  • any alternate, suitable method of generating heat in the warming cradle 48 may be used.
  • the present invention also allows for limitation of the pressure supplied by the injector 20 . Since low flow rates require less pressure, the injector 20 of the present invention automatically assigns the pressure limit based on the flow rate. The pressure limit value is thus high enough to achieve the programmed flow rate under normal conditions, but won't allow high pressure to develop in the event of unexpected restriction or blockage within the syringe 28 or tube or access port. By automatically assigning a pressure limit based on the flow rate, an operator does not need to remember to alter the pressure limit each time the injector 20 is used. Thus, the injector 20 is able to deliver media at desired rate, but does not allow too much reserved pressure to build in the event that a blockage occurs. This increases the safety of the injector 20 of the present invention over that of injectors of the prior art.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention further includes a stop circuit to terminate the injection if the fluid injection pressure exceeds a predetermined limit.
  • the stop circuit may terminate the injection when the fluid injection pressure exceeds a predetermined limit for a predetermined period of time.
  • the predetermined pressure limit is 250 psi.
  • the injector 20 may be designed so that the user cannot adjust the pressure limit function.
  • the pressure limiting function may thus be internally programmed and set prior to injecting.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention may include an optional remote console 44 for operating injection procedures by remote control.
  • the remote console 44 is an accessory that connects to the power pack 38 and may be used to monitor and control an injection from a remote location, such as a control room. The user can program, start, stop, and resume an injection as well as dynamically adjust the flow rate while an injection is in progress, all from the remote console 44 .
  • the remote console 44 may also contain a timer on the user-console interface 45 for displaying the elapsed time from the start of an injection until the ram is retracted. The timer is present to assist the user in determining when to start an x-ray scan after injecting to achieve optimal image contrast.
  • a functional remote console 44 for the injector 20 of the present invention may generally be a chargeable console 44 having features and abilities including, but not limited to: (1) starting the injection, (2) stopping or pausing the injection, (3) setting and changing the injection parameters, and/or (4) providing a timer that can be started at the onset of an injection to time the injection. In one embodiment, this timer will have a minimum duration of twenty minutes. However, those of skill in the art will recognize that a timer of any particular minimum duration may be used.
  • a second injector 20 ′ can be added to an injection system via an optional interface cable.
  • the first and second injectors 20 , 20 ′ can then be configured to communicate with one another in order to provide a saline push or to provide for a larger volume injection capability.
  • the first and second injectors 20 , 20 ′ can be configured to communicate in order to provide a saline push or a larger volume capability. This is because, often, injection procedures will require a greater volume of fluid to be injected than is contained by a single syringe 28 .
  • the second injector 20 ′ may be programmed to inject at the completion of the injection of the first injector 20 .
  • a second remote console 44 ′ that connects to a second power pack 38 ′ may be added to facilitate remote control of the second injector 20 ′.
  • a second power-injector interface 42 ′ and a second console-power interface 89 ′ may be used to interconnect these devices.
  • a power supply 40 may be connected to the injector 20 through a power-injector interface 42 , which may include an extension cable connected via prefabricated connectors.
  • An alternate connection may be provided to allow such an injector extension cable to be shortened to facilitate installation in a particular location while avoiding excess wiring or cable, which may create a safety hazard.
  • a 10 ′ coiled cable with connectors at both end may connect the powerhead 22 to a wall plate (not shown).
  • a 75 ′ extension cable may connect between the wall plate and the power pack 38 .
  • This extension cable in one embodiment, may be a plenum type cable.
  • the connection at the power pack 38 for the 75 ′ extension cable may incorporate a connection scheme that allows the extension cable to be shortened to facilitate a neat installation.
  • the power supply 40 includes a console-power interface 89 in order to communicate with any remote console 44 .
  • the power supply 40 senses a line voltage during the powerup phase and automatically configures for voltages ranging from about 100 VAC to about 240 VAC, plus or minus about 10% at about 50 HZ to about 60 HZ, plus or minus about 3 HZ.
  • a 10′ Ethernet type cable with RJ-11 type connectors may be used to connect the power pack 38 to the remote console 44 .
  • the present invention also may include a method for controlling DC power to the injector powerhead 22 and/or remote console 44 .
  • a start injection wire may be used to turn on the power and a two-wire serial communication may be used to turn off the power.
  • the remote console 44 generally includes a low-voltage on/off switch.
  • This switch generally includes wires connected to the power pack 38 to control DC power (generally 24 volts) to the console 44 and the powerhead 22 .
  • the DC voltage in the power pack 38 may always be present as long as a main power switch is on.
  • the connector size in the console 44 of the larger injectors described in the background of the invention is generally at a minimum 15 pins, and thus these connectors allow for dedicated wires for the power on/off function.
  • the connector may generally include only 8 pins. This 8 pin configuration does not allow for any extra dedicated wires for the separate power on/off function on the console 44 .
  • the separate “soft” power on/off switch may be provided on a remote console 44 as follows.
  • the basic elements of the injector 20 are the powerhead 22 , the power pack 38 , and the remote console 44 .
  • the powerhead 22 is the primary device, needing a supply of generally about 24 volts to function as a stand-alone injector.
  • the remote console 44 includes the same controls and displays as the powerhead 22 but further includes an injection timer 152 (such as may be used for manually starting a CT scanner) and an on/off switch.
  • the power pack 38 includes a 24-volt power supply 40 as well as an injector to injector interface and a power on/off control.
  • the injector to injector interface and on/off circuitry is only functional when a remote console 44 is attached to the system and uses an 12C serial interface to control these features.
  • the powerhead 22 and the console 44 may communicate by a serial communication referred to herein as Controller Area Network (CAN).
  • CAN Controller Area Network
  • This CAN communication is used for real time control between the powerhead 22 and console 44 .
  • the interconnecting cabling may include a wire which allows all the devices to identify that a start command has been activated from the console 44 . In such a configuration, this injection signal must be supported by the CAN interface. If it is not supported, it will be ignored or reported as an error to the remaining components of the injection apparatus and no injection will occur.
  • the communication may operate as follows. For purposes of the following description, one may assume that the main power switch of the power pack 38 is “on” and that 24 volts are present in the power pack 38 . Activation of the remote on/off switch will connect a “start out” signal to ground. This wire will turn on the 24 volts for the system power when it is switched to ground.
  • the circuitry used to implement this is flip-flop U 4 :B, transistor Q 4 and relay K 4 .
  • the remote on/off switch in the console 44 is the only component that can activate this line when the system power is off. When the system power is on, the console 44 start switch and the remote on/off switch may activate this line, which will attempt to turn on system power that is already on. When this happens, no change occurs.
  • the remote switch When the system power is on and the remote on/off switch is activated, the remote switch will attempt to turn on the power but at the same time it sends a start signal to the powerhead 22 (which will be ignored) and a signal to the console microprocessor.
  • the software in the processor will wait until the switch depression ends, then delay an appropriate amount of time (in general less than one second). After the delay, the processor sends a power off serial command to the 12C Parallel I/O chip which will toggle the flip-flop U 4 :B and consequently turn off the system power through K 4 . If the powerhead 22 or second console are to be used to turn off the power, such a command should be requested through the CAN interface to the first console 44 .
  • the display screen 34 on the injector 20 relays all information regarding the injection procedure to an operator. These parameters include the program flow rate, the real time flow rate for injection while the injection is running, a program volume, the remaining available volume when the injection is running, and a timer to count up from the start of injection to display up to 19 minutes and 59 seconds. This timer will reset when the drive ram 46 is pulled back or after 20 minutes.
  • the powerhead 22 of the injector 20 of the present invention includes software which, in one embodiment, includes four modes of operation: (1) a manual mode, (2) an auto-inject mode, (3) a syringe size selection mode, and (4) a manufacturing mode.
  • the powerhead 22 also includes a power-on self-test (POST), to check for proper injector operation, and a safe state which the powerhead 22 can enter in the event of serious injector malfunction.
  • POST power-on self-test
  • the powerhead 22 of the injector 20 of the present invention performs an initialization of the microcontroller and system resources. After this initialization, the powerhead software automatically runs a POST. If the powerhead 22 passes all POST tests, the software then may check for the manufacturing mode.
  • the powerhead software enters the manufacturing mode only if the user activates the volume increment and volume decrement at the same time while the software version number is displayed. If the user alternatively activates the purge/retract trigger 36 while the powerhead software is displaying the software version number, the software proceeds automatically into manual mode.
  • the powerhead software is equipped to perform a POST of the microcontroller CPU. Following that first self-test, the POST may perform a cyclical-redundancy check (CRC) test of the program Flash Program Read Only Memory (PROM), a CRC test of the data Flash PROM, and a memory test of all data and program RAM. Following those tests, the POST may perform a test of all peripherals internal to the microcontroller which may be used during operation of the injector 20 of the present invention. The POST then may illuminate all visual indicators, including all digits and segments in the LED displays for a minimum of three seconds. Further, the POST may check the power supply voltages for the +24 volt +/ ⁇ 4 volt and +5 volt +/ ⁇ 0.5 volt power supplies.
  • CRC cyclical-redundancy check
  • the POST also may check for proper motor cutout relay operation and may check the calibration voltage of all purge/retract trigger sensors 116 to be within +/ ⁇ 0.2 volts.
  • the POST may also activate an audible enunciator for a minimum of 500 milliseconds.
  • the POST also detects whether or not an external start signal is active. If the POST detects an external start signal as being active, the software displays a code indicating an active external start signal and stays in the POST mode until that external start signal becomes inactive.
  • the powerhead 22 of the injector 20 of the present invention sends the self-test status to the remote console 44 .
  • the powerhead software displays the current software version on the display 34 for a minimum of three seconds.
  • the powerhead software checks the sensor 140 of the ram home detector 50 to verify that the ram 46 is fully retracted. If the sensor 140 indicates that the ram 46 is not at the home position, the powerhead software then allows the ram 46 to move in the retract direction only and at the same time displays alternating dashes on all digits of the seven segment LED displays. These alternating dashes will continue to be displayed until the ram 46 is moved to the home position. If any of the self-tests fail, the powerhead software transitions to the safe state.
  • the powerhead software contains a manual mode. In this manual mode, the software allows the user to program a volume and flow rate for an injection. When entering the manual mode, the powerhead software will recall and display the previously programmed flow rate and volume.
  • the user interface 30 of the powerhead 22 includes a control panel keypad 32 which may include a volume increment push button and volume decrement push button for programming the injection volume.
  • the user activates and releases the volume increment button, the powerhead software increments the volume 1 ml.
  • the powerhead software increments the volume 1 ml at a rate of 1 ml per 0.5 seconds +/ ⁇ 0.1 seconds. If the user holds the volume increment button for more than 3 seconds, the powerhead software increments the volume 1 ml at an accelerating rate. If the user holds the volume increment button and the maximum volume is reached, the powerhead 22 holds the program volume at the maximum value and gives an audible beep.
  • the powerhead 22 holds the program volume rate at the minimum value and gives an audible beep.
  • the volume decrement button may operate in the same way as the volume increment button except it decrements the program volume. If a 125 ml syringe size is selected, then the program volume ranges from 125 ml down to 1 ml. If the 100 ml syringe size is selected, the program volume ranges from 100 ml down to 1 ml. This programming volume may alternate, depending on the syringe size selected for the powerhead 22 . The powerhead software will not allow the user to program more volume than the maximum programmable volume.
  • the maximum programmable volume will be determined to be the syringe size volume or the remaining volume, whichever is less. If a user attempts to program more volume than the maximum programmable volume, the powerhead software will hold the display volume at the maximum programmable value and give an audible beep.
  • the control panel keypad 32 of the powerhead 22 may include a flow rate increment push button and a flow rate decrement push button for programming the injection flow rate.
  • the powerhead software may increment the flow rate 0.1 ml/s.
  • the powerhead software may initially increment the flow rate 0.1 ml/s and hold for 1 second. If the user continues to hold the flow rate increment button, the powerhead software may increment the flow rate 0.1 mi/s at a rate of 0.5 seconds. If the user holds the flow rate increment button for more than 4 seconds, the powerhead software may increment the flow rate 0.1 ml at an accelerating rate.
  • the flow rate decrement button may operate in the same way as the flow rate increment button except it decrements the program flow rate.
  • the powerhead 22 may allow the programmed flow rate to range from 6.0 ml/s down to 0.1 ml/s. If the user holds the flow rate increment button and the maximum flow rate is reached, the powerhead 22 may hold the program flow rate at the maximum value and give an audible beep. If the user holds the flow rate decrement button and the minimum flow rate is reached, the powerhead 22 may hold the program flow rate at the minimum value and give an audible beep.
  • the powerhead software may enter a pre-filled syringe selection mode if the injector 20 is in manual mode and the user activates and holds the volume increment button for more than 3 seconds when the volume displayed is at the maximum programmed volume.
  • the powerhead software may continually flash an indicating signal, such as “PF”, at the slow rate in the flow rate display, and display, without flashing, the pre-filled syringe sizes in the volume display.
  • the “PF”, or other indicating signal is to inform the user that the injector 20 is in the pre-filled syringe selection mode.
  • the fast flash rate in one embodiment, may be 750 ms on and 250 ms off.
  • the powerhead software may display the previously selected syringe size in the volume display.
  • the powerhead software may allow the user to increment to the next larger syringe size by activating the volume increment button.
  • the syringe size may increment to the next larger syringe size for each activation of the volume increment button.
  • the selectable syringe sizes may be 50 ml, 75 ml, 100 ml, 125 ml, and 130 ml.
  • the powerhead software may ignore further syringe size increments when the largest syringe size is displayed. If the user activates the volume decrement button, the powerhead software may decrement the syringe size to the next smaller size.
  • the syringe size may decrement to the next smaller size for each activation of the volume decrement button.
  • the powerhead software may ignore further syringe size decrements when the smallest syringe size is displayed.
  • the powerhead software may select the displayed syringe size and exit from syringe size selection mode and transition to the manual mode if the user: (1) activates the flow rate increment or decrement push-button, (2) activates the start push-button, (3) activates the purge/retract trigger 36 , or (4) opens and closes the syringe mount 26 .
  • the powerhead software may have a syringe size selection mode time-out feature wherein after 10 seconds of inactivity, the software may select the displayed syringe size and exit to the manual mode. When exiting from syringe size selection mode, the software may store the selected syringe size in non-volatile memory.
  • the powerhead 22 contains a purge/retract trigger 36 to allow the user to vary the flow rate when purging air from the syringe 28 or to retract the ram 46 after an injection.
  • the powerhead software may activate the injector motor in the “expel” direction if the purge/retract trigger 36 is activated in the expel direction.
  • the powerhead software may decrement the volume display 1 ml for every 1 ml of fluid expelled.
  • the powerhead software may activate the injector motor in the “retract” direction if the purge/retract trigger 36 is activated in the retract direction.
  • the powerhead software may increment the volume display 1 ml for every 1 ml that the ram 46 is retracted.
  • the powerhead software may control the flow rate in proportion to the distance to which the user displaces the trigger 36 away from its home position.
  • the powerhead software may not move the injector ram 46 when the purge/retract trigger 36 is in the home position.
  • the powerhead software may adjust the range of the purge/retract trigger 36 so that the maximum achievable flow rate may be limited to the user programmed flow rate or the flow rate allowed when the pressure is being limited. For example, if the user programmed a flow rate of 2.0 ml/s, the injector 20 should adjust the range of the purge/retract trigger 36 so that a flow rate of 2.0 ml/s is achieved when the trigger 36 is fully engaged in the forward direction. If the user programmed a flow rate of 3.5 ml/s, then the injector 20 should adjust the range of the purge/retract trigger 36 so that a flow rate of 3.5 ml/s is achieved when the trigger 36 is fully engaged in the forward direction.
  • the software may control the injector motor to deliver the maximum achievable flow rate.
  • the powerhead software may correlate the flow rate to the purge/retract trigger 36 position as shown in Table 1. The position tolerance may be +/ ⁇ 2% of fully engaged. TABLE 1 Flow Rate (ml/s) % of Fully Engaged 0 0 to 12 (Dead Band) 0.1 to 0.5 12 to 50 0.6 to Programmed Flow Rate 50 to 90 Programmed Flow Rate 90 to 100
  • the powerhead software may adjust the range of the purge/retract trigger 36 during retraction.
  • the no-load retract speed may be a minimum of 6.0 ml/s.
  • the injector 20 should adjust the range of the purge/retract trigger 36 so that a rate of 6.0 ml/s is achieved when the trigger 36 is fully engaged in the reverse direction.
  • the software may control the injector motor to deliver this minimum rate.
  • the correlation of flow rate to the purge/retract trigger 36 position may be as shown in Table 2.
  • the no-load retract speed may be a minimum of 6.0 ml/s.
  • the position tolerance may be +/ ⁇ 2% of fully engaged.
  • the powerhead software may display the volume position, by counting up as the ram 46 moves toward the home position.
  • the powerhead software may additionally display the flow rate by calculating the average flow rate averaged over the previous 0.5 second.
  • the flow rate display may return to the programmed flow rate and the volume display may show the maximum programmable volume.
  • the powerhead software may limit the reverse movement to a maximum flow rate of 1 ml/s for the first 1 ml. If the ram 46 is extended 20 ml or more and the operator engages the purge/retract trigger 36 at 90% to 100% in the reverse direction, the powerhead software may lock in the retract function so the operator can release the flow rate trigger switch while the injector 20 continues to retract.
  • the powerhead software may not lock in the flow rate in the retract direction.
  • the powerhead software may deviate the lock-in feature and control the motor to the purge/retract trigger 36 .
  • Pre-filled syringes such as those commercially available from Mallinckrodt, may contain an extra 3 ml of contrast media or other fluid, over the labeled syringe size, to allow the user to purge air from the syringe and tubing and still have the fully labeled syringe volume available to inject.
  • a 125 ml syringe may contain 128 ml of contrast media.
  • the powerhead 22 may display the labeled syringe size selected and allow the user to purge up to 3 ml before the volume display decrements. If the user purges more than 3 ml, then the powerhead 22 may decrement the volume display 1 ml for every 1 ml of contrast expelled.
  • the powerhead software may enter the enabled state when the following sequence occurs: (1) the user opens and closes the syringe mount 26 when the ram 46 is in the home position; (2) the powerhead software verifies that all injection start signals are inactive, including start switches of the powerhead 22 and the external start signal; and (3) the user purges (i.e., expels) a minimum of 1 ml with the purge/retract trigger 36 and then releases the purge/retract trigger 36 .
  • the powerhead software may illuminate the visual indicator 91 a first color, such as green.
  • the injector 20 may remain in the enabled state if the user changes the injection parameters.
  • the injector 20 may remain in the enabled state if the user retracts the ram 46 less than 5 ml. If the injector 20 is enabled and the user retracts the ram 46 greater than 5 ml, the powerhead software may disable the injection.
  • the powerhead 22 may start and run the programmed injection. While injecting, the powerhead software may display the programmed flow rate if the actual flow rate is within the flow rate performance tolerance. While injecting, the powerhead software may display the average flow rate if the actual flow rate is not within the flow rate performance tolerance. While injecting, the powerhead software may display the volume remaining for the programmed injection. While injecting, the powerhead software may sweep a tri-colored visual indicator 91 through the color spectrum to indicate that the injector 20 is running.
  • the powerhead software may pause the injection. If an injection is paused, the powerhead 22 may flash, at the fast rate, the programmed flow rate and the remaining programmed volume on the display activates an audible beep and flash the visual indicator 91 , such as a tri-colored LED, in a second color, such as amber. For example, if 100 ml of a 125 ml syringe were programmed and the injector 20 was paused after 75 ml had been injected, then the injector 20 should display 25 ml for the volume remaining.
  • the powerhead 22 may disable auto injection mode, and transition to manual mode. If an injection is paused and the user activates the purge/retract trigger 36 in the “expel” direction, the powerhead 22 may display the actual flow rate and the remaining syringe volume without flashing and sweep the tri-color LED of the visual indicator 91 through the color spectrum while the ram 46 moves forward. When the user releases the purge/retract trigger 36 , the powerhead software may display the programmed flow rate and the maximum programmable volume and flash the tri-color LED of the visual indicator 91 amber in color.
  • the powerhead 22 may disable auto injection mode and transition to the manual mode. If the injection is paused and the user activates an injection start button on the powerhead 22 or remote console 44 before activating any of the other controls 90 or the purge/retract trigger 36 , the powerhead software may resume the injection from where is was paused. If the user activates the purge/retract trigger 36 while in auto inject mode, the powerhead software may pause the injection.
  • the powerhead software may flash, at a slow rate, the average achieved flow rate and achieved volume values on the powerhead display.
  • the cycle of the slow rate flash may be “on” for 1.5 seconds and “off” for 0.5 seconds.
  • the powerhead software may disable the injector 20 and turn off the tri-colored LED of the visual indicator.
  • the powerhead software may: (1) display the programmed flow rate and maximum programmable volume, (2) re-enable the injection, and (3) activate the tri-color LED, of the visual indicator 91 , the first color, such as green.
  • the powerhead 22 may display the actual flow rate and the remaining syringe volume without flashing and sweep the tri-color LED, of the visual indicator 91 , through the color spectrum while the ram 46 moves forward.
  • the powerhead software may display the programmed flow rate and the maximum programmable volume and activate the tri-color LED, of the visual indicator 91 , the first color. After an injection completes and there is 1 ml or less volume remaining in the syringe 28 the powerhead software may disable the injection.
  • An external start signal from the remote console 44 to the powerhead 22 is part of the console interface 89 between the powerhead 22 and remote console 44 .
  • the external start signal is used in conjunction with an injection start message from the remote console 44 to start an injection from the remote console 44 .
  • the powerhead software may start a programmed injection from the external start signal only if the following conditions are met: (1) the injection is enabled, (2) the external start signal activates, and (3) a message from the remote console 44 is received by the powerhead software within 500 milliseconds of the external start signal activation. If the powerhead software detects an external start signal activation and the injector 20 is not enabled, the powerhead software may ignore the external start signal, activate an audible beep and display a user error code for injection not enabled. If the powerhead software detects the external start signal and does not receive a start message, the powerhead software may disable auto inject mode and display the injector 20 failure code for injection start.
  • the powerhead 22 further includes a sensor for detecting when the user opens and closes the syringe mount 26 .
  • the powerhead software may: (1) not allow the ram 46 to move in the expel direction, (2) display a user error code for the syringe clamp open, and (3) restore the original display when the user releases the purge/retract trigger 36 or closes the syringe mount 26 .
  • the powerhead software may stop injecting and flash, at a fast rate, an injector 20 fault code for syringe mount 26 open on the powerhead display 34 and disable the auto inject mode. If the user closes the syringe mount 26 , the powerhead software may transition to manual mode and display the programmed flow rate and maximum programmable volume.
  • the powerhead software may correlate injector motor current to syringe pressure. In one embodiment, the powerhead software will not allow the syringe pressure to exceed 250 psi when the ram 46 is moving in the forward direction. If syringe pressure is approaching the pressure limit the powerhead software may reduce the flow rate of the injection to keep from exceeding the pressure limit. If the flow rate is reduced due to pressure limiting, the powerhead software may provide continual beeps from the audible annunciator and flash the flow rate on the display 34 at the fast rate while injecting. When a pressure limited injection completes, the powerhead software may stop the audible annunciator from beeping and flash the volume and flow rate at the slow rate. When retracting the ram 46 , the powerhead software may limit the pressure. In one embodiment, the pressure during retraction of the ram 46 may be limited to a maximum of 100 psi.
  • the remote console 44 includes a timer for timing the elapsed time from the start of an injection to when the injector ram is retracted.
  • the purpose of the timer is to assist the user in determining when to start an imaging scan after injecting contrast.
  • the powerhead 22 may send messages to the remote console 44 containing injection elapsed time information for the remote console 44 to display on the injection timer.
  • the powerhead 22 may not start the timer unless the injector 20 is first enabled.
  • a user would typically use the auto inject feature to run an injection.
  • the user would first purge the injector 20 and stop.
  • the injector 20 would be enabled at this point.
  • the user would then start the injection using the start button on the powerhead 22 or the remote console 44 .
  • the timer would start timing when the start button is pressed.
  • the powerhead 22 may reset and start the timer when an auto injection starts.
  • the powerhead 22 may send messages to the remote console 44 with the injection elapsed time information to display on the timer.
  • a user could “manually” perform the injection by using the purge/retract trigger 36 instead of using the auto inject feature.
  • the timer would start timing as soon as the ram 46 moved forward after being enabled. However, the timer should not display the time until a minimum of 10 ml volume was injected without stopping. If the user stopped injecting before 10 ml, the timer would reset to zero.
  • the powerhead 22 may start the timer but send a message to the remote console 44 to display dashes until a minimum of 10 ml is expelled without stopping.
  • the powerhead 22 may send the elapsed time to the remote console 44 to display on the timer. If the user stops expelling before 10 ml of contrast media or other fluid is expelled the powerhead 22 may stop the timer and send a message to the remote console 44 to continue to display dashes for the time.
  • the user may perform a “scout” injection prior to starting an auto injection.
  • the user would first purge and enable the injector 20 , then manually inject a small amount of contrast, or other media, to verify proper needle placement. Several scout injections may be done before proper needle placement is verified. Once proper needle placement is verified the user then starts the injection using the start button on the powerhead 22 or the remote console 44 .
  • This scenario is covered in the above requirements for auto and manual injection. If the user performs a scout injection of less than 10 ml the timer display will remain with displayed dashes until the start button is pressed. If the user injects more than 10 ml, the timer will start and display time but reset to zero when the user starts the injection with the start button.
  • the powerhead 22 may allow the timer to continue to run and send messages to the remote console 44 with the injection elapse time.
  • the powerhead 22 may stop the timer and send a message to the remote console 44 to display dashes when the ram 46 is retracted more than 5 ml.
  • the remote console 44 may include a momentary contact switch that the user may activate to turn 24 volt power “on” or “off” to the remote console 44 and the powerhead 22 .
  • the remote console 44 detects the activation of this “soft” power switch 52 , it sends a message to the powerhead 22 that 24 volt power is turning off.
  • the powerhead 22 receives a power down message from the remote console 44 the powerhead 22 may transition to the safe state.
  • the powerhead software contains a safe state to which the software transitions if an injector failure is detected. While in the safe state the injector 20 is prohibited from functioning in an unsafe manner. It is intended that, if possible, the ram 46 be retracted to the home position so the syringe 28 may be able to be removed from the injector 20 . While in the safe state the powerhead software may not allow the injector ram 46 to move in the forward direction. The powerhead software may allow the user to retract the ram 46 to the home position at a maximum rate of 1 ml/s. While in the safe state the powerhead software may activate a periodic audible beep at the rate of on for one second and off for two seconds.
  • the powerhead software While in the safe state the powerhead software may display the failure code of any detected injector malfunction. If more than one failure occurs the powerhead software may continually cycle through and display each failure code for at least 2 seconds. If the powerhead software enters the safe state it may stay in the safe state until power is cycled. Apart from the self-tests conducted at power-on, the powerhead software performs run time checks on hardware components to verify safe operation. An LED is connected to the microcontroller I/O line for the software to toggle on/off so that a manufacturing technician has a visual indicator that the microcontroller is running. The powerhead software may toggle the “Alive” LED on and then off so that a manufacturing technician has a visual indicator that the microcontroller is running. If the microcontroller is reset, the powerhead software may display the microcontroller failure code and transition to the safe state.
  • the powerhead software may verify that the +24 volt power supply is between +20 volts and +28 volts within 500 milliseconds after starting an injection. If the +24 volt power supply is outside the tolerance range, the powerhead software may stop the motor and transition to the safe state. The powerhead software may verify that the +5 volt power supply is between +4.5 volts and +5.5 volts at a minimum every 30 seconds. If the +5 volt power supply is outside the tolerance range, the powerhead software may transition to the safe state.
  • the powerhead software may verify that the microcontroller is receiving motor encoder pulses whenever the software runs the motor. If the powerhead software does not detect any motor encoder pulses within 100 milliseconds of running the motor, the powerhead software may transition to the safe state.
  • the powerhead control panel keypad 32 may include two injection start switches that are activated by the user as one push-button for injection start. Two switches are used to as a redundant safety feature to avoid having a false start signal from a bad switch start an injection. If both start switches indicate an activation of the start button and the injector 20 is enabled, the powerhead software may activate the injector motor in the forward direction at the programmed values. If the injection completes and one of the start switches is active then the powerhead software may, until both start switches are inactive: (1) remain in the injection complete state, (2) display a start switch failure code, (3) allow the user to retract the ram 46 with the purge/retract trigger 36 , and (4) not allow the user to move the ram 46 forward.
  • the powerhead motor assembly contains an encoder that provides position information back to the powerhead microcontroller.
  • the encoder does not provide absolute position information. Thus, when power is turned off and back on, the position information from the encoder is lost. Therefore, the powerhead 22 includes a ram home detector 50 that indicates when the ram 46 is at the fully retracted position or home position. When the ram 46 is being retracted, and the powerhead software determines from the encoder counts that the home position has been reached, and the sensor 140 of the home position detector 46 has not indicated a home position within +/ ⁇ 2 ml, the powerhead software may stop the motor and transition to the safe state.
  • the powerhead software may stop the motor and transition to the safe state.
  • the purge/retract trigger 36 includes sensors 116 that detect how much the user moves the trigger 36 . If a zero point of the sensors drifts out of tolerance, the software could interpret the drift as a purge/retract trigger 36 activation.
  • the powerhead software detects purge/retract trigger 36 activation in the forward direction the software may check that all trigger sensors 116 indicate activation of the trigger 36 in the forward direction.
  • the powerhead software detects activation of the purge/retract trigger 36 in the reverse direction, the software may check that all trigger sensors 116 indicate activation of the trigger 36 in the reverse direction. If a purge/retract trigger sensor is out of tolerance, the powerhead software may transition to the safe state.
  • the powerhead software may alternate between displaying the achieved flow rate and the flow rate out of tolerance failure code until the user activates the purge/retract trigger 36 or any of the powerhead controls 90 .
  • the powerhead software may alternate between displaying the achieved volume and the volume out of tolerance failure code until the user activates the purge/retract trigger 36 or any of the powerhead controls 90 .
  • the software may display an indication code, such as “F”, in the flow rate display and a number corresponding to the failure type in the volume display.
  • the failure codes are created and may be interpreted as follows. The hundred's digit represents the subsystem where the failure occurred. The number “0” in the hundred's digit represents the powerhead 22 , a “1” represents remote console 44 (if connected), and a “3” represents the power pack 38 .
  • the failure code “F 004” is for the powerhead RAM memory failure while the failure code “F 104” is for the remote console 1 RAM memory failure.
  • the failure codes in this particular embodiment of the software are as follows:
  • the powerhead software may display an indicating signal, such as “ER”, in the flow rate display and a number corresponding to the error type in the volume display.
  • ER indicating signal
  • these codes may be as follows:
  • the manufacturing mode may allow personnel to perform diagnostics tests, calibrate sensors, and perform a burn-in cycle.
  • the powerhead software may allow the manufacturing person to run diagnostic tests. The diagnostic tests at a minimum may run all the tests performed during power-on self-test.
  • the powerhead manufacturing mode may allow calibration of the following sensors:
  • the manufacturing mode may allow the manufacturing person to select a “burn-in cycle” sub-mode where the powerhead software continuously runs an injection at a predetermined injection parameters.
  • the injector powerhead 22 may interface to the remote console 44 through a network and send messages to the remote console 44 with the following information:
  • the powerhead 22 may send messages to the remote console 44 as the event occurs or at a minimum of once per second.
  • the powerhead 22 may receive messages from the remote console 44 with the following information:
  • the injector 20 of the present invention may include a remote console 44 .
  • the purpose of the remote console 44 is to provide the user a way to control and display the status of the powerhead 22 from a remote location, such as an imaging control room.
  • the remote console 44 allows the user to program or change programmed parameters.
  • the powerhead 22 is enabled for an injection, the user can start the injector 20 or stop an injection in progress from the remote console 44 .
  • the remote console 44 is based on a “master/slave” architectural design such that the remote console 44 functions as a “slave” to the powerhead 22 when the powerhead 22 is in the manual, auto inject, and syringe size selection modes. That is, the remote console 44 displays the flow rate and volume of the powerhead 22 and not what the user enters at the remote console 44 . If the user changes the injection parameters from the remote console 44 , the remote console 44 sends messages to the powerhead 22 reflecting the changes. The powerhead 22 implements the changes and sends messages back to the remote console 44 with the new information. This design reduces the possibility of the remote console 44 displaying something other than what the powerhead 22 is actually doing.
  • the remote console 44 includes software that functions as a “slave” to the powerhead 22 . If the remote console 44 is powered on with no powerhead connection, the remote console 44 displays a powerhead-remote console communication fault code.
  • the remote console 44 has a power-on self-test (POST) to check for proper remote console operation, and the safe state for serious injector malfunction. When power is applied, the remote console 44 performs an initialization of the microcontroller and system resources. After initialization, the remote console software runs a POST.
  • the POST then performs a CRC test of the program Flash memory and the data Flash memory.
  • the POST then performs a memory test of all data and program RAM.
  • the POST then performs a check of all microcontroller peripherals internal to the microcontroller used during the operation of the remote console 44 .
  • the remote console 44 POST checks for dual injector interface communication operation by sending a message to the dual injector interface to send status information over the remote console-power pack interface. If the remote console 44 does not receive a response from the dual injector interface, it fails the communication test.
  • the POST checks the +24 power supply 40 for proper supply voltages of +24VDC +/ ⁇ 4 volts and the +5 power supply 40 for +5VDC +/ ⁇ 0.5 volts power supplies.
  • the POST illuminates all visual indicators including all digits and segments in the 7-segment LED displays for a minimum of 3 seconds.
  • the POST may activate the audible annunciator for a minimum of 500 milliseconds.
  • the remote console software may display the current software version on the LED display for a minimum of 3 seconds. If all self-tests pass, the remote console 44 may then check for the manufacturing mode. The remote console 44 will enter the manufacturing mode only if the user activates the volume increment and volume decrement at the same time within 3 seconds after POST completes. If the user activates any other button while the remote console software is checking for the manufacturing mode, the software skips the manufacturing mode check and proceeds to the operational mode. If any of the self-tests fail, the remote console 44 transitions to the safe state.
  • the remote console 44 may receive messages from the powerhead 22 with flow rate information and display the flow rate information on the remote console flow rate display.
  • the remote console 44 may receive messages from the powerhead 22 with volume information and display the volume information on the remote console volume display. If the powerhead 22 sends a message to the remote console software to illuminate the injecting LED, the remote console 44 will illuminate the injecting LED on the remote console 44 . If the powerhead 22 sends a message with an active error code, the remote console 44 may flash the error code at 500 milliseconds on and 200 milliseconds off. If the powerhead 22 sends a message with an active error code, the remote console 44 may activate the audible tone for one second on and one second off for three times.
  • the remote console software may send any remote console control button activation to the powerhead 22 . Controls 90 may include, but are not limited to, buttons for flow rate increment, flow rate decrement, volume increment, volume decrement, and injection start buttons.
  • the remote console 44 may include at least two injection switches that are activated by the user as one injection start push-button for starting an enabled injection. Two switches are used as a redundant safety feature to avoid having a false start signal from a bad switch to start an injection.
  • the remote console 44 sends an injection start message to the powerhead 22 when the user activates the injection start button.
  • the remote console software verifies: (1) that both injection switches have been activated, and (2) that both injection switches have transitioned to the inactive state since the last activation. Following verification, the remote console software sends an injection start message to the powerhead 22 .
  • the remote console software may send a message to the powerhead 22 indicating a volume increment button activation.
  • the remote console software may send a message to the powerhead 22 indicating that the volume button is deactivated.
  • the volume decrement button may operate in the same way as the volume increment button, except the remote console 44 sends messages to the powerhead 22 when the volume decrement button is activated or released.
  • the remote console software may send a message to the powerhead 22 indicating a flow rate increment button activation.
  • the remote console software may send a message to the powerhead 22 indicating that the flow rate button is deactivated.
  • the flow rate decrement button may operate in the same way as the flow rate increment button, except the remote console 44 sends messages to the powerhead 22 when the flow rate decrement button is activated or released.
  • the remote console software may display and flash an indicator, such as “PF”, in the flow rate display when the powerhead 22 sends a message to display “PF”.
  • the “PF” indicator signals to the user that the injector 20 is in the pre-filled syringe selection mode.
  • the remote console 44 may flash the “PF” at the rate sent from the powerhead 22 .
  • An LED visual indicator may be connected to the microcontroller I/O line for the software to toggle on/off so that a manufacturing technician has a visual indicator that the microcontroller is running.
  • the remote console software may toggle the “Alive” LED on and then off so that a manufacturing technician has a visual indicator that the microcontroller is running.
  • the remote console software may control the state of the tri-color LED visual indicator according to the message received from the powerhead 22 .
  • the states for the tri-color LED visual indicator may be: green, amber, red, blue, white, color sweep, and blank (no illumination).
  • the remote console 44 includes a timer to assist the user in determining when to start an imaging scan after injecting contrast.
  • the remote console 44 may include a timer for timing elapsed time from the start of an injection to when the injector ram is retracted. While the remote console 44 is on and the timer is not timing, the timer may display dashes in the minutes, tens of seconds, and seconds seven-segment LED display (i.e., “—: ——”).
  • the remote console 44 may display the elapsed time in a minutes and seconds format with a colon mark between the minutes and seconds.
  • the remote console timer may range from 0 minutes, 0 seconds (0:00) to 19 minutes and 59 seconds (19:59). If the timer is less than 10 minutes, then the remote console 44 may blank the tens of minutes digit (for example, 9:59). If the timer is less than 1 minute, then the remote console 44 may display a zero in the minutes digit (for example, 0:09).
  • the remote console 44 may reset the time to zero and start the time.
  • the remote console 44 may continue to display dashes until the powerhead 22 sends a message to the remote console 44 to display the time.
  • the remote console 44 may stop the timer and display dashes when the remote console 44 receives a message from the powerhead 22 to stop the timer. If the timer reaches 19 minutes and 59 seconds (19:59) the timer may hold the time at 19 minutes and 59 seconds and flash the time display at the fast rate.
  • the remote console 44 further includes a momentary contact switch that the user may activate to turn 24 volt power on or off to the remote console 44 and the powerhead 22 .
  • the soft power switch 52 is not connected to power but to a microprocessor I/O line in the remote console 44 . If the remote console 44 is powered up, the microprocessor can detect when the user toggles the soft power switch 52 to turn power off. The remote console 44 then sends a message over the remote console-power pack interface to turn 24 volt power off. If the remote console 44 is powered off, the microprocessor will be unable to detect user switch activation. However, a hardware circuit in the power pack 38 can detect switch activation through a hardware signal between the remote console 44 and the power pack 38 . During this procedure, the power remains on in the power pack 38 . The detection circuit then switches 24 volt power back on to the remote console 44 and powerhead 22 .
  • the remote console 44 When the remote console 44 is powered on and the user activates the soft power on/off switch 52 , the remote console 44 may send a message over the remote console-power pack interface to disconnect 24 volt power to the powerhead 22 and remote console 44 .
  • the remote console 44 may delay a minimum of 20 milliseconds from when the user releases the soft power switch 52 until the power off message is sent over the remote console-power pack interface.
  • the remote console 44 When the remote console 44 is powered on and the user activates the soft power on/off switch 52 , the remote console 44 may send a message to the powerhead 22 over the powerhead-remote console interface that 24 volt power is being disconnected.
  • the soft power on/off feature may not be active before the remote console POST is completed.
  • the soft power on/off feature may function while the injector 20 is in the safe mode. This assumes that the associated hardware for the soft power on/off is functional.
  • the remote console 44 may repeatedly attempt to communicate with the powerhead 22 . If, after 5 seconds, the repeated attempts fail, the remote console 44 may display a communication failure and transition to the safe state.
  • the remote console 44 may display injector 20 failure codes sent from the powerhead 22 . Further, the remote console 44 may display injector 20 user error codes sent from the powerhead 22 .
  • the remote console software includes a safe state where the software transitions if a remote console failure is detected. While in the safe state, the remote console 44 is prohibited from functioning in an unsafe manner. Once in the safe state, the software may not exit from the safe state as long as power is applied to the remote console 44 . While in the safe state, the software may not communicate with the powerhead 22 . While in the safe state, the remote console software may send messages to the power pack 38 to disable all dual injector 20 relay outputs. While in the safe state, the remote console software may display the failure code of any detected remote console malfunction.
  • the injector 20 of the present invention has the ability to connect a second injector 20 ′ together through the dual injector interface.
  • This second injector 20 ′ may be hand-held or may be wall, floor, or ceiling mounted.
  • the interface 42 allows for the two injectors to work in tandem for delivering back to back injections.
  • Typical use for two injectors includes a “saline push” where the first injector 20 delivers contrast followed by saline from the second injector 20 ′.
  • the dual injector interface is located in the power pack 38 . Since the cable connecting the power pack 38 to the powerhead 22 does not include any spare signals to accommodate the dual injector interface directly, the remote console 44 serves as the link between the dual injector interface and the powerhead 22 . Therefore, the remote console 44 includes a remote console-power pack interface. The remote console 44 polls the status of the dual injector interface via the remote console-power pack interface and sends messages to the powerhead 22 via the powerhead-remote console interface.
  • the remote console 44 may query the dual injector interface via the remote console-power pack interface. If another injector is connected to the dual injector interface, and the other injector is enabled, the remote console 44 may send the information to the powerhead 22 connected to the remote console 44 .
  • the remote console 44 includes a microprocessor having internal non-volatile memory to store the software program and data constants. Manufacturing will need to update or change the contents of the non-volatile program and data memory.
  • the manufacturing mode software may allow the manufacturing technician to reprogram the contents of the non-volatile program and data memory in the microprocessor.

Abstract

An injector 20 that may be used to deliver radiographic contrast media and/or flushing solution into a patient's vascular system for the purposes such as obtaining enhanced diagnostic x-ray images. The injector includes the following features: (1) a syringe mount 26 for attachment of a syringe 28 to the injector 20; (2) display 34 and controls 90 for volume and flow rates; (3) automatic limiting of the operating pressure of the injector 20 as determined by the selection of a flow rate; (4) a syringe cradle 48 having a warming capability; (5) a purge/retract trigger 36 for control of the injection procedure having intuitive direction (i.e., forward for injecting, reverse for filing), non-contact control transmission through the housing of an injector 20 for an improved seal integrity, a speed lock, and/or the ability to change the concentration and/or flow rate of media or other fluid during an injection procedure; (6) a switch to determine when the drive ram 46 is in a “home” position; (7) a “soft” on/off power switch separate from the injector; and (8) a structure to prevent rotation of the drive ram 46 about its axis of symmetry 76. Additionally, the injector system includes software for the control of various components.

Description

    CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
  • This application is a divisional of and claims priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 10/211,726, by Frank M. Fago et al., entitled “Injector,” filed on Aug. 2, 2002, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
  • FIELD OF INVENTION
  • The present invention relates to injectors for injecting fluid into animal subjects, including humans.
  • BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  • During many medical procedures, various fluids are injected into patients for purposes of diagnosis or treatment. An example of one such fluid is contrast media used to enhance angiography or CT imaging. Such fluids may also be used in other modalities, such as intravenous pyelogram (IVP) and cardiology. The injectors used in these procedures are often automated devices that expel the fluid from a syringe, through a tube, and into the subject.
  • Injectors suitable for these applications generally include relatively large volume syringes and are capable of producing relatively large flow rates and injection pressures. For these reasons, injectors for such applications typically include large, high mass injection motors and drive trains. These are typically housed in an injection head, which is supported by a floor, wall, or ceiling mounted arm. Certain such injectors include the CT9000 ADV and the Optistar MR Injection System (K948088). Such devices are generally designed to meet both the ordinary needs of the market as well as advanced needs.
  • There exist many drawbacks to the large injector units described above, which are presently used to inject contrast media and other media. For example, these large power injectors generally are only available at a high cost. In many instances, this cost is prohibitive in that it prices many of these injectors out of the range of some small hospitals, and out of the range of developing and third world markets. This results in patients that either (1) do without tests and treatments which may be necessary, or (2) endure the burden of travel, often over long distances, to reach those facilities with the necessary injection capabilities. Also, this results in injection procedures wherein the contrast media, or other fluid, is delivered by a hand syringe, which is ergonomically unsafe and can lead to cumulative stress disorders for the user. Further, the use of a hand syringe provides inferior images as compared to those generated when using a power injector. Additionally, many costly, large injector units may include a number of features which may not be necessary for the purposes for which they are to be used at some smaller hospitals and other medical facilities. Such facilities may be better served by an injector which does not include all the numerous features of large injectors, but which might thereby be more affordable.
  • In addition to the cost concerns discussed above, safety concerns can arise due to the use of these large, and often complex, injectors. First, these injectors operate at a relatively high pressures, as described above. Many current power injectors have a maximum pressure limit in order to provide safety to the components of the power injector. This prevents the injector from being damaged by being subjected to forces greater than its components are rated to withstand. These injectors also allow the operator to reduce the set maximum pressure limit to provide safety to a patient or other subject to be injected. For example, access ports are inserted into patients who need medication intravenously, but whose veins cannot tolerate multiple needle sticks. Access ports that are implanted into patients cannot tolerate many of the high pressures capable of being generated by these large injectors. High flow rates and pressures can cause the implanted catheter portion of the access port to break and require surgery to remove. For example, 100 psi is generally a threshold of pressure that a typical access port is able to withstand. However, a typical large CT injector can attain pressures during delivery of media of 300 psi at all flow rates. Thus, unless the pressure of such an injector is manually reduced, the access ports in a patient can be become over-pressured and possibly fail. Limiting the pressure for the injection of fluid into an access port for a contrast study requires a technologist to reprogram the injector to reduce the pressure limit. If the technologist forgets to reset the limit to the higher setting once the application has been performed, the desired flow rates may not be achieved during injections for subsequent patients. This can result in ineffective injections and a waste of media, among other costs attendant to repeating the injection procedure.
  • A second safety concern regards the structure and function of the triggers of injectors. Injectors, as described above, may include a trigger lever which may be manipulated by an operator in order to dispel media or other fluid from a syringe into a subject or to pull fluid from a container and into a syringe. The triggers of these large power injectors may often operate only at a constant set speed. Once the injection has begun, it may automatically proceed to completion at a set pressure and flow rate. An operator may be generally unable to change the injection speed or rate or pressure as an injection is occurring, without actually halting the injection procedure. This lack of control over the pressure and flow rates at which an injection proceeds may raise safety issues for the patient or other subject being injected, should an incorrect pressure limit or flow rate be programmed. Likewise, halting an injection procedure can result in ineffective injections and waste of media, among other costs.
  • Additional problems arise when attaching a syringe to an injector. Many current injectors include a face plate, which is disposed at the forward end of the injector. To replace the syringe, the front face plate, which facilitates coupling between the syringe plunger and the plunger drive ram, is moved, the used syringe detached, and a fresh syringe attached. The syringes may be pre-filled or may be initially empty, to be filled after being attached to the injector. The plunger drive ram of the injector is disposed within the injector housing on one side of the face plate, while the syringe is attached to, and extends from, the opposite side of the face plate. When the syringe is connected to the face plate, it is substantially co-axially aligned with the plunger drive ram. The face plates used in operatively connecting the syringe to the injector may be cumbersome and time-consuming to operate.
  • Additionally, many injectors may include a separate console for controlling the injector. The console typically includes programmable circuitry which can be used for automatic programmed control of the injector. This may be beneficial in that the operation of the injector can be made predictable and operate in concert with the operations of other medical equipment. Thus, at least a part of the injection process may be automatically controlled. However, any filling procedure, and typically some part of the injection procedure may be performed by an operator using hand-operated movement controls on the injector head. Typically the hand-operated movement controls may include buttons for reverse and forward movement of the injector drive ram, to respectively fill and empty the syringe. In some cases, a combination of buttons is used to initiate movement of the ram or to control ram movement speed. The injector head also typically includes a gauge or display for indicating injection parameters to the operator. Unfortunately, operators have found it cumbersome to use the hand-operated movement buttons and to read the injector head gauges and displays.
  • Another problem that arises concerns the temperature of the media or other fluid as it is injected. It is often important, during injection procedures, that the fluid to be injected have a temperature approaching the body temperature of the subject to be injected. To accomplish this, in large injectors as described above, a warming unit may be included in the injector to raise and maintain the temperature of a fluid to a predetermined level. Often, media will be maintained at a particular temperature in a separate warming unit and subsequently attached to the injecting unit. However, any lag time involved in removing the media from its warming cradle, and attaching the syringe, and injecting the media, may result in a decrease of the temperature of the media.
  • Another drawback with presently used injectors is that they are generally incapable of communicating with other injectors. As a result this only allows for one injector to be programmed and/or used at a time. Thus, there is generally no ability for different injectors to operate automatically in a sequential fashion. This situation reduces the overall safety in injection procedures by requiring a technician or other medical personnel to operate and monitor potentially several different injections simultaneously or in overlapping fashion. This increases the potential for error in an injection procedure.
  • Additional problems with current injectors arise due to the use of multiple components which must communicate with one another during an injection procedure. Often, several components, such as the injector, a console, and a power supply, must all communicate with one another in order to correctly perform an injection.
  • Another problem that arises from the structure of current injectors is in attempting to maintain the correct placement of the drive ram in order to facilitate the loading and unloading of syringes to the injector. Many prior art injectors use potentiometers and/or encoders on the motor, either separately or as redundant systems, to track the location of the drive ram in relation to the housing of the injector. It is important to be able to track the position of the drive ram so that an operator can remove and replace syringes during a series of injections, while being able to rely on the drive ram being in the correct location. Some previous injectors have used linear potentiometers; others have used rotary potentiometers. However, the use of these potentiometers and redundant systems increases the required size and cost of the injectors.
  • Another problem found in current injectors is in the structure for ensuring that the drive ram does not rotate about its axis of symmetry during injection. If the drive ram should rotate away from its original position, it is possible that an operator would then be unable to remove and discard old syringes, and/or attach new syringes to the injector. To reduce this problem, previous injectors generally have used a cam follower operatively connected to the drive ram which moves back and forth along with the drive ram and tracks in a groove located in an inner wall of the housing of the injector in order to prevent rotation of the drive ram. However, this structure increases friction which may result in an unsmooth movement of the injector drive ram. Additionally, any groove in the housing may become blocked which also may disrupt the injection procedure.
  • SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
  • Accordingly, to improve power injectors, there is need for an injector system including an injector in which pressure limits may be easily set within safety thresholds. It would be further desirable to provide an injector which allows for manipulation of injection speeds, rates, and/or pressures during the injection procedure. Further, it would be desirable to provide an injector which reduces or eliminates power connections to the injector itself. It would also be desirable to provide an injector to facilitate attachment of a syringe. Further, it would be desirable to provide an injector which has the capability of warming and/or maintaining the temperature of the media or other fluid to be injected. Additionally, it would be desirable to provide an injector which is capable of communicating with other injectors. Further, it would be desirable to provide an injector which is capable of tracking the location of the drive ram while reducing the overall size, and thus the cost, of the injector. Also, it would be desirable to provide an injector which includes a uniform or “soft” power switch associated with a peripheral component, such as a remote console. Further, it would be desirable to provide an injector which prevents rotation of the drive ram. Also, it would be desirable to provide an injector which improves the ease of its operation. And finally, it would be desirable to provide such an injector at low cost in order to provide such injectors to currently unavailable markets.
  • The present invention also provides less cumbersome features than those injectors of the prior art, and thereby may provide injectors and injector systems at lower cost. Accordingly, the apparatus of the present invention includes an injector system having an injector which overcomes and eliminates the drawbacks of injector systems and injectors as described above in the background of the invention. The term “injector system”, as used herein, generally applies to any number of injectors, consoles, power supplies, interconnections, and other peripherals used to complete an injection procedure, while the term “injector” generally refers to the particular equipment which directly discharges fluid, such as media, from a syringe. However, the terms “injector” and “injector system” may be used interchangeably herein.
  • The injector of the present invention may be used to deliver radiographic contrast media and/or flushing solution into a patient's vascular system for the purpose of obtaining enhanced diagnostic x-ray images. However, the injector is not limited to this purpose, and may be used to deliver other media for other applications. In one aspect, the invention provides an ergonomic, light-weight powerhead injector that may be hand-held. This allows the injector to be more portable and economical than current large mounted injectors. Such a handheld injector is amenable for use in facilities which rely upon hand injection, or for use in combination with a mounted single powerhead to provide a dual syringe capability in CT applications. The injector of the present invention may deliver radiographic contrast media at a controlled flow rate and volume into a patient's vascular system for the purpose of obtaining enhanced diagnostic images. The injector of the present invention is made up generally of at least the following components:
      • (1) A powerhead—The powerhead includes a drive system, a syringe mount for attachment and holding of a syringe, a main microprocessor, control electronics, a control keypad for programming and initiating injection protocols, a status display, and a purge/retract trigger.
      • (2) A power pack—The power pack includes a power supply and an interface. The interface is made up of a plurality of relays and optical couplings that provide communication between various devices. One use for the interface is to harmonize two injectors in one injection system so as to provide greater volume capability or to provide a flushing solution.
  • The present invention may also include an optional remote console which communicates with the powerhead to program and initiate injection protocols, displays the injection status, and displays a timer.
  • The present invention may thus include, but is not limited to, the following features: (1) a syringe mount for attachment of a syringe to the injector; (2) display and controls for volume and flow rates; (3) automatic limiting of the operating pressure of the injector as determined by the selection of a flow rate; (4) a syringe cradle having a warming capability; (5) a purge/retract trigger including a trigger lever for control of the injection procedure having intuitive direction (i.e., forward for injecting, reverse for filing) coupled with variable velocity of the drive ram, non-contact control transmission through the housing of an injector for an improved seal integrity, a speed lock, and/or the ability to change the concentration and/or flow rate of media or other fluid during an injection procedure; (6) a switch to determine when the drive ram is in a “home” position; (7) a “soft” on/off power switch separate from the injector; and (8) a structure to prevent rotation of the drive ram about its axis of symmetry. Additionally, the injector system may include software for the control of various components. It will be apparent to those of skill in the art that many of the features of the injector of the present invention may also be applicable to the large ceiling, floor, or wall mounted injectors described above in the background of the invention.
  • The injector of the present invention delivers media, such as contrast media for example, under pressure, into a patient for the purpose of obtaining contrast enhanced diagnostic images. As described above in the background of the invention, many current markets are served by larger, more permanent injector systems which are mounted to the exam table suspended from the ceiling, or fitted to a pedestal-type mobile stand, as described above in the background of the invention. These previous injectors may only be available at a cost that is prohibitive in many markets. In one aspect, the injector of the present invention may be small and light weight, thus allowing the user the option of holding the injector by hand during injections, thus allowing for a greater level of control. Such a small handheld injector requires less materials and may therefore be produced at a lower cost. This reduction in the overall price of such an injector increases the ability of smaller hospitals and third world markets to purchase such injectors, and thus allows patients in those areas access to a greater range of medical procedures. The injector of the present invention is designed to meet ordinary needs of the medical market and is therefore less expensive, smaller, and less complicated to operate. Features such as stored protocols, multi-phasic injections, high flow rate, and optional printer may be omitted from the injector of the present invention in order to reduce costs and simplify the user interface. With an optional injector-to-injector interface, the injector of the present invention may be joined with other compatible injectors in order to deliver multi-phasic injections, greater volume capability, or a flushing solution (normally saline) in a similar manner as some other injection systems, such as the Optistar MR injection system.
  • A greater level of control is also provided by the purge/retract trigger of the present invention, which includes an intuitive trigger lever. This trigger lever may be in the form of a variable speed rocker switch. Pushing on the front of the trigger of the injector of the present invention will extend the drive ram into the syringe thereby discharging any fluid contained therein. Pushing the back of the trigger will retract the ram from the syringe. The trigger of the injector of the present invention allows the operator to vary the speeds at which fluids are being injected. It does so by providing a proportional speed control for the drive ram motions of extension and retraction. The speed of the drive ram is dependent on the amount of trigger activation compared to the program speed. Thus, the further an operator displaces the trigger from its original, or home, position when pushing on the front of the lever, the faster the movement of the drive ram and thus the injection flow rate. The same speed control may be provided when retracting the drive ram.
  • Another aspect of the injector of the present invention is the use of noncontact control associated with the trigger in order to reduce power connections through the housing in order to seal the housing. In one embodiment, such non-contact control may occur through a series of magnets associated with the trigger, the magnets being sensed by a magnetic sensor that is operatively connected to a circuit board within the housing of the injector. Additionally, the injector of the present invention may include a speed lock associated with the trigger. This allows an operator to operate injection and filling functions of the injector at constant speeds by engaging the speed lock, or alternatively at variable speeds by disengaging the speed lock.
  • Another aspect of the injector of the present invention is the integrity of the connection between the injector and the syringe to be loaded into the injector. To that end, the injector of the present invention provides a syringe mount including first and second gripping members that are designed to be substantially circumferential around the cylindrical body of a syringe when the syringe is loaded into the injector. These gripping members are biased towards the longitudinal axis of the syringe so that as a syringe is placed into the injector, the gripping members bias toward and clamp around the cylindrical body of the syringe.
  • In another aspect, the handheld injector of the present invention may include a warming cradle that is operatively connected to the injector. This warming cradle allows the contents of a syringe to be maintained at a particular desired temperature while the syringe is attached to the injector. In one embodiment, the warming unit may be a cradle present on a hanger which can be associated with the injector of the present invention. In use, the injector (including syringe) is operatively connected to the hanger with the syringe oriented in a downward fashion. This brings the cylindrical body of the syringe into proximity with the cradle such that the media within the syringe is warmed. This configuration reduces and eliminates any cooling problems present with the use of previous separate warming units and injectors.
  • As described above, the present invention also allows for limitation of the pressure supplied by the injector. Since low flow rates require less pressure, the injector of the present invention automatically assigns the pressure limit based on the flow rate. The pressure limit value is thus high enough to achieve the programmed flow rate under normal conditions, but won't allow high pressure to develop in the event of unexpected restriction or blockage within the syringe or tube or access port. By automatically assigning a pressure limit based on the flow rate, an operator does not need to remember to alter the pressure limit each time the injector is used. Thus, the injector is able to deliver media at desired rate, but does not allow too much reserved pressure to build in the event that a blockage occurs. This increases the safety of the injector of the present invention over that of injectors of the prior art.
  • The injector of the present invention may also be adapted to be used with other injectors. These other injectors may include, but are not limited to, handheld injectors, ergonomic lightweight powerhead injectors, or other CT injectors, and may utilize multiple device communication links. In one particular embodiment of the present invention the communication format used is a Controller Area Network (CAN). However, the injector could potentially use any communication format. The communication may occur through wires, fiber optic cable, or may occur through wireless communication.
  • The injector of the present invention also includes a ram home detector. The ram home detector accurately detects both when the ram is a certain distance from the home position and when the ram is at the home position. This detection may be achieved through the use of magnets. This allows the elimination of secondary analog position devices such as a potentiometer. As described above in the background of the invention many present injectors use potentiometers and/or encoders on the motor as redundant systems to track the location of the drive ram of an injector. The injector of the present invention does not include such a system. Rather, the injector of the present invention includes a magnet disposed on the ram that interacts with sensors along the inner part of the injector to detect the location of the ram. When reversing the ram to its home position, for example, this allows the ram to run quickly in reverse mode until it is a certain distance from its home position. During its operation, the injector of the present invention calibrates a value which it assigns to the ram when the ram is in its home position, generally flush with the outer edge of the front surface of the injector. In this way, the ram can be run and reversed such that it always comes to a rest in the same home position. This is necessary in being able to remove and replace various syringes, into and out of the drive ram when in the correct location. Thus, when in reverse mode, the injector may reverse the ram at a relatively rapid rate until it recognizes that it is close to the home position. The rate of reversal of the ram is then slowed until the injector recognizes that it has reached the pre-calibrated home position. Movement of the ram is then halted such that syringes may be removed from and/or inserted into the injector.
  • Additionally, the injector of the present invention also includes an on/off power switch, referred to as a “soft” power switch, located on the remote console which is present in addition to the switch located on the power supply and/or on the injector itself. Consoles used in injection procedures generally have an off switch for DC power while the AC power of the power supply remains active. The on/off switch of the injector of the present invention communicates with the console such that if the console is in its off position, the injector and console will automatically be turned on when the power supply reads that the console has been turned on. In particular, this switch includes a normally closed/normally open contact that communicates with a processor inside the console of the injector. When the contact is open, the processor communicates with a communication component within the injector to cause the power supply to turn off. Software may be included in the injector of the present invention to ensure that the switch does not start the actual running of an injection procedure.
  • The injector of the present invention also includes a structure to prevent rotation of the drive ram. In particular, this prevents the ram from. rotating about its axis of symmetry during an injection procedure. The anti-rotation of the ram is caused by the shape of the drive ram itself. In one embodiment, a cross-section of the drive ram taken perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the drive ram is in the shape of back to back D's, having a flat surface across the top of the ram, a flat surface across the bottom of the ram and a curved surface on both sides of the ram. This drive ram inserts through a similarly shaped orifice 134 in a plate in the end of the housing of the injector of the present invention nearest the syringe. Due to the flat surfaces on the top and the bottom of the drive ram, the ram is thus unable to rotate as it moves forward. This is important in keeping a coupling element that is disposed at the end of the drive ram aligned in an upward facing direction so that syringes may be removed and replaced into the injector.
  • The aforementioned and other principles and advantages of the present invention may explained and/or be apparent from the accompanying drawings which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, along with the general description of the invention given above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below.
  • BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the injector of the present invention, depicting the intuitive trigger and the syringe mount in accordance with principles of the present invention and also including a power supply and a remote console;
  • FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention including two injectors, two remote consoles, and two power supplies;
  • FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the injector of the present invention taken along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1, and depicting the intuitive trigger of the present invention;
  • FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the intuitive trigger of the present invention depicting the trigger in a forward position;
  • FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the intuitive trigger of the present invention depicting the trigger in a reverse position;
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the syringe mount taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2 depicted without a syringe attached to the injector;
  • FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the syringe mount depicting a syringe attached to the injector of the present invention;
  • FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the hanger of the injector in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
  • FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the injector of the present invention, including a hanger with a syringe attached to the injector and associated with the hanger;
  • FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the hanger and warming cradle of the injector in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
  • FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the injector of the present invention including a hanger and warming cradle with a syringe attached to the injector and associated with the hanger and warming cradle;
  • FIG. 9 is a graph demonstrating the limits of pressure versus flow rates in the injector of the present invention.
  • FIG. 10 is a schematic of the control board of the remote console in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
  • FIG. 11 is a schematic of the control board of the remote console in accordance with the principles of the present invention; and
  • FIG. 12 is a schematic of the power supply interconnect board in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
  • DETAILED DESCRIPTION
  • As described above in the summary of the invention, the present invention provides an injector which overcomes and eliminates the drawbacks of injectors as described above. With reference to the Figures, an injector 20 of the illustrated embodiment of the present invention may be provided in a “wand” shape in order to be hand held. The injector 20 of the present invention is designed to meet ordinary needs of the medical market and is therefore less expensive, smaller, and less complicated to operate. Features such as stored protocols, multi-phasic injections, high flow rate, and optional printer may be omitted in order to reduce costs and simplify the user-injector interface 30. With an optional injector-injector interface 31 (FIG. 1A), the injector 20 of the present invention may be joined with other compatible injectors in order to deliver greater volume injections, or a flushing solution (normally saline) in a similar manner as some other injection systems such as the Optistar MR injection system. It will, however, be recognized by those of skill in the art that many of the features of the present invention are amenable for use on larger injectors, such as wall, ceiling, or floor mounted CT injectors. The injector 20 of the present invention may deliver radiographic contrast media at a controlled flow rate and volume into a patient's vascular system for the purpose of obtaining enhanced diagnostic images. As described above, the injector 20 of the present invention is made up generally of at least the following components:
      • (1) A powerhead 22—The powerhead 22 includes a drive system 24 which may be electromechanical, a syringe mount 26 for the attachment and holding of a syringe 28, a main microprocessor, control electronics, a user-injector interface 30 including a control keypad 32 for programming and initiating injection protocols, a status display 34, and a purge/retract trigger 36.
      • (2) A power pack 38—The power pack 38 includes a power supply 40 and a power-injector interface 42. In general, the power pack 38 may supply DC power to the powerhead 22 from AC mains. The power-injector interface 42 is made up of a plurality of relays and optical couplings that provide communication between devices such as the powerhead 22 and power pack 38. One use for these interfaces such as the injector-injector interface 31 is to harmonize two injectors in an injection system so as to provide greater volume capability or to provide a flushing solution.
  • The present invention may also include an optional remote console 44 which communicates with the powerhead 22 to allow a user to program and initiate injection protocols and control injections, such as by starting and stopping an injection. The remote console 44 also may include a user-console interface 45 which may display injection parameters such as volume and flow rate while injecting, may display the injection status, and may display a timer.
  • Certain features of the injector 20 of the present invention may include, but are not limited to, the following. The injector 20 of the present invention may include a syringe mount 26 on the injector 20 in order to facilitate attachment of a syringe 28 to the injector 20 in alignment with a drive ram 46. The injector 20 may include a cradle 48 having a warming capability. Further, the injector 20 of the present invention may include a purge/retract trigger 36 having intuitive direction capabilities. These include pushing the trigger 36 in a forward direction for injecting, and pushing the trigger 36 in a reverse direction for filling. Additionally, the velocity of the drive ram 46 may be varied, depending on the degree of deflection of the trigger 36 away from a “home” position. The trigger 36 also may include a non-contact control transmission through a housing 47 of the injector. The trigger 36 also may include a speed lock which allows a user to have the ability to change the concentration or flow rates of the fluid being injected during the actual operation of an injection procedure. The utility of an injector 20 that may be small and light weight along with the ability to dynamically adjust the flow rate while performing an injection gives the user greater levels of control over the injection. Further, the pressure generated by the injector 20 of the present invention may be automatically limited by the selection of a particular flow rate. The injector 20 of the present invention also may include a ram home detector 50 that is used to determine when the drive ram 46 of the injector 20 is located in a “home” position. The injector 20 of the present invention also may include an on/off power switch 52 on the remote console 44 which is separate from other power switches. Finally, the injector 20 of the present invention may also include the drive ram 46 having a particular structure that operates to prevent rotation of the drive ram 46 about its axis of symmetry 76.
  • As mentioned previously, the injector 20 of the present invention operates in combination with a syringe 28. Proximal to the forward end 56 of the injector housing 47, positioned between the injector 20 and the syringe 28, is a syringe mount 26 to facilitate attachment of the syringe 28 to the injector 20. In certain embodiments (not shown), a pressure jacket, preferably transparent, may extend outwardly from the forward end 56 of the housing 47, in order to receive a replaceable syringe 28. The syringe 28 and pressure jacket are constructed such that they withstand the injection pressures created by the injector 20 during an injection operation. It is not necessary that the injector 20 include a pressure jacket that surrounds the syringe 28. In an alternate embodiment (not shown), a cradle may extend outwardly from the forward end 56 of the housing 47, in order to support the syringe 28. As will be discussed below, such a cradle may have a heating capability, in order to warm the contents of the syringe 28. However, it is not necessary that the injector 20 include a cradle to support the syringe 28. In yet another embodiment, the syringe 28 may simply extend freely from the injector 20, with no structure for its support other than its connection to the injector 20 itself. The syringe 28 may include a syringe plunger.
  • With reference to FIGS. 1-4, the syringe 28 for use with the injector 20 of the present invention generally includes a body 54 which may be in the form of an exterior cylindrical barrel, which at its forward end 55 is integral with a conical front wall section 58. A neck 60, terminating in a discharge tip 62, generally extends forwardly from and may be integral with the conical front wall section 58. The body 54 of the syringe 28 may engage the interior wall of a pressure jacket or a cradle, as described above, when such a pressure jacket or cradle is present on the injector 20. However, the illustrated embodiment depicts a syringe 28 extending freely from the front of the injector 20. The syringe 28, as used in conjunction with the injector 20 of the present invention, includes a syringe mating section 64, which may be in the form of a radially outwardly extending flange. This syringe mating section 64 is positioned in a plane perpendicular to the axis of symmetry 66 of the syringe 28 and integral with the rear end 67 of the cylindrical barrel of the body 54 of the syringe 28. This flange may be annular. The syringe mating section 64 is arranged, when the syringe 28 is located in conjunction with the injector 20, to align proximal to cooperating members of a syringe mount 26 located on the forward end 56 of the injector housing 47. In this manner, the syringe mating section 64 and syringe mount 26 facilitate the connection of the syringe 28 to the injector 20, as will be discussed in greater detail below.
  • The discharge tip 62 of the syringe 28 generally contains an orifice 68 in its remote end which may communicate with an internal syringe cavity 70 formed within the neck 60, the conical front wall 58, and the body 54 of the syringe 28. The rear end of the cavity 70 may be further defined by a forward facing surface 72 of a syringe plunger 74. In one particular embodiment, this surface 72 is conical. The conical surface 72 is of a slope which conforms to the slope of the interior of the conical front wall 58. The syringe plunger 74 may be snugly slidable within the body 54 of the syringe 28 such that the cavity 70 is of variable volume.
  • Referring now to FIGS. 2-4, the syringe plunger 74 can be seen more clearly within the cylindrical barrel of the body 54 of the syringe 28. The syringe plunger 74, when the syringe 28 is attached to the injector 20, is located proximal to and in substantial alignment with the plunger drive ram 46 of the injector 20. The plunger drive ram 46 is driven by a motor to move in a forward or rearward motion along its longitudinal axis of symmetry 76 to deploy the plunger drive ram 46 and thus the syringe plunger 74 in a forward or rearward motion along the axis of symmetry 66 of the syringe 28 to inject fluid into a human or animal subject or fill the syringe 28 with fluid, respectively. For example, one may load a pre-filled syringe into the injector 20 of the present invention, and by deploying the plunger 74 in a forward direction, may thereby expel fluid from the syringe 28. In so doing, the fluid may be injected into the human or animal subject. Alternatively, an empty syringe 28 may be loaded into the injector 20 and deploy the syringe plunger 74 to its forward-most position. Thereafter fluid may be loaded into the syringe 28 by operatively connecting the syringe 28 to a source of fluid and retracting the syringe plunger 74 in a rearward direction in order to pull fluid into the syringe 28.
  • In general, in the injector system of the present invention, the injector 20 involves single phase injections to deliver fluid such as x-ray contrast agents, flushing solutions, and other media for purposes such as enhancing diagnostic imaging in humans. The injector 20 may include a protocol which may be programmed for a single phase injection. The injector 20 of the present invention also may include a manual X-ray scan delay timer which operates for a maximum period of twenty minutes. The syringe drive system 24 may be electromechanical and the injector 20 may be used either with pre-filled syringes or may be used with empty syringes which may then be filled. In one embodiment, in filling an unfilled syringe with the injector 20 of the present invention, the syringe filling rate is generally in the range of about 1 ml/second to about 8 ml/second. The flow rate during an injection is generally in the range of about 0.1 ml/second to about 6 ml/second. This same flow rate may be used for a flushing fluid. The maximum pressure limit of the injector 20 in one embodiment of the present invention is about 250 psi. The injector 20 of the present invention may be designed to operate within an ambient temperature range of about 15EC to about 45EC. Further, the injector 20 may be designed to withstand an ambient storage temperature range of about −20EC to about 60EC. The injector 20 may be designed to operate properly within about 1 hour of being in ambient operating temperatures after being subjected to storage temperatures. Additionally, the injector 20 may be designed to operate up to a relative humidity of about 90%. The injector 20 of the present invention may also include a post-injection readout on an LED display 34, and a safety stop mechanism which provides for an electrical stop when the injection parameters are outside the specification of the injection protocol.
  • The user-injector interface 30 of the injector 20 of the present invention includes a purge/retract trigger 36 in order to control filling and expelling fluid from the syringe 28 and may include a remote console 44. Programming injections may be controlled by controls 90, such as buttons, on the console 44 and/or the powerhead 22 of the injector 20. A display screen 34 on the powerhead 22 may, in one embodiment, provide information regarding the volume of fluid remaining in the syringe 28. The display screen 34 may also provide information regarding the flow rate at which the injection is proceeding. The user-injector interface 30 may be provided in plastic and/or metal form, or a combination of plastic and metal.
  • In one embodiment of the present invention, the plunger drive ram 46 may include a first coupling element 80 in order to engage a second coupling element 82 disposed on the syringe plunger 74. This allows the syringe plunger 74 to be coupled to the drive ram 46. Thus, once the syringe plunger 74 has been deployed, the plunger drive ram 46 may be retracted, at the same time retracting the syringe plunger 74 within the cylindrical body 54 of the syringe 28. In one embodiment, and referring to FIGS. 2-4, the coupling between the drive ram 46 and syringe plunger 74 is passive. In the illustrated embodiment, the first coupling element 80 of the drive ram 46 includes a slot 84 on an end of the drive ram 46 most proximal to the forward end 56 of the housing 47 of the injector. This slot 84 is sized and shaped to match and receive the second coupling element 82, which may be in the form of a rearwardly-facing extension 88 disposed on the syringe plunger 74. While the slot 84 and extension 88 of the illustrated embodiment are mushroom-shaped, it will be recognized by those of skill in the art that any shape which facilitates coupling may be used. Additionally, while the illustrated embodiment depicts first and second coupling elements 80, 82 that result in a passive coupling, those of skill in the art will recognize that first and second coupling elements that result in an active coupling (one which involves some degree of positive gripping) may be used.
  • As described previously, the injector 20 of the present invention may receive pre-filled syringes. Alternatively, the injector 20 of the present invention may receive empty syringes which must then be filled prior to injecting fluid into a human or other animal subject. In one embodiment, the injector 20 of the present invention is adapted to receive 125 ml pre-filled syringes, such as the Ultraject syringe, commercially available from Mallinckrodt Inc. of St. Louis, Mo. Such syringes are used for injecting contrast media to a patient. These 125 ml syringes may be pre-filled with varying amounts of fluid, such as 50 ml, 75 ml, 100 ml or 125 ml, for example. However, alternatively, the injector 20 may receive empty 125/130 ml syringes for indications such as coronary angiography. In another embodiment, the injector 20 of the present invention is adapted to receive 130 ml syringes available from Liebel Flarsheim (part no. 600172). In yet other embodiments, the injector 20 of the present invention may receive 50 ml, 75 ml or 100 ml syringes. In yet another alternative embodiment, the injector 20 of the present invention may be adapted to receive syringes of other sizes.
  • Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the injector 20 of the present invention includes a powerhead 22 which is operatively connected to a power pack 38 including a power supply 40. In alternative embodiments, the injector system can be expanded to include at least one remote console 44 having a console interface 89 to the injector 20, to allow for remote control of the injection. This will be discussed in greater detail below.
  • Referring now to FIG. 1, the injector 20 of the illustrated embodiment includes a user-injector interface 30 having a plurality of controls 90 which are used to control the operation of the injector powerhead 22. These may include controls including, but not limited to, “start”, “stop”, “pause”, “flow rate increment”, “flow rate decrement”, “volume increment”, and “volume decrement”. The powerhead 22 of the injector 20 also may include a display screen 34 to relay information about an injection procedure to an operator. This information indicates to the operator when an injection is enabled and when an injection is in progress. In one embodiment, the display 34 may include two numeric displays, one for displaying volume information and one for displaying flow rate information. In this embodiment, the volume display displays the programmed volume when the injector 20 is in a programming mode, and displays the injection volume when injecting. Similarly, in this embodiment, the flow rate display displays the programmed flow rate when the injector 20 is in a programming mode, and displays the injection flow rate when in injection mode. The injector 20 of the present invention may also include a visual indicator 91 to indicate: (1) when the injector 20 is enabled and ready to inject, (2) when an injection is in progress, and (3) when an injection is complete. Additionally, if the flow rate is reduced during an injection, the visual indicator 91 may signal this as well. Further, if the injector 20 detects an injector 20 fault condition, the visual indicator 91 may signal this information. This visual indicator 91 may appear on the display screen 34 of the user interface 30, or may be separate from the display screen 34. In the illustrated embodiment, the visual indicator 91 may include an LED display.
  • Referring now to FIGS. 2-6, the combination of the syringe 28 being operatively connected to the injector 20 of the present invention, by way of the syringe mount 26, is more clearly shown. By the arrangement shown, the syringe 28 is inserted into the injector 20 such that a syringe mating system 64, which may be in the shape of a flange circumferential about a distal end of the cylindrical barrel of the syringe 28, communicates with an engaging slot 84 disposed in the forward end 56 of the injector powerhead housing 47. As the syringe 28 is positioned in proximity to the slot 84 and moved downwardly toward the base of the injector 20 so as to be inserted in the slot 84, it engages a first member 92 and a second member 94 which may each be gripping members and may each be movable about a pivot point 96 and are biased toward the longitudinal axis of symmetry 76 of the plunger drive ram 46. In the illustrated embodiment, the gripping first and second members 92, 94 may further include an internal groove 98 disposed in the first and second gripping members 92, 94. This groove 98 may communicate with the slot 84 to thereby form a retention area to aid in connection of the syringe 28 to the injector 20. As the syringe 28 is moved into insertion with the slot 84 and groove 98, the engagement of the syringe 28 with the first and second gripping members 92, 94 of the syringe mount 26 may cause the first and second gripping members 92, 94 to be spread outwardly by the body 54 of the syringe 28 as the syringe 28 slides past the gripping members 92, 94. As the syringe 28 continues to slide into engaging relationship with the injector 20, the biased nature of the first and second gripping members 92, 94 may move them back toward the longitudinal axis 76 of the plunger drive ram 46. Additionally, the force provided by the cylindrical barrel of the body 54 of the syringe 28 against the base of the gripping members 92, 94 facilitates movement of the first and second gripping members 92, 94 toward the longitudinal axis 76 of the plunger drive ram 46. Thus, the first and second gripping members 92, 94 move into gripping relationship circumferentially around the body 54 of the syringe 28 to thereby couple the syringe 28 to the injector 20 in proximity to and in substantially co-axial alignment with the plunger drive ram 46. This alignment allows for subsequent forward translation of the drive ram 46 to express contrast media or other fluid from the cylindrical body 54 of the syringe 28, through the discharge tip 62 of the syringe 28, and into an animal subject, such as a human. The syringe plunger 74 is connected to the plunger drive ram 46 by the first and second coupling elements 80, 82 as described previously.
  • In the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, the first and second gripping members 92, 94 are diametrically opposite one another, about the axis of symmetry 76 of the plunger drive ram 46, so that the first and second gripping members 92, 94 have circumferential portions on opposed faces 100, 102 that are diametrically opposite one another and exterior to the cylindrical barrel of the syringe 28. Upon attachment of the syringe 28 to the forward end 56 of the injector 20, the first and second biased movable gripping members 92, 94 of the injector 20 engage the side surface of the exterior cylindrical body 54 of the syringe 28, as described above, to hold the syringe 28 in place against and in alignment with the drive ram 46 of the injector 20 of the present invention.
  • As described briefly above, the syringe mount 26 of the injector 20 of the present invention includes first and second gripping members 92, 94 having opposed faces 100, 102, which are preferably arcuately shaped. In one embodiment, the arcuate opposed faces 100, 102 may further include a metal ridge (not shown) in order to “bite” into the body of the syringe to facilitate gripping of the syringe. Alternately, in yet another embodiment, each arcuate face of the first and second gripping members may bear a plurality of ridges of teeth (not shown). Such teeth may be on the first and second members, or may be included on any metal ridges. The pivotal movement of the first and second gripping members alters the distance between their arcuate faces, as they pivot toward and away from one another. In the illustrated embodiment, these first and second gripping members are each movable. However, in alternative embodiments (not shown), it is possible to use a single movable member disposed in spaced relation to a nonmovable arcuate stop or abutment toward which the movable gripping member is biased.
  • The first and second movable gripping members 92, 94 may each be pivotally mounted about shafts or pivot pins 104, which, in certain embodiments may also include bias springs 106 associated with each of the first and second gripping members 92, 94. In such an embodiment, one end of each of the bias springs 106 is in contact with its respectively associated gripping member, and the opposite end of each bias spring 106 seats or bears against portions of the housing 47 of the injector 20. The bias springs 106 are journalled about the pins 104 which form the pivot axes of the first and second gripping members 92, 94.
  • The first and second gripping members 92, 94 as described above are biased toward the axis of symmetry 76 of the plunger drive ram 46 by the bias springs 106. Stated differently, the bias springs 106 bias the first and second gripping members 92, 94 such that their confronting faces 100, 102 are urged toward each other. In certain embodiments, once the cylindrical body 54 of the syringe 28 is inserted into the syringe mount 26, it cannot be extracted by lifting the syringe 28 away from the syringe mount 26. In fact, any such movement of the syringe 28 away from the syringe mount 26 in such an embodiment of the invention may result in intensified gripping of the cylindrical body 54 of the syringe 28 by the first and second gripping members 92, 94. However, it will be recognized by those of skill in the art that it is not necessary that the gripping intensity of the first and second members 92, 94 is such that any movement intensifies the gripping. Additionally, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that bias springs 106 are not necessary for the coupling of syringe 28 to injector 20. Rather, in certain embodiments, the positive force of the syringe barrel against the first and second gripping members 92, 94 will retain the syringe 28 within the gripping members 92, 94. In such an embodiment, the syringe 28 is connected to the injector 20 through a friction fit that supplies enough force to retain the syringe 28 during an injection procedure, but which releases the syringe 28 upon positive movement of the syringe 28 away from the injector 20.
  • It will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that, in alternate embodiments of the invention, first and second gripping members 92, 94 are not necessary for the gripping function. In such alternative embodiments, a single gripping member may be used to grip the syringe, thereby operatively connecting the syringe to the injector. In this alternate embodiment, the gripping member must be of a curved shape and cover enough of the circumference of the syringe when in contact with the cylindrical barrel in order to hold the syringe against the injector. In such an embodiment, each arm extending from the center point of the gripping member has a degree of elasticity such that the arms may splay outwardly and inwardly to allow for the insertion and/or removal of a syringe.
  • Thus, the various embodiments of the syringe mount 26 of the injector 20 of the present invention, including those using one gripping member and those using more than one gripping member, may include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) a syringe mount 26 that holds the cylindrical barrel of the syringe 28 on a contiguous 210E of the syringe circumference; (2) a metal spring clip that allows a contiguous 230E contact area with the circumference of the cylindrical barrel of the syringe 28 and provides a sharp edge to bite into the syringe 28; (3) first and second gripping members 92, 94 having opposing faces 100, 102, each contacting 45E of the circumference of the cylindrical barrel of the syringe 28 for a total of 90E of contact area; (4) first and second gripping members 92, 94, each of the arcuate faces 100, 102 having 80E of contact area with the circumference of the cylindrical body 54 of the syringe 28 for a total of 160E of contact with the syringe body 54; (5) first and second gripping members 92, 94, each arcuate face having 150E of contact area with the cylindrical barrel of the syringe 28 for a total of 300E of contact with the syringe body 54. In the illustrated embodiments showing two first and second gripping members 92, 94, the gripping members 92, 94 may include or be made of a metal, such as stainless steel, so they bite into the cylindrical body 54 of the syringe 28.
  • After a syringe 28 has been operatively connected to the injector 20 by way of the syringe mount 26 such that the axes of symmetry 66, 76 of the syringe 28 and the plunger drive ram 46 are substantially coaxial, a motor of the injector 20 may be used to deploy the plunger drive ram 46 into the syringe cavity 70 to expel fluid from the syringe 28. After advancement of the syringe plunger 74 by movement of the drive ram 46 through the interior cavity 70 of the syringe body 54, the drive ram 46 may be retracted from the distal end of the syringe 28. Once the plunger drive ram 46 is fully retracted, the syringe 28 may be removed from the syringe mount 26 in one embodiment of the injector 20 through the use of a release catch (not shown in the illustrated embodiment) which moves the first and second biased movable gripping members 92, 94 away from and out of engagement with the exterior cylindrical body 54 of the syringe 28. Alternatively, when loading an initially empty syringe into the syringe mount 26 of the injector 20, the plunger drive ram 46 may first be extended into the syringe cavity 70. It may then be retracted in order to draw fluid into the syringe 28. This fluid may then be injected into a subject by once again translating the plunger drive ram 46 in a forward direction. After subsequently retracting the plunger drive ram 46, the syringe 28 may be released by operating the release catch. In an alternate embodiment, the syringe mount 26 may not include a release catch, but rather may connect the syringe 28 to the injector 20 through a friction fit that supplies enough force to retain the syringe 28 during an injection procedure, but which releases the syringe 28 upon positive movement of the syringe 28 away from the injector 20.
  • Referring now to FIGS. 2-4, the injector 20 of the present invention also features a hand-operated purge/retract trigger 36 which facilitates operator control of the injector 20. The trigger 36 allows a user to purge air from the syringe 28 and to retract the drive ram 46 after an injection. Additionally, the trigger 36 allows a user to dynamically vary the flow rate while injecting or retracting. This aspect of the present invention includes a trigger 36 movable between home, forward, and reverse positions. Movement of the trigger 36 to the forward position causes the injector 20 to move the plunger drive ram 46 forward to expel fluid from the syringe 28, and movement of the trigger 36 to the reverse position causes the injector 20 to move the drive ram 46 in reverse to potentially draw fluid into the syringe 28, or to retract the drive ram 46 from the syringe 28 prior to removing the syringe 28 from the injector 20. The intuitive trigger 36 is designed such that it allows for variable injection speeds and also may include a locking mode which allows for hands free injection.
  • More specifically, in one embodiment of the injector 20 of the present invention, the trigger 36 is mounted on a pivot 110, and is biased to the home position by at least first and second springs 112, 114 positioned on opposite sides of the trigger 36. Rotation of the trigger 36 away from the home position progressively compresses the springs 112, 114 to an increasing degree at increasing angles of lever rotation. Sensors 116 located in the interior of the housing 47 and associated with the trigger 36 then detect the angle of the trigger 36 so that this angle can be used to control the speed of motion of the plunger drive ram 46. Using this structure and control, the relative position of the trigger 36 can be made proportional to the flow rate of fluid into or out of the syringe 28 which is attached to the injector 20, thereby providing the operator with intuitive feedback on the operation of the injector 20.
  • The trigger 36 is rotatable on an axis of rotation 118. When the hand operated trigger 36 is left in its home position, no motion of the drive ram 46 is generated by the powerhead 22. However, when the hand operated trigger 36 is rotated toward the syringe 28 (i.e., to forward position), forward motion of the drive ram 46 is generated by the powerhead 22, thereby expelling fluid or air from the syringe 28. Alternatively, when the trigger 36 is rotated away from the syringe 28 (i.e., to a reverse position), reverse motion of the drive ram 46 is generated by the powerhead 22, thereby filling the syringe 28 with fluid or air.
  • Still referring to FIGS. 2-4, the structure of the injector 20 to allow non-contact control of the injection procedure by use of the intuitive trigger 36 is more clearly shown. The injector 20 of the present invention generally may include a compact modular design facilitating manufacture as a hand-held injector 20 in one embodiment. In particular, control circuitry of the injector 20 of the present invention may be incorporated onto a printed circuit board 120. One feature of the injector 20 of the present invention is the use of magnetic conductors 122 to channel magnetic field energy from magnets 124 positioned in the intuitive trigger 36 through the injector housing 47 and into the vicinity of magnetic sensors 116 operatively connected to the circuit board 120. In one embodiment, by using magnetic conductors 122 to carry magnetic fields through the injector housing 47, circuit board mountable magnetic sensors 116 can be used thereby reducing the overall cost as compared to individually packaged sensors for mounting in an injector housing. The use of such non-contact control also eliminates the need for wiring through the housing 47, thereby enhancing seal integrity.
  • To determine the direction and degree of rotation of the trigger 36, a plurality of magnets 124 may be disposed on or in the trigger 36, so that rotation of the trigger 36 increases or decreases distances between magnets 124 on the controls of the trigger 36 and in the injection housing 47, creating a changing magnetic field that can be detected by the magnetic sensors 116 associated with the control circuitry of the powerhead 22. In particular, the injector 20 of the present invention may use a Hall-effect sensor in one embodiment. The function of the Hall sensor is based on the principle of the Hall effect: namely, that a voltage is generated transversely to the current flow direction in an electric conductor if a magnetic field is applied perpendicularly to the conductor. In certain embodiments of the invention, since the Hall effect is most pronounced in semiconductors, one suitable Hall element is a small platelet made of semiconductor material. A Hall plate with current terminals and taps for the Hall voltage may be arranged on a surface of the sensor. This sensor elements detects the components of the magnetic flux perpendicular to the surface of a chip and emits a proportional electrical signal which is processed in the evaluation circuits integrated in the circuit board 120. In a particular embodiment of the present invention, the injector 20 includes analog, or linear sensors. Linear Hall sensors generate an analog output voltage which is proportional to the magnetic flux perpendicular through the Hall plate. Thus, the sensors operatively connected to the circuit board 120 of the injector 20 of the present invention can determine from the magnetic flux the degree to which the trigger 36 has been rotated away from the home position, and adjust the electrical output and thus the velocity of the plunger drive ram 46 accordingly.
  • When the trigger 36 is rotated forward, the sensors 116 associated with the control circuitry detect this rotation from signals produced by the magnetic field, and causes the plunger drive ram 46 to move forward, i.e., outward from the powerhead housing 47, at a velocity proportional to the angle of deflection of the trigger 36 away from the home position. Alternatively, when the trigger 36 is rotated in a reverse direction, the control circuitry detects this rotation from signals produced by the magnetic field, and causes the plunger drive ram 46 to move backward, i.e., into the powerhead housing 47, at a velocity proportional to the angle of deflection of the trigger 36 away from the home position.
  • As described above, the power injector may also include first and second springs 112, 114 associated with the control trigger 36 which engage the housing 47 of the injector 20 and produce torque tending to return the shaft to the home position. When the trigger 36 is in its home position, the springs 112, 114 apply opposing torques to the trigger 36, tending to hold the trigger 36 in the home position. In this position, the sensors 116 produce a signal indicating that the trigger 36 is in the home position. In this position, the control circuit of the powerhead 22 can determine that no motion of the drive ram 46 is being requested through hand operated movement control of the trigger 36.
  • When the trigger 36 is rotated away from the home position, the sensors 116 produce a signal, which may be an analog signal, indicating that the trigger 36 is away from the home position. As this occurs, the control circuit may read the signal produced by the magnets 124 to determine the position of the trigger 36 and produce the appropriate motion of the plunger drive ram 46.
  • As previously described, the velocity of motion of the plunger drive ram 46 is proportional to the extent of the movement or rotation of the trigger 36 away from the home position. As this occurs, the mechanical structure of the first and second springs 112, 114 insures that a return torque is being applied to the trigger 36 as the trigger 36 is rotated to increasing angles away from the home position. Depending on the stiffness of the springs 112, 114 and the range of motion of the trigger 36, this return torque may be approximately equal at all deflection angles, or may increase or decrease over increasing and decreasing deflection angles. An increasing return torque compared to the deflection angle may provide the operator with additional feedback on the velocity of the drive ram 46. Additionally, and as described above, the first and second springs 112, 114 also offer a degree of tension to bias the trigger 36 in the home position. This assists in preventing accidental deflection of the trigger 36 away from its home position when it casually abuts another object, such as when the injector 20 is laid down on a table.
  • Additionally, the injector 20 may include other mechanisms to ensure that the trigger 36 is not accidentally displaced from the home position. In certain embodiments, the trigger 36 may be designed so the user has to intentionally enable the trigger mechanism to operate the injector 20.
  • As described above, when filling a syringe 28 or discharging the contents of a syringe 28, there may be an ideal maximum speed at which fluid can be drawn into the syringe 28 and expelled from the syringe 28 due to safety considerations. Additionally, any such optimal injection flow rate may be dependent on the particular procedure and/or the fluid to be injected. To control the filling and discharge of fluid from syringes, and to maintain the safety of those involved in the injection procedure, the operator should have feedback as to when an ideal speed has been reached, so that syringes can be filled or discharged at this optimal speed. Additionally, the injector 20 may include a mechanism to prevent the discharge of fluids above certain speeds. One purpose of the first and second springs 112, 114 described above is to provide the operator with mechanical feedback of the angle of deflection of the trigger 36, which may correspond approximately to the ideal fill speed. More specifically, the control circuit of the powerhead 22 may establish that the plunger drive ram 46 will move near to the ideal speed when the trigger 36 has been rotated to a certain position. Accordingly, an operator wishing to fill a syringe 28 at the ideal speed, can rotate the trigger lever until the increasing torque is noted and then hold the trigger lever at that location to fill the syringe 28.
  • Additionally, the injector 20 of the present invention may include a speed lock associated with the trigger 36 of the injector 20. This speed lock allows an operator to program in and inject or retract the drive ram 46 at a particular flow rate. This injection may occur at a particular flow rate regardless of the extent to the depression of the trigger 36 itself or, alternatively, may be programmed to inject at a particular flow rate unless that program is overridden by a change in the deflection of the trigger 36. In one embodiment, the trigger speed lock may be located on the control panel of the injector 20. It operates to lock in the current speed of the drive ram 46, whether retracting or injecting, when the speed lock is activated. In one particular embodiment of the injector 20 of the present invention, any plunger drive ram 46 movement may be halted when any other control 90 or the trigger 36 itself is depressed while the lock is active. While in the illustrated embodiment, it is noted that the controls for the trigger speed lock are located on the injector powerhead 22, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the speed lock controls may be located on the remote console 44, or any other component of the injector system.
  • In certain embodiments, the injector 20 of the present invention may be enabled to allow the speed lock feature to be activated while expelling contrast media or other fluid from a syringe 28 associated with the injector 20. If the injector 20 is speed locked on a particular flow rate, and any of the powerhead 22 switches are activated, or the purge/retract trigger 36 is reactivated, the injector 20 may be designed to unlock the flow rate and run at the flow rate determined by the purge/retract trigger 36. Additionally, when retracting, the injector 20 may activate the flow rate speed lock feature when the purge/retract trigger 36 is fully engaged in the retract direction for a minimum period of time, such as for two seconds. When retracting and the flow rate speed lock is activated, the injector 20 may be deactivate the speed lock if the purge/retract trigger 36 is reactivated or the injector ram reaches its home position.
  • Referring to FIGS. 2-6, the injector 20 of the present invention also includes a structure to prevent rotation of the drive ram 46. This prevents the drive ram 46 from rotating about its axis of symmetry 76 during an injection procedure. The anti-rotation of the drive ram 46 is achieved by the shape of the drive ram 46 itself. In the illustrated embodiment, a cross-section of the drive ram 46 taken perpendicular to the axis of symmetry 76 of the drive ram 46 is in the shape of back to back “D”s, having a first flat surface 126 across the top of the ram, a second flat surface 128 across the bottom of the ram and two curved surfaces 130, 132, one on each side of the ram 46. This drive ram 46 inserts through a similarly shaped orifice 134 in a plate 136 located in the forward end 56 of the housing 47 of the injector 20 of the present invention nearest the syringe 28. During movement of the drive ram 46 in either forward or reverse directions, the drive ram 46, at all times, remains disposed through the similarly shaped orifice 134 in the plate 136. The orifice 134 in the plate 136 is sized such that the drive ram 46 may move freely within the orifice 134, but will cause the drive ram 46 to abut the edge of the orifice 134 should the drive ram 46 begin to rotate about its longitudinal axis 76. In the illustrated embodiment, due to the flat surfaces 126, 128 on the top and the bottom of the drive ram 46, the ram 46 is thus unable to rotate as it moves forward. This is important in keeping the first coupling element 80, disposed at the forward end 56 of the drive ram 46, properly aligned, such as in an upward facing direction, so that syringes 28 may be removed and replaced into the injector 20. While the illustrated embodiment depicts a back-to-back “D” shape, those of skill in the art will recognize that other shapes may be used. The injector 20 of the present invention also includes a ram home detector 50 which operates to determine whether an end of the drive ram 46 is proximal to the forward end 56 of the injector housing 47. This position is the “home” position of the drive ram 46. The ram home detector 50 accurately detects both when the drive ram 46 is a certain distance from the home position (such as 1/2 inch) and when the ram 46 is at the home position. This detection may be achieved through the use of magnets 138. This allows the elimination of secondary analog position devices, such as a potentiometer. For example, a magnet 138 may be disposed on the surface of the drive ram 46 and a magnetic sensor 140 may be positioned in the housing 47. The magnetic sensor 140 can detect a magnetic field produced by the magnet 138. This magnetic field will increase in intensity as the magnet 138 on the drive ram 46 approaches the sensor 140. The intensity of the magnetic field can be calibrated to determine when the drive ram 46 is at its home location.
  • As described above in the background of the invention, many present injectors use potentiometers and/or encoders on the motor as redundant systems to track the location of the drive ram of an injector. The injector 20 of the present invention does not include such a system. Rather, the injector 20 of the present invention includes a magnet 138 disposed on the ram that interacts with sensors 140 along the inner part of the injector 20 to detect the location of the ram 46. When reversing the ram 46 to its home position, for example, this allows the ram 46 to run quickly in reverse mode until it is a certain distance from its home position. During its operation, the injector 20 of the present invention calibrates a value which it assigns to the ram 46 when the ram 46 is in its home position flush with the outer edge of the forward end 56 of the injector 20. In this way, the ram 46 can be run and reversed such that it always comes to a rest in the same home position. This is necessary in being able to remove and replace various syringes, into and out of the drive ram 46, when in the correct location. Thus, when in reverse mode the injector 20 may reverse the ram 46 at a relatively rapid rate until it recognizes that it is close to the home position. The rate of reversal of the ram 46 is then slowed until the injector 20 recognizes that it has reached the pre-calibrated home position. Movement of the ram 46 is then halted such that syringes 28 may be removed from and/or inserted into the injector 20.
  • Referring now to FIGS. 7, 7A, 8, and 8A, the injector 20 of the present invention may also include a warming cradle 48. In the illustrated embodiment, this warming cradle 48 includes an annular plastic section 142 and a molded plastic base 144. In one embodiment (FIG. 1A), this warming cradle 48 may be integral with the injector 20 such as by extending from the forward end 56 of the housing 47 of the injector 20. In an alternative embodiment, the warming cradle 48 may be part of a hanger 146 to which the injector 20 and syringe 28 are operatively connected prior to starting an injection procedure. The plastic section 142 may extend from the hanger 146 in such a manner as to be disposed proximally to and in confronting relationship with the syringe 28 when the syringe 28 and injector powerhead 22 are operatively connected to the hanger 146 and warming cradle 48. The plastic section 142 of the warming cradle 48 includes a filament of wire 148 which generates heat when an electrical current is driven through it via a suitable electric power source. The filament 148 may extend throughout the region of an annular portion of the plastic section 142 which is in contact, or in confronting relationship, with the syringe 28 and/or pressure jacket, and terminates at either end in electrical leads (not shown) which may be encased in an insulating cable (not shown) which can be operatively connected to the control circuitry of the powerhead 22. Such connection may occur directly through an aperture in the housing 47 of the powerhead 22, or may occur through electrical contacts disposed on the exterior of the powerhead housing 47 which contact electrical contacts disposed on the exterior of the cradle 48 or hanger 146. When current from the powerhead 22 is forced through the leads in the cable and through the filament 148, the filament 148 generates an even heat which warms fluid inside the syringe 28, or maintains the temperature of fluid in a pre-warmed syringe 28. Those having skill in the art will recognize that any alternate, suitable method of generating heat in the warming cradle 48 may be used.
  • As described above, and referring to FIG. 9, the present invention also allows for limitation of the pressure supplied by the injector 20. Since low flow rates require less pressure, the injector 20 of the present invention automatically assigns the pressure limit based on the flow rate. The pressure limit value is thus high enough to achieve the programmed flow rate under normal conditions, but won't allow high pressure to develop in the event of unexpected restriction or blockage within the syringe 28 or tube or access port. By automatically assigning a pressure limit based on the flow rate, an operator does not need to remember to alter the pressure limit each time the injector 20 is used. Thus, the injector 20 is able to deliver media at desired rate, but does not allow too much reserved pressure to build in the event that a blockage occurs. This increases the safety of the injector 20 of the present invention over that of injectors of the prior art.
  • In use, a user may program a flow rate into the injector 20. However, if that flow rate would exceed the pressure limit of the injector 20, the flow rate would be decreased and/or the injection halted for safety purposes. Thus, the injector 20 of the present invention further includes a stop circuit to terminate the injection if the fluid injection pressure exceeds a predetermined limit. Alternatively, the stop circuit may terminate the injection when the fluid injection pressure exceeds a predetermined limit for a predetermined period of time.
  • In one particular embodiment of the present invention, the predetermined pressure limit is 250 psi. The injector 20 may be designed so that the user cannot adjust the pressure limit function. The pressure limiting function may thus be internally programmed and set prior to injecting. In one embodiment, the pressure limit may be based on the flow rate selected by the user as specified in the equation: Pressure Limit (psi)=(78)(selected Flow Rate ml/s)+50. If the selected flow rate exceeds 2.5 ml/s, the pressure limit may be fixed at a maximum of 250 psi. If the injection pressure approaches the pressure limit, the injector 20 may reduce the flow rate as necessary to keep the injection pressure from exceeding the pressure limit.
  • As discussed above, in one embodiment as depicted in FIG. 1, the injector 20 of the present invention may include an optional remote console 44 for operating injection procedures by remote control. The remote console 44 is an accessory that connects to the power pack 38 and may be used to monitor and control an injection from a remote location, such as a control room. The user can program, start, stop, and resume an injection as well as dynamically adjust the flow rate while an injection is in progress, all from the remote console 44. The remote console 44 may also contain a timer on the user-console interface 45 for displaying the elapsed time from the start of an injection until the ram is retracted. The timer is present to assist the user in determining when to start an x-ray scan after injecting to achieve optimal image contrast. Thus, a functional remote console 44 for the injector 20 of the present invention may generally be a chargeable console 44 having features and abilities including, but not limited to: (1) starting the injection, (2) stopping or pausing the injection, (3) setting and changing the injection parameters, and/or (4) providing a timer that can be started at the onset of an injection to time the injection. In one embodiment, this timer will have a minimum duration of twenty minutes. However, those of skill in the art will recognize that a timer of any particular minimum duration may be used.
  • Also in an alternate embodiment and referring to FIG. 1A, a second injector 20′ can be added to an injection system via an optional interface cable. The first and second injectors 20, 20′ can then be configured to communicate with one another in order to provide a saline push or to provide for a larger volume injection capability. In this embodiment, the first and second injectors 20, 20′ can be configured to communicate in order to provide a saline push or a larger volume capability. This is because, often, injection procedures will require a greater volume of fluid to be injected than is contained by a single syringe 28. Additionally, during certain injection procedures, it may also be desirable to follow an injection with a saline push which may be used to ensure that the entire injection has been received by a subject. When both units are ready to inject, the second injector 20′ may be programmed to inject at the completion of the injection of the first injector 20. In this embodiment, a second remote console 44′ that connects to a second power pack 38′ may be added to facilitate remote control of the second injector 20′. A second power-injector interface 42′ and a second console-power interface 89′ may be used to interconnect these devices.
  • A power supply 40 may be connected to the injector 20 through a power-injector interface 42, which may include an extension cable connected via prefabricated connectors. An alternate connection may be provided to allow such an injector extension cable to be shortened to facilitate installation in a particular location while avoiding excess wiring or cable, which may create a safety hazard. In one embodiment, and as used, a 10′ coiled cable with connectors at both end, may connect the powerhead 22 to a wall plate (not shown). A 75′ extension cable may connect between the wall plate and the power pack 38. This extension cable, in one embodiment, may be a plenum type cable. The connection at the power pack 38 for the 75′ extension cable may incorporate a connection scheme that allows the extension cable to be shortened to facilitate a neat installation. The power supply 40 includes a console-power interface 89 in order to communicate with any remote console 44. In one particular embodiment of the present invention, the power supply 40 senses a line voltage during the powerup phase and automatically configures for voltages ranging from about 100 VAC to about 240 VAC, plus or minus about 10% at about 50 HZ to about 60 HZ, plus or minus about 3 HZ. A 10′ Ethernet type cable with RJ-11 type connectors may be used to connect the power pack 38 to the remote console 44.
  • The present invention also may include a method for controlling DC power to the injector powerhead 22 and/or remote console 44. In this embodiment of the present invention, a start injection wire may be used to turn on the power and a two-wire serial communication may be used to turn off the power.
  • As described above in the background of the invention, in previous injectors, generally including a power supply 40, a powerhead 22 and a remote console 44, the remote console 44 generally includes a low-voltage on/off switch. This switch generally includes wires connected to the power pack 38 to control DC power (generally 24 volts) to the console 44 and the powerhead 22. The DC voltage in the power pack 38 may always be present as long as a main power switch is on. The connector size in the console 44 of the larger injectors described in the background of the invention is generally at a minimum 15 pins, and thus these connectors allow for dedicated wires for the power on/off function. However, due to the physically smaller size of the console 44 for embodiments of the injector 20 of the present invention, the connector may generally include only 8 pins. This 8 pin configuration does not allow for any extra dedicated wires for the separate power on/off function on the console 44.
  • In view of the above, and referring now to FIGS. 10-12, the separate “soft” power on/off switch may be provided on a remote console 44 as follows. As described above the basic elements of the injector 20 are the powerhead 22, the power pack 38, and the remote console 44. The powerhead 22 is the primary device, needing a supply of generally about 24 volts to function as a stand-alone injector. The remote console 44, as described above, includes the same controls and displays as the powerhead 22 but further includes an injection timer 152 (such as may be used for manually starting a CT scanner) and an on/off switch. The power pack 38 includes a 24-volt power supply 40 as well as an injector to injector interface and a power on/off control. In the particular embodiment of the present invention, the injector to injector interface and on/off circuitry is only functional when a remote console 44 is attached to the system and uses an 12C serial interface to control these features. The powerhead 22 and the console 44 may communicate by a serial communication referred to herein as Controller Area Network (CAN). This CAN communication is used for real time control between the powerhead 22 and console 44. As a redundant system in running an injection, the interconnecting cabling may include a wire which allows all the devices to identify that a start command has been activated from the console 44. In such a configuration, this injection signal must be supported by the CAN interface. If it is not supported, it will be ignored or reported as an error to the remaining components of the injection apparatus and no injection will occur.
  • In use and in reference to FIGS. 10-12, the communication may operate as follows. For purposes of the following description, one may assume that the main power switch of the power pack 38 is “on” and that 24 volts are present in the power pack 38. Activation of the remote on/off switch will connect a “start out” signal to ground. This wire will turn on the 24 volts for the system power when it is switched to ground. The circuitry used to implement this is flip-flop U4:B, transistor Q4 and relay K4. The remote on/off switch in the console 44 is the only component that can activate this line when the system power is off. When the system power is on, the console 44 start switch and the remote on/off switch may activate this line, which will attempt to turn on system power that is already on. When this happens, no change occurs.
  • When the system power is on and the remote on/off switch is activated, the remote switch will attempt to turn on the power but at the same time it sends a start signal to the powerhead 22 (which will be ignored) and a signal to the console microprocessor. The software in the processor will wait until the switch depression ends, then delay an appropriate amount of time (in general less than one second). After the delay, the processor sends a power off serial command to the 12C Parallel I/O chip which will toggle the flip-flop U4:B and consequently turn off the system power through K4. If the powerhead 22 or second console are to be used to turn off the power, such a command should be requested through the CAN interface to the first console 44.
  • The display screen 34 on the injector 20 relays all information regarding the injection procedure to an operator. These parameters include the program flow rate, the real time flow rate for injection while the injection is running, a program volume, the remaining available volume when the injection is running, and a timer to count up from the start of injection to display up to 19 minutes and 59 seconds. This timer will reset when the drive ram 46 is pulled back or after 20 minutes.
  • The powerhead 22 of the injector 20 of the present invention includes software which, in one embodiment, includes four modes of operation: (1) a manual mode, (2) an auto-inject mode, (3) a syringe size selection mode, and (4) a manufacturing mode. The powerhead 22 also includes a power-on self-test (POST), to check for proper injector operation, and a safe state which the powerhead 22 can enter in the event of serious injector malfunction. When power is applied, the powerhead 22 of the injector 20 of the present invention performs an initialization of the microcontroller and system resources. After this initialization, the powerhead software automatically runs a POST. If the powerhead 22 passes all POST tests, the software then may check for the manufacturing mode. The powerhead software enters the manufacturing mode only if the user activates the volume increment and volume decrement at the same time while the software version number is displayed. If the user alternatively activates the purge/retract trigger 36 while the powerhead software is displaying the software version number, the software proceeds automatically into manual mode.
  • The powerhead software is equipped to perform a POST of the microcontroller CPU. Following that first self-test, the POST may perform a cyclical-redundancy check (CRC) test of the program Flash Program Read Only Memory (PROM), a CRC test of the data Flash PROM, and a memory test of all data and program RAM. Following those tests, the POST may perform a test of all peripherals internal to the microcontroller which may be used during operation of the injector 20 of the present invention. The POST then may illuminate all visual indicators, including all digits and segments in the LED displays for a minimum of three seconds. Further, the POST may check the power supply voltages for the +24 volt +/−4 volt and +5 volt +/−0.5 volt power supplies. The POST also may check for proper motor cutout relay operation and may check the calibration voltage of all purge/retract trigger sensors 116 to be within +/−0.2 volts. The POST may also activate an audible enunciator for a minimum of 500 milliseconds. The POST also detects whether or not an external start signal is active. If the POST detects an external start signal as being active, the software displays a code indicating an active external start signal and stays in the POST mode until that external start signal becomes inactive.
  • Upon completion of the POST, the powerhead 22 of the injector 20 of the present invention sends the self-test status to the remote console 44. Upon successful completion of the POST, the powerhead software displays the current software version on the display 34 for a minimum of three seconds. After displaying the powerhead software version number, the powerhead software checks the sensor 140 of the ram home detector 50 to verify that the ram 46 is fully retracted. If the sensor 140 indicates that the ram 46 is not at the home position, the powerhead software then allows the ram 46 to move in the retract direction only and at the same time displays alternating dashes on all digits of the seven segment LED displays. These alternating dashes will continue to be displayed until the ram 46 is moved to the home position. If any of the self-tests fail, the powerhead software transitions to the safe state.
  • As described briefly above, the powerhead software contains a manual mode. In this manual mode, the software allows the user to program a volume and flow rate for an injection. When entering the manual mode, the powerhead software will recall and display the previously programmed flow rate and volume.
  • The user interface 30 of the powerhead 22 includes a control panel keypad 32 which may include a volume increment push button and volume decrement push button for programming the injection volume. In one embodiment, the user activates and releases the volume increment button, the powerhead software increments the volume 1 ml. When the user activates and holds the volume increment button, the powerhead software increments the volume 1 ml at a rate of 1 ml per 0.5 seconds +/−0.1 seconds. If the user holds the volume increment button for more than 3 seconds, the powerhead software increments the volume 1 ml at an accelerating rate. If the user holds the volume increment button and the maximum volume is reached, the powerhead 22 holds the program volume at the maximum value and gives an audible beep. If the user holds the volume decrement button and the minimum volume is reached, the powerhead 22 holds the program volume rate at the minimum value and gives an audible beep. The volume decrement button may operate in the same way as the volume increment button except it decrements the program volume. If a 125 ml syringe size is selected, then the program volume ranges from 125 ml down to 1 ml. If the 100 ml syringe size is selected, the program volume ranges from 100 ml down to 1 ml. This programming volume may alternate, depending on the syringe size selected for the powerhead 22. The powerhead software will not allow the user to program more volume than the maximum programmable volume. The maximum programmable volume will be determined to be the syringe size volume or the remaining volume, whichever is less. If a user attempts to program more volume than the maximum programmable volume, the powerhead software will hold the display volume at the maximum programmable value and give an audible beep.
  • The control panel keypad 32 of the powerhead 22 may include a flow rate increment push button and a flow rate decrement push button for programming the injection flow rate. In one embodiment, when the user activates and releases the flow rate increment button, the powerhead software may increment the flow rate 0.1 ml/s. When the user activates and holds the flow rate increment button, the powerhead software may initially increment the flow rate 0.1 ml/s and hold for 1 second. If the user continues to hold the flow rate increment button, the powerhead software may increment the flow rate 0.1 mi/s at a rate of 0.5 seconds. If the user holds the flow rate increment button for more than 4 seconds, the powerhead software may increment the flow rate 0.1 ml at an accelerating rate. The flow rate decrement button may operate in the same way as the flow rate increment button except it decrements the program flow rate. The powerhead 22 may allow the programmed flow rate to range from 6.0 ml/s down to 0.1 ml/s. If the user holds the flow rate increment button and the maximum flow rate is reached, the powerhead 22 may hold the program flow rate at the maximum value and give an audible beep. If the user holds the flow rate decrement button and the minimum flow rate is reached, the powerhead 22 may hold the program flow rate at the minimum value and give an audible beep.
  • The powerhead software may enter a pre-filled syringe selection mode if the injector 20 is in manual mode and the user activates and holds the volume increment button for more than 3 seconds when the volume displayed is at the maximum programmed volume. When entering the pre-filled syringe selection mode, the powerhead software may continually flash an indicating signal, such as “PF”, at the slow rate in the flow rate display, and display, without flashing, the pre-filled syringe sizes in the volume display. The “PF”, or other indicating signal, is to inform the user that the injector 20 is in the pre-filled syringe selection mode. The fast flash rate, in one embodiment, may be 750 ms on and 250 ms off. When entering the pre-filled syringe selection mode, the powerhead software may display the previously selected syringe size in the volume display. The powerhead software may allow the user to increment to the next larger syringe size by activating the volume increment button. The syringe size may increment to the next larger syringe size for each activation of the volume increment button. The selectable syringe sizes may be 50 ml, 75 ml, 100 ml, 125 ml, and 130 ml. The powerhead software may ignore further syringe size increments when the largest syringe size is displayed. If the user activates the volume decrement button, the powerhead software may decrement the syringe size to the next smaller size. The syringe size may decrement to the next smaller size for each activation of the volume decrement button. The powerhead software may ignore further syringe size decrements when the smallest syringe size is displayed. The powerhead software may select the displayed syringe size and exit from syringe size selection mode and transition to the manual mode if the user: (1) activates the flow rate increment or decrement push-button, (2) activates the start push-button, (3) activates the purge/retract trigger 36, or (4) opens and closes the syringe mount 26. The powerhead software may have a syringe size selection mode time-out feature wherein after 10 seconds of inactivity, the software may select the displayed syringe size and exit to the manual mode. When exiting from syringe size selection mode, the software may store the selected syringe size in non-volatile memory.
  • As described above, the powerhead 22 contains a purge/retract trigger 36 to allow the user to vary the flow rate when purging air from the syringe 28 or to retract the ram 46 after an injection. The powerhead software may activate the injector motor in the “expel” direction if the purge/retract trigger 36 is activated in the expel direction. When the purge/retract trigger 36 is activated in the “expel” direction, the powerhead software may decrement the volume display 1 ml for every 1 ml of fluid expelled. The powerhead software may activate the injector motor in the “retract” direction if the purge/retract trigger 36 is activated in the retract direction. When the purge/retract trigger 36 is activated in the “retract” direction, the powerhead software may increment the volume display 1 ml for every 1 ml that the ram 46 is retracted. The powerhead software may control the flow rate in proportion to the distance to which the user displaces the trigger 36 away from its home position. The powerhead software may not move the injector ram 46 when the purge/retract trigger 36 is in the home position.
  • The powerhead software may adjust the range of the purge/retract trigger 36 so that the maximum achievable flow rate may be limited to the user programmed flow rate or the flow rate allowed when the pressure is being limited. For example, if the user programmed a flow rate of 2.0 ml/s, the injector 20 should adjust the range of the purge/retract trigger 36 so that a flow rate of 2.0 ml/s is achieved when the trigger 36 is fully engaged in the forward direction. If the user programmed a flow rate of 3.5 ml/s, then the injector 20 should adjust the range of the purge/retract trigger 36 so that a flow rate of 3.5 ml/s is achieved when the trigger 36 is fully engaged in the forward direction. When the purge/retract trigger 36 is fully engaged in the forward direction, the software may control the injector motor to deliver the maximum achievable flow rate. The powerhead software may correlate the flow rate to the purge/retract trigger 36 position as shown in Table 1. The position tolerance may be +/−2% of fully engaged.
    TABLE 1
    Flow Rate (ml/s) % of Fully Engaged
    0  0 to 12 (Dead Band)
    0.1 to 0.5 12 to 50
    0.6 to Programmed Flow Rate 50 to 90
    Programmed Flow Rate 90 to 100
  • The powerhead software may adjust the range of the purge/retract trigger 36 during retraction. The no-load retract speed may be a minimum of 6.0 ml/s. Thus, if the injector 20 is operating at this minimum of 6.0 ml/s, the injector 20 should adjust the range of the purge/retract trigger 36 so that a rate of 6.0 ml/s is achieved when the trigger 36 is fully engaged in the reverse direction. When the purge/retract trigger 36 is fully engaged in the reverse direction, therefore, the software may control the injector motor to deliver this minimum rate. The correlation of flow rate to the purge/retract trigger 36 position may be as shown in Table 2. The no-load retract speed may be a minimum of 6.0 ml/s. The position tolerance may be +/−2% of fully engaged.
    TABLE 2
    Flow Rate (ml/s) % of Fully Engaged
    0  0 to 12 (Dead Band)
    0.1 to 0.5 12 to 50
    0.6 to 6.0 50 to 90
    6.0 90 to 100
  • The powerhead software may display the volume position, by counting up as the ram 46 moves toward the home position. The powerhead software may additionally display the flow rate by calculating the average flow rate averaged over the previous 0.5 second. When the user releases the purge/retract trigger 36, the flow rate display may return to the programmed flow rate and the volume display may show the maximum programmable volume. The powerhead software may limit the reverse movement to a maximum flow rate of 1 ml/s for the first 1 ml. If the ram 46 is extended 20 ml or more and the operator engages the purge/retract trigger 36 at 90% to 100% in the reverse direction, the powerhead software may lock in the retract function so the operator can release the flow rate trigger switch while the injector 20 continues to retract. If the ram 46 is not extended 20 ml or more, the powerhead software may not lock in the flow rate in the retract direction. When retracting the ram 46, if the flow rate is locked in and the user activates the purge/retract trigger 36, the powerhead software may deviate the lock-in feature and control the motor to the purge/retract trigger 36.
  • Pre-filled syringes, such as those commercially available from Mallinckrodt, may contain an extra 3 ml of contrast media or other fluid, over the labeled syringe size, to allow the user to purge air from the syringe and tubing and still have the fully labeled syringe volume available to inject. For example, a 125 ml syringe may contain 128 ml of contrast media. When the user inserts a new syringe 28 into the injector 20, the powerhead 22 may display the labeled syringe size selected and allow the user to purge up to 3 ml before the volume display decrements. If the user purges more than 3 ml, then the powerhead 22 may decrement the volume display 1 ml for every 1 ml of contrast expelled.
  • The powerhead software may enter the enabled state when the following sequence occurs: (1) the user opens and closes the syringe mount 26 when the ram 46 is in the home position; (2) the powerhead software verifies that all injection start signals are inactive, including start switches of the powerhead 22 and the external start signal; and (3) the user purges (i.e., expels) a minimum of 1 ml with the purge/retract trigger 36 and then releases the purge/retract trigger 36. When entering the enabled state, the powerhead software may illuminate the visual indicator 91 a first color, such as green. The injector 20 may remain in the enabled state if the user changes the injection parameters. The injector 20 may remain in the enabled state if the user retracts the ram 46 less than 5 ml. If the injector 20 is enabled and the user retracts the ram 46 greater than 5 ml, the powerhead software may disable the injection.
  • In one embodiment, when an injection is enabled and the user activates a start button on the powerhead control panel keypad 32 or when the injector 20 is enabled and a start command is received from the remote console 44, the powerhead 22 may start and run the programmed injection. While injecting, the powerhead software may display the programmed flow rate if the actual flow rate is within the flow rate performance tolerance. While injecting, the powerhead software may display the average flow rate if the actual flow rate is not within the flow rate performance tolerance. While injecting, the powerhead software may display the volume remaining for the programmed injection. While injecting, the powerhead software may sweep a tri-colored visual indicator 91 through the color spectrum to indicate that the injector 20 is running.
  • If the user activates the flow rate, volume, or start buttons on the powerhead control panel or remote console 44 while the injector 20 is running an injection, the powerhead software may pause the injection. If an injection is paused, the powerhead 22 may flash, at the fast rate, the programmed flow rate and the remaining programmed volume on the display activates an audible beep and flash the visual indicator 91, such as a tri-colored LED, in a second color, such as amber. For example, if 100 ml of a 125 ml syringe were programmed and the injector 20 was paused after 75 ml had been injected, then the injector 20 should display 25 ml for the volume remaining. If an injection is paused and the user activates the purge/retract trigger 36 in the “retract” direction, the powerhead 22 may disable auto injection mode, and transition to manual mode. If an injection is paused and the user activates the purge/retract trigger 36 in the “expel” direction, the powerhead 22 may display the actual flow rate and the remaining syringe volume without flashing and sweep the tri-color LED of the visual indicator 91 through the color spectrum while the ram 46 moves forward. When the user releases the purge/retract trigger 36, the powerhead software may display the programmed flow rate and the maximum programmable volume and flash the tri-color LED of the visual indicator 91 amber in color. If an injection is paused and the user activates the flow rate or volume buttons, the powerhead 22 may disable auto injection mode and transition to the manual mode. If the injection is paused and the user activates an injection start button on the powerhead 22 or remote console 44 before activating any of the other controls 90 or the purge/retract trigger 36, the powerhead software may resume the injection from where is was paused. If the user activates the purge/retract trigger 36 while in auto inject mode, the powerhead software may pause the injection.
  • When an injection is completed, the powerhead software may flash, at a slow rate, the average achieved flow rate and achieved volume values on the powerhead display. The cycle of the slow rate flash may be “on” for 1.5 seconds and “off” for 0.5 seconds. When an injection completes, the powerhead software may disable the injector 20 and turn off the tri-colored LED of the visual indicator.
  • After an injection completes and (1) the user activates the flow rate increment, flow rate decrement, volume increment, volume decrement, or start controls 90 on the powerhead control panel keypad 32 or remote console 44, (2) there is greater than 1 ml of volume remaining in the syringe 28, and (3) the user has not retracted the ram 46, the powerhead software may: (1) display the programmed flow rate and maximum programmable volume, (2) re-enable the injection, and (3) activate the tri-color LED, of the visual indicator 91, the first color, such as green. If the user activates the purge/retract trigger 36 in the “expel” direction, the powerhead 22 may display the actual flow rate and the remaining syringe volume without flashing and sweep the tri-color LED, of the visual indicator 91, through the color spectrum while the ram 46 moves forward.
  • When the user releases the purge/retract trigger 36 the powerhead software may display the programmed flow rate and the maximum programmable volume and activate the tri-color LED, of the visual indicator 91, the first color. After an injection completes and there is 1 ml or less volume remaining in the syringe 28 the powerhead software may disable the injection.
  • An external start signal from the remote console 44 to the powerhead 22 is part of the console interface 89 between the powerhead 22 and remote console 44. The external start signal is used in conjunction with an injection start message from the remote console 44 to start an injection from the remote console 44. The powerhead software may start a programmed injection from the external start signal only if the following conditions are met: (1) the injection is enabled, (2) the external start signal activates, and (3) a message from the remote console 44 is received by the powerhead software within 500 milliseconds of the external start signal activation. If the powerhead software detects an external start signal activation and the injector 20 is not enabled, the powerhead software may ignore the external start signal, activate an audible beep and display a user error code for injection not enabled. If the powerhead software detects the external start signal and does not receive a start message, the powerhead software may disable auto inject mode and display the injector 20 failure code for injection start.
  • The powerhead 22 further includes a sensor for detecting when the user opens and closes the syringe mount 26.
  • If the user activates the purge/retract trigger 36 in the expel direction with the syringe mount 26 open the powerhead software may: (1) not allow the ram 46 to move in the expel direction, (2) display a user error code for the syringe clamp open, and (3) restore the original display when the user releases the purge/retract trigger 36 or closes the syringe mount 26.
  • If the powerhead software detects the syringe mount 26 opening during an injection, the software may stop injecting and flash, at a fast rate, an injector 20 fault code for syringe mount 26 open on the powerhead display 34 and disable the auto inject mode. If the user closes the syringe mount 26, the powerhead software may transition to manual mode and display the programmed flow rate and maximum programmable volume.
  • The powerhead software may correlate injector motor current to syringe pressure. In one embodiment, the powerhead software will not allow the syringe pressure to exceed 250 psi when the ram 46 is moving in the forward direction. If syringe pressure is approaching the pressure limit the powerhead software may reduce the flow rate of the injection to keep from exceeding the pressure limit. If the flow rate is reduced due to pressure limiting, the powerhead software may provide continual beeps from the audible annunciator and flash the flow rate on the display 34 at the fast rate while injecting. When a pressure limited injection completes, the powerhead software may stop the audible annunciator from beeping and flash the volume and flow rate at the slow rate. When retracting the ram 46, the powerhead software may limit the pressure. In one embodiment, the pressure during retraction of the ram 46 may be limited to a maximum of 100 psi.
  • The remote console 44 includes a timer for timing the elapsed time from the start of an injection to when the injector ram is retracted. The purpose of the timer is to assist the user in determining when to start an imaging scan after injecting contrast. The powerhead 22 may send messages to the remote console 44 containing injection elapsed time information for the remote console 44 to display on the injection timer. The powerhead 22 may not start the timer unless the injector 20 is first enabled.
  • It is expected that a user would typically use the auto inject feature to run an injection. In this scenario the user would first purge the injector 20 and stop. The injector 20 would be enabled at this point. The user would then start the injection using the start button on the powerhead 22 or the remote console 44. The timer would start timing when the start button is pressed. The powerhead 22 may reset and start the timer when an auto injection starts. During the injection the powerhead 22 may send messages to the remote console 44 with the injection elapsed time information to display on the timer.
  • In a different scenario, after purging and enabling the injector 20, a user could “manually” perform the injection by using the purge/retract trigger 36 instead of using the auto inject feature. In this scenario, the timer would start timing as soon as the ram 46 moved forward after being enabled. However, the timer should not display the time until a minimum of 10 ml volume was injected without stopping. If the user stopped injecting before 10 ml, the timer would reset to zero. When the user moves the injector ram 46 forward with the purge/retract trigger 36, the powerhead 22 may start the timer but send a message to the remote console 44 to display dashes until a minimum of 10 ml is expelled without stopping. If the user moves the ram 46 forward more than 10 ml, without stopping, the powerhead 22 may send the elapsed time to the remote console 44 to display on the timer. If the user stops expelling before 10 ml of contrast media or other fluid is expelled the powerhead 22 may stop the timer and send a message to the remote console 44 to continue to display dashes for the time.
  • In another scenario, the user may perform a “scout” injection prior to starting an auto injection. In this scenario the user would first purge and enable the injector 20, then manually inject a small amount of contrast, or other media, to verify proper needle placement. Several scout injections may be done before proper needle placement is verified. Once proper needle placement is verified the user then starts the injection using the start button on the powerhead 22 or the remote console 44. This scenario is covered in the above requirements for auto and manual injection. If the user performs a scout injection of less than 10 ml the timer display will remain with displayed dashes until the start button is pressed. If the user injects more than 10 ml, the timer will start and display time but reset to zero when the user starts the injection with the start button.
  • If an injection is paused, the powerhead 22 may allow the timer to continue to run and send messages to the remote console 44 with the injection elapse time. The powerhead 22 may stop the timer and send a message to the remote console 44 to display dashes when the ram 46 is retracted more than 5 ml.
  • The remote console 44 may include a momentary contact switch that the user may activate to turn 24 volt power “on” or “off” to the remote console 44 and the powerhead 22. When the remote console 44 detects the activation of this “soft” power switch 52, it sends a message to the powerhead 22 that 24 volt power is turning off. When the powerhead 22 receives a power down message from the remote console 44 the powerhead 22 may transition to the safe state.
  • The powerhead software contains a safe state to which the software transitions if an injector failure is detected. While in the safe state the injector 20 is prohibited from functioning in an unsafe manner. It is intended that, if possible, the ram 46 be retracted to the home position so the syringe 28 may be able to be removed from the injector 20. While in the safe state the powerhead software may not allow the injector ram 46 to move in the forward direction. The powerhead software may allow the user to retract the ram 46 to the home position at a maximum rate of 1 ml/s. While in the safe state the powerhead software may activate a periodic audible beep at the rate of on for one second and off for two seconds. While in the safe state the powerhead software may display the failure code of any detected injector malfunction. If more than one failure occurs the powerhead software may continually cycle through and display each failure code for at least 2 seconds. If the powerhead software enters the safe state it may stay in the safe state until power is cycled. Apart from the self-tests conducted at power-on, the powerhead software performs run time checks on hardware components to verify safe operation. An LED is connected to the microcontroller I/O line for the software to toggle on/off so that a manufacturing technician has a visual indicator that the microcontroller is running. The powerhead software may toggle the “Alive” LED on and then off so that a manufacturing technician has a visual indicator that the microcontroller is running. If the microcontroller is reset, the powerhead software may display the microcontroller failure code and transition to the safe state.
  • The powerhead software may verify that the +24 volt power supply is between +20 volts and +28 volts within 500 milliseconds after starting an injection. If the +24 volt power supply is outside the tolerance range, the powerhead software may stop the motor and transition to the safe state. The powerhead software may verify that the +5 volt power supply is between +4.5 volts and +5.5 volts at a minimum every 30 seconds. If the +5 volt power supply is outside the tolerance range, the powerhead software may transition to the safe state.
  • The powerhead software may verify that the microcontroller is receiving motor encoder pulses whenever the software runs the motor. If the powerhead software does not detect any motor encoder pulses within 100 milliseconds of running the motor, the powerhead software may transition to the safe state.
  • The powerhead control panel keypad 32 may include two injection start switches that are activated by the user as one push-button for injection start. Two switches are used to as a redundant safety feature to avoid having a false start signal from a bad switch start an injection. If both start switches indicate an activation of the start button and the injector 20 is enabled, the powerhead software may activate the injector motor in the forward direction at the programmed values. If the injection completes and one of the start switches is active then the powerhead software may, until both start switches are inactive: (1) remain in the injection complete state, (2) display a start switch failure code, (3) allow the user to retract the ram 46 with the purge/retract trigger 36, and (4) not allow the user to move the ram 46 forward.
  • The powerhead motor assembly contains an encoder that provides position information back to the powerhead microcontroller. The encoder, however, does not provide absolute position information. Thus, when power is turned off and back on, the position information from the encoder is lost. Therefore, the powerhead 22 includes a ram home detector 50 that indicates when the ram 46 is at the fully retracted position or home position. When the ram 46 is being retracted, and the powerhead software determines from the encoder counts that the home position has been reached, and the sensor 140 of the home position detector 46 has not indicated a home position within +/−2 ml, the powerhead software may stop the motor and transition to the safe state. When the ram 46 is being retracted and the powerhead software determines the sensor 140 of the home position detector 50 indicates a home position while the encoder counts does not indicate a home position within +/−2 ml, the powerhead software may stop the motor and transition to the safe state.
  • The purge/retract trigger 36 includes sensors 116 that detect how much the user moves the trigger 36. If a zero point of the sensors drifts out of tolerance, the software could interpret the drift as a purge/retract trigger 36 activation. When the powerhead software detects purge/retract trigger 36 activation in the forward direction the software may check that all trigger sensors 116 indicate activation of the trigger 36 in the forward direction. When the powerhead software detects activation of the purge/retract trigger 36 in the reverse direction, the software may check that all trigger sensors 116 indicate activation of the trigger 36 in the reverse direction. If a purge/retract trigger sensor is out of tolerance, the powerhead software may transition to the safe state.
  • After an injection completes and the achieved average flow rate is not within the tolerance for a non-pressure limited injection, the powerhead software may alternate between displaying the achieved flow rate and the flow rate out of tolerance failure code until the user activates the purge/retract trigger 36 or any of the powerhead controls 90.
  • If the achieved volume is not within a specified tolerance, the powerhead software may alternate between displaying the achieved volume and the volume out of tolerance failure code until the user activates the purge/retract trigger 36 or any of the powerhead controls 90.
  • In one particular embodiment, if the powerhead software detects injector failure the software may display an indication code, such as “F”, in the flow rate display and a number corresponding to the failure type in the volume display. In a particular embodiment, the failure codes are created and may be interpreted as follows. The hundred's digit represents the subsystem where the failure occurred. The number “0” in the hundred's digit represents the powerhead 22, a “1” represents remote console 44 (if connected), and a “3” represents the power pack 38. For example the failure code “F 004” is for the powerhead RAM memory failure while the failure code “F 104” is for the remote console 1 RAM memory failure. The failure codes in this particular embodiment of the software are as follows:
      • F X01 Microcontroller CPU Failure
      • F X02 Program Flash Memory CRC Failure
      • F X03 Data Flash Memory CRC Failure
      • F X04 RAM Memory Failure
      • F X05 Quad Timer Failure
      • F X06 AID Converter Failure
      • F X07 PWM Failure
      • F X08 Interrupt Controller Failure
      • F X09 Clock PLL Failure
      • F X 10 Microcontroller Watchdog Reset
      • F X 20 +24V Power Supply failure (+24V Power Supply out of tolerance)
      • F X21 +5V Power Supply failure (+5V Power Supply out of tolerance)
      • F 030 Encoder failure (no encoder counts when motor activated)
      • F 031 Encoder failure (encoder counts detected when motor not enabled)
      • F 032 Motor Relay failure (cut-out relay failure, relay stuck open or closed)
      • F 033 Motor failure (motor over current detected)
      • F 034 Motor failure (current detected when motor not enabled)
      • F X 40 Start switch failure (one or both start switches are active)
      • F 050 Home sensor failure (no home position signal detected when ran encode indicates that the injector ram is at the home position)
      • F 051 Purge/Retract Trigger failure (zero position out of tolerance)
      • F 060 Achieved Flow Rate Out of Tolerance F 061 Achieved Volume Out of Tolerance
      • F 070 Powerhead—Remote Console Communication Failure
      • F 075 Remote Console—Power Pack Communication Failure
      • F 370 Dual Injector Interface failure
  • If the user attempts to operate the injector 20 in an unsafe manner, the powerhead software may display an indicating signal, such as “ER”, in the flow rate display and a number corresponding to the error type in the volume display. In one embodiment of the injector 20, these codes may be as follows:
      • ER 001 User attempts to start an injection from the powerhead when the injector is not enabled
      • ER 101 User attempts to start an injection from remote console when the injector is not enabled
      • ER 002 User attempts to move the ram forward with the syringe clamp open
  • The manufacturing mode may allow personnel to perform diagnostics tests, calibrate sensors, and perform a burn-in cycle. The powerhead software may allow the manufacturing person to run diagnostic tests. The diagnostic tests at a minimum may run all the tests performed during power-on self-test. The powerhead manufacturing mode may allow calibration of the following sensors:
      • Purge/Retract Trigger Sensors
      • Pressure Limit
      • Ram Home Position Sensor
      • Syringe Clamp Sensor
        The powerhead software may allow the calibration values to be sent out via interfaces 42, 89.
  • The manufacturing mode may allow the manufacturing person to select a “burn-in cycle” sub-mode where the powerhead software continuously runs an injection at a predetermined injection parameters.
  • The injector powerhead 22 may interface to the remote console 44 through a network and send messages to the remote console 44 with the following information:
      • Volume Display
      • Flow Rate Display
      • Timer Display
      • Audible Tone Frequency
      • Audible Tone Volume
      • Tri-Color LED Red Duty Cycle
      • Tri-Color LED Blue Duty Cycle
      • Tri-Color LED Green Duty Cycle
  • The powerhead 22 may send messages to the remote console 44 as the event occurs or at a minimum of once per second. The powerhead 22 may receive messages from the remote console 44 with the following information:
      • Volume Increment/Decrement Button activation status and activation duration
      • Flow Rate Increment/Decrement Button activation status and activation duration
      • Injection Start Button activation
      • Soft Power Off Button activation
        The injector powerhead 22 may also interface to a second system when a remote console 44 is connected.
  • As described above, the injector 20 of the present invention may include a remote console 44. The purpose of the remote console 44 is to provide the user a way to control and display the status of the powerhead 22 from a remote location, such as an imaging control room. The remote console 44 allows the user to program or change programmed parameters. When the powerhead 22 is enabled for an injection, the user can start the injector 20 or stop an injection in progress from the remote console 44.
  • The remote console 44 is based on a “master/slave” architectural design such that the remote console 44 functions as a “slave” to the powerhead 22 when the powerhead 22 is in the manual, auto inject, and syringe size selection modes. That is, the remote console 44 displays the flow rate and volume of the powerhead 22 and not what the user enters at the remote console 44. If the user changes the injection parameters from the remote console 44, the remote console 44 sends messages to the powerhead 22 reflecting the changes. The powerhead 22 implements the changes and sends messages back to the remote console 44 with the new information. This design reduces the possibility of the remote console 44 displaying something other than what the powerhead 22 is actually doing.
  • The remote console 44 includes software that functions as a “slave” to the powerhead 22. If the remote console 44 is powered on with no powerhead connection, the remote console 44 displays a powerhead-remote console communication fault code. The remote console 44 has a power-on self-test (POST) to check for proper remote console operation, and the safe state for serious injector malfunction. When power is applied, the remote console 44 performs an initialization of the microcontroller and system resources. After initialization, the remote console software runs a POST.
  • The POST then performs a CRC test of the program Flash memory and the data Flash memory. The POST then performs a memory test of all data and program RAM. The POST then performs a check of all microcontroller peripherals internal to the microcontroller used during the operation of the remote console 44. The remote console 44 POST checks for dual injector interface communication operation by sending a message to the dual injector interface to send status information over the remote console-power pack interface. If the remote console 44 does not receive a response from the dual injector interface, it fails the communication test. The POST checks the +24 power supply 40 for proper supply voltages of +24VDC +/−4 volts and the +5 power supply 40 for +5VDC +/−0.5 volts power supplies. The POST illuminates all visual indicators including all digits and segments in the 7-segment LED displays for a minimum of 3 seconds. The POST may activate the audible annunciator for a minimum of 500 milliseconds.
  • Upon successful completion of the POST, the remote console software may display the current software version on the LED display for a minimum of 3 seconds. If all self-tests pass, the remote console 44 may then check for the manufacturing mode. The remote console 44 will enter the manufacturing mode only if the user activates the volume increment and volume decrement at the same time within 3 seconds after POST completes. If the user activates any other button while the remote console software is checking for the manufacturing mode, the software skips the manufacturing mode check and proceeds to the operational mode. If any of the self-tests fail, the remote console 44 transitions to the safe state.
  • The remote console 44 may receive messages from the powerhead 22 with flow rate information and display the flow rate information on the remote console flow rate display. The remote console 44 may receive messages from the powerhead 22 with volume information and display the volume information on the remote console volume display. If the powerhead 22 sends a message to the remote console software to illuminate the injecting LED, the remote console 44 will illuminate the injecting LED on the remote console 44. If the powerhead 22 sends a message with an active error code, the remote console 44 may flash the error code at 500 milliseconds on and 200 milliseconds off. If the powerhead 22 sends a message with an active error code, the remote console 44 may activate the audible tone for one second on and one second off for three times. The remote console software may send any remote console control button activation to the powerhead 22. Controls 90 may include, but are not limited to, buttons for flow rate increment, flow rate decrement, volume increment, volume decrement, and injection start buttons.
  • The remote console 44 may include at least two injection switches that are activated by the user as one injection start push-button for starting an enabled injection. Two switches are used as a redundant safety feature to avoid having a false start signal from a bad switch to start an injection. The remote console 44 sends an injection start message to the powerhead 22 when the user activates the injection start button. When the user activates the injection start button, the remote console software verifies: (1) that both injection switches have been activated, and (2) that both injection switches have transitioned to the inactive state since the last activation. Following verification, the remote console software sends an injection start message to the powerhead 22.
  • When the user activates the volume increment button, the remote console software may send a message to the powerhead 22 indicating a volume increment button activation. When the user releases the volume increment button, the remote console software may send a message to the powerhead 22 indicating that the volume button is deactivated. The volume decrement button may operate in the same way as the volume increment button, except the remote console 44 sends messages to the powerhead 22 when the volume decrement button is activated or released.
  • When the user activates the flow rate increment button, the remote console software may send a message to the powerhead 22 indicating a flow rate increment button activation. When the user releases the flow rate increment button, the remote console software may send a message to the powerhead 22 indicating that the flow rate button is deactivated. The flow rate decrement button may operate in the same way as the flow rate increment button, except the remote console 44 sends messages to the powerhead 22 when the flow rate decrement button is activated or released.
  • The remote console software may display and flash an indicator, such as “PF”, in the flow rate display when the powerhead 22 sends a message to display “PF”. The “PF” indicator signals to the user that the injector 20 is in the pre-filled syringe selection mode. The remote console 44 may flash the “PF” at the rate sent from the powerhead 22.
  • An LED visual indicator may be connected to the microcontroller I/O line for the software to toggle on/off so that a manufacturing technician has a visual indicator that the microcontroller is running. The remote console software may toggle the “Alive” LED on and then off so that a manufacturing technician has a visual indicator that the microcontroller is running.
  • The remote console software may control the state of the tri-color LED visual indicator according to the message received from the powerhead 22. The states for the tri-color LED visual indicator may be: green, amber, red, blue, white, color sweep, and blank (no illumination).
  • Some imaging protocols require a delay of seconds, while others may require a delay of minutes, before starting the imaging scan. The remote console 44 includes a timer to assist the user in determining when to start an imaging scan after injecting contrast. The remote console 44 may include a timer for timing elapsed time from the start of an injection to when the injector ram is retracted. While the remote console 44 is on and the timer is not timing, the timer may display dashes in the minutes, tens of seconds, and seconds seven-segment LED display (i.e., “—: ——”). The remote console 44 may display the elapsed time in a minutes and seconds format with a colon mark between the minutes and seconds. The remote console timer may range from 0 minutes, 0 seconds (0:00) to 19 minutes and 59 seconds (19:59). If the timer is less than 10 minutes, then the remote console 44 may blank the tens of minutes digit (for example, 9:59). If the timer is less than 1 minute, then the remote console 44 may display a zero in the minutes digit (for example, 0:09).
  • If the remote console 44 receives a message from the powerhead 22 to start the timer, the remote console 44 may reset the time to zero and start the time. The remote console 44 may continue to display dashes until the powerhead 22 sends a message to the remote console 44 to display the time.
  • The remote console 44 may stop the timer and display dashes when the remote console 44 receives a message from the powerhead 22 to stop the timer. If the timer reaches 19 minutes and 59 seconds (19:59) the timer may hold the time at 19 minutes and 59 seconds and flash the time display at the fast rate.
  • The remote console 44 further includes a momentary contact switch that the user may activate to turn 24 volt power on or off to the remote console 44 and the powerhead 22. The soft power switch 52 is not connected to power but to a microprocessor I/O line in the remote console 44. If the remote console 44 is powered up, the microprocessor can detect when the user toggles the soft power switch 52 to turn power off. The remote console 44 then sends a message over the remote console-power pack interface to turn 24 volt power off. If the remote console 44 is powered off, the microprocessor will be unable to detect user switch activation. However, a hardware circuit in the power pack 38 can detect switch activation through a hardware signal between the remote console 44 and the power pack 38. During this procedure, the power remains on in the power pack 38. The detection circuit then switches 24 volt power back on to the remote console 44 and powerhead 22.
  • When the remote console 44 is powered on and the user activates the soft power on/off switch 52, the remote console 44 may send a message over the remote console-power pack interface to disconnect 24 volt power to the powerhead 22 and remote console 44. The remote console 44 may delay a minimum of 20 milliseconds from when the user releases the soft power switch 52 until the power off message is sent over the remote console-power pack interface. When the remote console 44 is powered on and the user activates the soft power on/off switch 52, the remote console 44 may send a message to the powerhead 22 over the powerhead-remote console interface that 24 volt power is being disconnected. The soft power on/off feature may not be active before the remote console POST is completed. The soft power on/off feature may function while the injector 20 is in the safe mode. This assumes that the associated hardware for the soft power on/off is functional.
  • If the remote console 44 detects a communication failure with the powerhead 22, the remote console 44 may repeatedly attempt to communicate with the powerhead 22. If, after 5 seconds, the repeated attempts fail, the remote console 44 may display a communication failure and transition to the safe state.
  • The remote console 44 may display injector 20 failure codes sent from the powerhead 22. Further, the remote console 44 may display injector 20 user error codes sent from the powerhead 22.
  • The remote console software includes a safe state where the software transitions if a remote console failure is detected. While in the safe state, the remote console 44 is prohibited from functioning in an unsafe manner. Once in the safe state, the software may not exit from the safe state as long as power is applied to the remote console 44. While in the safe state, the software may not communicate with the powerhead 22. While in the safe state, the remote console software may send messages to the power pack 38 to disable all dual injector 20 relay outputs. While in the safe state, the remote console software may display the failure code of any detected remote console malfunction.
  • The injector 20 of the present invention has the ability to connect a second injector 20′ together through the dual injector interface. This second injector 20′ may be hand-held or may be wall, floor, or ceiling mounted. The interface 42 allows for the two injectors to work in tandem for delivering back to back injections. Typical use for two injectors includes a “saline push” where the first injector 20 delivers contrast followed by saline from the second injector 20′.
  • The dual injector interface is located in the power pack 38. Since the cable connecting the power pack 38 to the powerhead 22 does not include any spare signals to accommodate the dual injector interface directly, the remote console 44 serves as the link between the dual injector interface and the powerhead 22. Therefore, the remote console 44 includes a remote console-power pack interface. The remote console 44 polls the status of the dual injector interface via the remote console-power pack interface and sends messages to the powerhead 22 via the powerhead-remote console interface.
  • When the remote console 44 receives a message from the powerhead 22 to check for dual injector configuration, the remote console 44 may query the dual injector interface via the remote console-power pack interface. If another injector is connected to the dual injector interface, and the other injector is enabled, the remote console 44 may send the information to the powerhead 22 connected to the remote console 44.
  • The remote console 44 includes a microprocessor having internal non-volatile memory to store the software program and data constants. Manufacturing will need to update or change the contents of the non-volatile program and data memory. The manufacturing mode software may allow the manufacturing technician to reprogram the contents of the non-volatile program and data memory in the microprocessor.
  • Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the scope or spirit of Applicant's general inventive concept.

Claims (29)

1. An injector for injecting fluids from a syringe into an animal subject comprising:
a drive ram bidirectionally movable along a longitudinal axis of said drive ram;
a motor drivingly coupled to said drive ram to selectively advance and retract said drive ram along said longitudinal axis; and
a syringe mount engageable with a syringe to position said syringe relative to said injector to permit said drive ram to engage and move a plunger within said syringe;
wherein said syringe mount includes first and second members, said first member being pivotable toward and away from said second member such that said first member may be placed in a first position or a second position.
2. The injector of claim 1 wherein said first member is in said first position when said syringe mount is not engaged with said syringe.
3. The injector of claim 1 wherein said first member is in said second position when said syringe mount is engaged with said syringe.
4. The injector of claim 1 wherein said first and second members each have an arcuate surface
5. The injector of claim 4 wherein said first member is biased toward said second member when said first member is in said second position and said first and second members grip a sidewall of said syringe between said first and second members to engage said syringe with said syringe mount.
6. The injector of claim 1 further comprising a housing, said syringe mount being adapted to mount a syringe external to said housing.
7. The injector of claim 1 wherein said syringe mount includes first and second movable members, said first and second movable members being pivotable toward and away from one another such that said first and second members may be in a first position or a second position.
8. The injector of claim 7 wherein said first and second movable members are in said first position when said syringe mount is not engaged with said syringe.
9. The injector of claim 7 wherein said first and second movable members are in said second position when said syringe mount is engaged with said syringe.
10. The injector of claim 1 wherein said first and second movable members each have an arcuate surface.
11. The injector of claim 10 wherein said first and second movable members are biased toward one another when in said second position and grip a sidewall of said syringe between the first and second movable members to engage said syringe with said syringe mount.
12 The injector of claim 7 further comprising a housing, said syringe mount being adapted to mount a syringe external to said housing.
13. The injector of claim 1, further comprising:
a housing; and
a heating element, wherein said heating element further comprises an extension operatively connected to said injector external to said housing.
14. The injector of claim 13 wherein said heating element is adapted to interact with a syringe and directly and/or indirectly alter the temperature of contents in said syringe.
15. The injector of claim 13 wherein said heating element is adapted to interact with a syringe and directly and/or indirectly maintain the temperature of contents in said syringe.
16. The injector of claim 14 wherein the temperature of contents in said syringe is raised to approximate the temperature of a subject to be injected.
17. The injector of claim 15 wherein the temperature of contents in said syringe is maintained at approximately the temperature of a subject to be injected.
18. The injector of claim 1, further comprising:
a housing; and
a detector disposed within said housing for determining whether a first end of said proximal drive ram is in a first position proximal to the forward end of a housing of said injector, wherein said detector operates in concert with a signal emitting device disposed on said drive ram to detect signals emitted from said signal emitting device.
19. The injector of claim 18 wherein said signal emitting device is a magnet.
20. The injector of claim 18 wherein a signal emitted by said signal emitting device is a magnetic field.
21. The injector of claim 18 further including at least one sensor disposed on said housing of said injector.
22. The injector of claim 21 wherein said drive ram is moveable in a forward or a reverse direction along its longitudinal axis.
23. The injector of claim 22 wherein said drive ram is movable in a reverse direction along its longitudinal axis at a first velocity when said detector does not detect any signals from a signal emitting device disposed on said drive ram.
24. The injector of claim 23 wherein said detector includes a calibrated value corresponding to said first position of said drive ram.
25. The injector of claim 24 wherein said drive ram is movable in a reverse direction along its longitudinal axis at a second velocity when said detector detects signals from a signal emitting device, but said signals do not equal said calibrated value.
26. The injector of claim 24 wherein said detector operatively causes said drive ram to halt at said first position when said detector detects a signal emitted by a signal emitting device, and said signal is equal to said calibrated value.
27. The injector of claim 1, wherein said drive ram has a cross-section of a first shape taken perpendicular to said longitudinal axis;
said injector further comprising a housing;
a plate disposed within said housing; and
an orifice disposed through said plate, said orifice having said first shape, and said drive ram being disposed through said orifice;
whereby said first shape prevents rotation of said drive ram about said longitudinal axis.
28. The injector of claim 1, further comprising:
a console operatively connected to said injector, said console generating a console control signal for said motor such that said drive ram moves along said longitudinal axis in a first ram direction, wherein said console control signal is delivered remotely to said motor from said console.
29. The injector of claim 28, wherein said drive ram moves in said second ram direction when a second console control signal is delivered remotely to said motor from said console.
US10/948,921 2002-08-02 2004-09-24 Injector Abandoned US20050038389A1 (en)

Priority Applications (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US10/948,921 US20050038389A1 (en) 2002-08-02 2004-09-24 Injector
US12/247,601 US20090036771A1 (en) 2002-08-02 2008-10-08 Injector
US13/080,499 US8882704B2 (en) 2002-08-02 2011-04-05 Injector

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US10/211,726 US6929619B2 (en) 2002-08-02 2002-08-02 Injector
US10/948,921 US20050038389A1 (en) 2002-08-02 2004-09-24 Injector

Related Parent Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US10/211,726 Division US6929619B2 (en) 2002-08-02 2002-08-02 Injector

Related Child Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US12/247,601 Continuation US20090036771A1 (en) 2002-08-02 2008-10-08 Injector

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20050038389A1 true US20050038389A1 (en) 2005-02-17

Family

ID=31187636

Family Applications (7)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US10/211,726 Expired - Lifetime US6929619B2 (en) 2002-08-02 2002-08-02 Injector
US10/948,921 Abandoned US20050038389A1 (en) 2002-08-02 2004-09-24 Injector
US10/949,137 Expired - Fee Related US7632246B2 (en) 2002-08-02 2004-09-24 Injector
US10/949,072 Abandoned US20050038390A1 (en) 2002-08-02 2004-09-24 Injector
US11/738,885 Expired - Fee Related US7854726B2 (en) 2002-08-02 2007-04-23 Injector
US12/247,601 Abandoned US20090036771A1 (en) 2002-08-02 2008-10-08 Injector
US13/080,499 Expired - Fee Related US8882704B2 (en) 2002-08-02 2011-04-05 Injector

Family Applications Before (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US10/211,726 Expired - Lifetime US6929619B2 (en) 2002-08-02 2002-08-02 Injector

Family Applications After (5)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US10/949,137 Expired - Fee Related US7632246B2 (en) 2002-08-02 2004-09-24 Injector
US10/949,072 Abandoned US20050038390A1 (en) 2002-08-02 2004-09-24 Injector
US11/738,885 Expired - Fee Related US7854726B2 (en) 2002-08-02 2007-04-23 Injector
US12/247,601 Abandoned US20090036771A1 (en) 2002-08-02 2008-10-08 Injector
US13/080,499 Expired - Fee Related US8882704B2 (en) 2002-08-02 2011-04-05 Injector

Country Status (11)

Country Link
US (7) US6929619B2 (en)
EP (3) EP2609949B1 (en)
JP (5) JP2006500087A (en)
KR (1) KR20050032108A (en)
CN (4) CN101352591B (en)
AU (2) AU2003261213B9 (en)
BR (1) BR0313205B1 (en)
CA (3) CA2494553C (en)
ES (3) ES2539913T3 (en)
MX (1) MXPA05001335A (en)
WO (1) WO2004012787A2 (en)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20080053805A1 (en) * 2006-08-30 2008-03-06 Helmut Wanek Power tool
US8945051B2 (en) 2009-07-24 2015-02-03 Bayer Medical Care Inc. Multi-fluid medical injector system and methods of operation
WO2015129940A1 (en) * 2014-02-28 2015-09-03 최규동 Device and method for injecting drug
CN105664346A (en) * 2016-03-15 2016-06-15 西安交通大学第一附属医院 Percutaneous T-tube cholangiography agent bolus injection device

Families Citing this family (273)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8177762B2 (en) 1998-12-07 2012-05-15 C. R. Bard, Inc. Septum including at least one identifiable feature, access ports including same, and related methods
US6663602B2 (en) * 2000-06-16 2003-12-16 Novo Nordisk A/S Injection device
US7094216B2 (en) 2000-10-18 2006-08-22 Medrad, Inc. Injection system having a pressure isolation mechanism and/or a handheld controller
US20080154214A1 (en) 2006-12-22 2008-06-26 Medrad, Inc. Flow Based Pressure Isolation and Fluid Delivery System Including Flow Based Pressure Isolation
US7549977B2 (en) * 2002-12-20 2009-06-23 Medrad, Inc. Front load pressure jacket system with syringe holder and light illumination
US7563249B2 (en) * 2002-12-20 2009-07-21 Medrad, Inc. Syringe having an alignment flange, an extending lip and a radial expansion section of reduced wall thickness
AU2003218010A1 (en) 2002-03-06 2003-09-22 Z-Kat, Inc. System and method for using a haptic device in combination with a computer-assisted surgery system
US11202676B2 (en) 2002-03-06 2021-12-21 Mako Surgical Corp. Neural monitor-based dynamic haptics
US8996169B2 (en) 2011-12-29 2015-03-31 Mako Surgical Corp. Neural monitor-based dynamic haptics
US6929619B2 (en) * 2002-08-02 2005-08-16 Liebel-Flarshiem Company Injector
US7351223B2 (en) * 2003-05-05 2008-04-01 Physicians Industries, Inc. Infusion syringe with integrated pressure transducer
US7291131B2 (en) * 2003-05-05 2007-11-06 Physicians Industries, Inc. Infusion syringe
JP2005000203A (en) * 2003-06-09 2005-01-06 Nemoto Kyorindo:Kk Liquid medication injection system
US20050048640A1 (en) * 2003-08-25 2005-03-03 Gen-Probe Incorporated Clamp and method of making same
CN100484580C (en) * 2003-10-29 2009-05-06 株式会社根本杏林堂 Medicinal liquid infusion apparatus
CA2546864C (en) * 2003-11-26 2009-08-25 E-Z-Em, Inc. Device, method, and computer program product for dispensing media as part of a medical procedure
US7621892B2 (en) * 2003-12-31 2009-11-24 Mallinckrodt Inc. Contrast container holder and method to fill syringes
JP5148881B2 (en) * 2004-02-11 2013-02-20 アシスト・メディカル・システムズ,インコーポレイテッド Method system and apparatus for operating medical injectors and diagnostic imaging apparatus
US7771389B2 (en) * 2004-02-17 2010-08-10 Mallinckrodt Inc. Injector auto purge
JP4549079B2 (en) 2004-03-05 2010-09-22 パナソニック株式会社 Medical dosing device
DE202004006479U1 (en) * 2004-04-21 2004-08-26 Medtron Ag Device for injecting a liquid from a syringe with a holder for the syringe
WO2005104697A2 (en) * 2004-04-22 2005-11-10 E-Z-Em, Inc. Interface device and protocol
JP4335103B2 (en) * 2004-09-07 2009-09-30 矢崎総業株式会社 Lever fitting type connector
US7507221B2 (en) 2004-10-13 2009-03-24 Mallinckrodt Inc. Powerhead of a power injection system
RU2389514C2 (en) 2004-10-21 2010-05-20 Ново Нордиск А/С Dose setting mechanism for handle syringe
CN102512186B (en) 2004-11-16 2015-07-15 拜耳医疗保健公司 Modeling of pharmaceutical propagation and response of patients to medication injection
US7749194B2 (en) 2005-02-01 2010-07-06 Intelliject, Inc. Devices, systems, and methods for medicament delivery
US7648482B2 (en) 2004-11-22 2010-01-19 Intelliject, Inc. Devices, systems, and methods for medicament delivery
US11590286B2 (en) 2004-11-22 2023-02-28 Kaleo, Inc. Devices, systems and methods for medicament delivery
US7947017B2 (en) * 2004-11-22 2011-05-24 Intelliject, Inc. Devices, systems and methods for medicament delivery
US10737028B2 (en) 2004-11-22 2020-08-11 Kaleo, Inc. Devices, systems and methods for medicament delivery
US7648483B2 (en) 2004-11-22 2010-01-19 Intelliject, Inc. Devices, systems and methods for medicament delivery
US7416540B2 (en) 2004-11-22 2008-08-26 Intelliject, Llc Devices systems and methods for medicament delivery
DK2902053T3 (en) 2004-11-24 2017-11-13 Bayer Healthcare Llc Liquid delivery devices, systems and methods
US8202259B2 (en) 2005-03-04 2012-06-19 C. R. Bard, Inc. Systems and methods for identifying an access port
US7785302B2 (en) 2005-03-04 2010-08-31 C. R. Bard, Inc. Access port identification systems and methods
US8029482B2 (en) 2005-03-04 2011-10-04 C. R. Bard, Inc. Systems and methods for radiographically identifying an access port
US9474888B2 (en) 2005-03-04 2016-10-25 C. R. Bard, Inc. Implantable access port including a sandwiched radiopaque insert
US7947022B2 (en) 2005-03-04 2011-05-24 C. R. Bard, Inc. Access port identification systems and methods
US9433730B2 (en) 2013-03-14 2016-09-06 Bayer Healthcare Llc Fluid mixing control device for a multi-fluid delivery system
US9011377B2 (en) 2008-11-05 2015-04-21 Bayer Medical Care Inc. Fluid mixing control device for a multi-fluid delivery system
CA2622293C (en) 2005-04-06 2016-01-26 Mallinckrodt Inc. Systems and methods for managing information relating to medical fluids and containers therefor
EP1877121B1 (en) * 2005-04-24 2015-09-23 Novo Nordisk A/S Injection device
US10307581B2 (en) 2005-04-27 2019-06-04 C. R. Bard, Inc. Reinforced septum for an implantable medical device
US8147455B2 (en) * 2005-04-27 2012-04-03 C. R. Bard, Inc. Infusion apparatuses and methods of use
DE602006019587D1 (en) * 2005-04-27 2011-02-24 Bard Inc C R Syringe pumping system for injection of contrast agent in an intravenous line
US20060271014A1 (en) * 2005-05-31 2006-11-30 Mallinckrodt Inc. Heat retention device for a syringe and methods of use
US7438705B2 (en) 2005-07-14 2008-10-21 Boehringer Technologies, L.P. System for treating a wound with suction and method detecting loss of suction
US7857806B2 (en) * 2005-07-14 2010-12-28 Boehringer Technologies, L.P. Pump system for negative pressure wound therapy
US20110077605A1 (en) * 2005-07-14 2011-03-31 Boehringer Technologies, L.P. Pump system for negative pressure wound therapy
ITMO20050195A1 (en) * 2005-07-29 2007-01-30 Gambro Lundia Ab MACHINE FOR EXTRACORPROUS TREATMENT OF BLOOD
WO2007035567A2 (en) * 2005-09-19 2007-03-29 Lifescan, Inc. Infusion pump with closed loop control and algorithm
WO2007035564A2 (en) * 2005-09-19 2007-03-29 Lifescan, Inc. Malfunction detection with derivative calculation
US20070066940A1 (en) * 2005-09-19 2007-03-22 Lifescan, Inc. Systems and Methods for Detecting a Partition Position in an Infusion Pump
US7857787B2 (en) * 2005-11-12 2010-12-28 Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. Systems and methods for locking and detecting the presence of a catheter
EP1951355B1 (en) * 2005-11-21 2018-07-11 ACIST Medical Systems, Inc. Medical fluid injection system
CN101400394B (en) * 2006-03-10 2012-07-04 诺沃-诺迪斯克有限公司 An injection device having a gearing arrangement
JP5062768B2 (en) * 2006-03-10 2012-10-31 ノボ・ノルデイスク・エー/エス INJECTION DEVICE AND METHOD FOR REPLACING CARTRIDGE OF THE DEVICE
KR100756672B1 (en) * 2006-04-21 2007-09-10 세원셀론텍(주) Syringe piston push device
DE602007004972D1 (en) 2006-05-16 2010-04-08 Novo Nordisk As GEARING MECHANISM FOR AN INJECTION DEVICE
US20070270750A1 (en) * 2006-05-17 2007-11-22 Alcon, Inc. Drug delivery device
CN102327655B (en) * 2006-05-18 2013-06-19 诺沃-诺迪斯克有限公司 Injection device with mode locking means
EP2023843B1 (en) 2006-05-19 2016-03-09 Mako Surgical Corp. System for verifying calibration of a surgical device
EP1867356A1 (en) * 2006-06-16 2007-12-19 Swiss Medical Care System for the injection of contrast agents
DK2061536T3 (en) * 2006-08-23 2012-02-06 Medtronic Minimed Inc Plant and method for filling containers and for dispensing an infusion medium
EP2073871B1 (en) 2006-09-29 2013-03-20 Novo Nordisk A/S An injection device with electronic detecting means
EP2081632A2 (en) * 2006-10-16 2009-07-29 Alcon Research, Ltd. Ceramic chamber with integrated temperature control device for ophthalmic medical device
US8900249B2 (en) 2006-10-23 2014-12-02 Novartis Ag Method of delivering temperature controlled intraocular lens
US9681947B2 (en) 2006-10-23 2017-06-20 Novartis Ag Intraocular lens delivery system with temperature control
US9642986B2 (en) 2006-11-08 2017-05-09 C. R. Bard, Inc. Resource information key for an insertable medical device
US9265912B2 (en) 2006-11-08 2016-02-23 C. R. Bard, Inc. Indicia informative of characteristics of insertable medical devices
US8454560B2 (en) * 2006-12-05 2013-06-04 Mallinckrodt Llc Syringe mount for a medical fluid injector
EP2095079A1 (en) * 2006-12-21 2009-09-02 The Procter and Gamble Company Dispensing measurement device and method of measuring dispensing
US7654127B2 (en) * 2006-12-21 2010-02-02 Lifescan, Inc. Malfunction detection in infusion pumps
JP5486315B2 (en) 2006-12-29 2014-05-07 メドラッド インコーポレーテッド System for generating patient-based parameters for medical infusion procedures
US7846130B2 (en) * 2007-03-13 2010-12-07 Quality In Flow Ltd. Portable intravenous fluid heating system
US8622991B2 (en) * 2007-03-19 2014-01-07 Insuline Medical Ltd. Method and device for drug delivery
EP2136863A2 (en) * 2007-03-19 2009-12-30 Insuline Medical Ltd. Device for drug delivery and associated connections thereto
US9220837B2 (en) * 2007-03-19 2015-12-29 Insuline Medical Ltd. Method and device for drug delivery
AU2008227875B2 (en) * 2007-03-19 2014-06-12 Insuline Medical Ltd. Drug delivery device
WO2008114224A2 (en) * 2007-03-19 2008-09-25 Insuline Medical Ltd. Method and device for substance measurement
CA2681023C (en) * 2007-03-23 2015-11-03 Novo Nordisk A/S An injection device comprising a locking nut
KR100811588B1 (en) * 2007-03-26 2008-03-11 한국화학연구원 Automatic video instillator
US8480653B2 (en) 2007-05-23 2013-07-09 Biosense Webster, Inc. Magnetically guided catheter with concentric needle port
US8603046B2 (en) * 2007-05-23 2013-12-10 Biosense Webster, Inc. Automated injection catheter device and system
ES2651269T3 (en) 2007-06-20 2018-01-25 Medical Components, Inc. Venous reservoir with molded indications and / or radiopacas
CN101742967B (en) 2007-07-17 2014-06-11 梅德拉股份有限公司 Devices, systems and methods for determination of parameters for a procedure, for estimation of cardiopulmonary function and for fluid delivery
US9610432B2 (en) 2007-07-19 2017-04-04 Innovative Medical Devices, Llc Venous access port assembly with X-ray discernable indicia
EP2180915B1 (en) 2007-07-19 2017-10-04 Medical Components, Inc. Venous access port assembly with x-ray discernable indicia
ATE520435T1 (en) 2007-08-17 2011-09-15 Novo Nordisk As MEDICAL DEVICE WITH VALUE SENSOR
US20090069747A1 (en) * 2007-09-07 2009-03-12 Mallinckrodt Inc. Power Injector with Movable Joint-Integrated Signal Transmission Connector
US9579496B2 (en) 2007-11-07 2017-02-28 C. R. Bard, Inc. Radiopaque and septum-based indicators for a multi-lumen implantable port
WO2009067212A1 (en) * 2007-11-19 2009-05-28 Mallinckrodt Inc. Power injector having patency check with pressure monitoring
ES2421389T3 (en) * 2007-11-19 2013-09-02 Mallinckrodt Inc Automatic injector with status messaging
CN101868267B (en) * 2007-11-20 2013-06-12 马林克罗特有限公司 Power injector with flow rate assessment
JP5498391B2 (en) * 2007-11-20 2014-05-21 マリンクロッド エルエルシー Power injector with ram retraction
US20090145446A1 (en) * 2007-12-07 2009-06-11 Dedecker Paul G Method for detecting at least partial medical device disengagement from a patient
WO2009073650A1 (en) * 2007-12-07 2009-06-11 Mallinckrodt Inc. Push to install syringe mount for powered injector systems
EP2244766A1 (en) * 2007-12-07 2010-11-03 Mallinckrodt Inc. Power injector syringe mounting system
US8403908B2 (en) * 2007-12-17 2013-03-26 Hospira, Inc. Differential pressure based flow sensor assembly for medication delivery monitoring and method of using the same
US8517990B2 (en) 2007-12-18 2013-08-27 Hospira, Inc. User interface improvements for medical devices
EP2231229A1 (en) 2007-12-18 2010-09-29 Insuline Medical Ltd. Drug delivery device with sensor for closed-loop operation
EP2229201B1 (en) * 2007-12-31 2012-05-02 Novo Nordisk A/S Electronically monitored injection device
US8161810B2 (en) * 2008-01-29 2012-04-24 Carefusion 303, Inc. Syringe imaging systems
CA2712972C (en) 2008-02-07 2013-05-28 David A. Downer Lens delivery system cartridge
WO2009112513A1 (en) * 2008-03-11 2009-09-17 Novo Nordisk A/S Drug delivery system with two communicating devices providing continuous drug delivery
CN101536902B (en) * 2008-03-18 2011-03-09 微创医疗器械(上海)有限公司 Injection system
US7914483B2 (en) 2008-04-02 2011-03-29 Baxter International Inc. Pain controlled analgesic (“PCA”) apparatus
US8315449B2 (en) 2008-06-24 2012-11-20 Medrad, Inc. Identification of regions of interest and extraction of time value curves in imaging procedures
US9044538B2 (en) * 2008-08-08 2015-06-02 Liebel-Flarsheim Company Llc Automatic injector ram homing
WO2010021953A2 (en) * 2008-08-19 2010-02-25 Mallinckrodt Inc. Power injector with syringe communication logic
US7819838B2 (en) * 2008-09-02 2010-10-26 Hospira, Inc. Cassette for use in a medication delivery flow sensor assembly and method of making the same
CN102186517B (en) * 2008-09-18 2013-07-24 贝克顿·迪金森公司 Medical injector with ratcheting plunger
US8882708B2 (en) * 2008-10-30 2014-11-11 Acist Medical Systems, Inc. Mating mechanism for a pressurizing unit and corresponding sleeve in a medical fluid injection device
US9421330B2 (en) 2008-11-03 2016-08-23 Bayer Healthcare Llc Mitigation of contrast-induced nephropathy
US20100114027A1 (en) * 2008-11-05 2010-05-06 Hospira, Inc. Fluid medication delivery systems for delivery monitoring of secondary medications
AU2009312474B2 (en) 2008-11-07 2014-12-04 Insuline Medical Ltd. Device and method for drug delivery
US11890443B2 (en) 2008-11-13 2024-02-06 C. R. Bard, Inc. Implantable medical devices including septum-based indicators
US8932271B2 (en) 2008-11-13 2015-01-13 C. R. Bard, Inc. Implantable medical devices including septum-based indicators
EP2361647B8 (en) 2008-12-22 2018-06-27 PHC Holdings Corporation Medicament dispensing device
JP5752053B2 (en) 2009-02-04 2015-07-22 マリンクロッド エルエルシー Syringe with visual usage indication
GB0902354D0 (en) 2009-02-13 2009-04-01 3M Innovative Properties Co Syringes for dispensing multicomponent material
EP2409720A4 (en) 2009-03-18 2018-03-21 Nemoto Kyorindo Co., Ltd. Syringe adapter
CN105193440B (en) * 2009-03-18 2019-10-15 株式会社根本杏林堂 Chemical liquid infuser
DE102009003721A1 (en) * 2009-04-01 2010-10-07 Medimatik Gmbh applicator
DE102009022308A1 (en) * 2009-05-22 2010-11-25 Karl Storz Gmbh & Co. Kg Medical instrument for endoscopic surgery, has manually operated control device controlling suction/rinsing performance in suction and/or flushing channel, where power of pump is controlled by control device
DE102009025003A1 (en) * 2009-06-16 2010-12-23 Vcs Medical Technology Gmbh A method of operating a therapeutic device to promote wound healing
DE102009026025A1 (en) * 2009-06-24 2010-12-30 Wolfcraft Gmbh Clamping tool in the form of a cartridge ejection device
US8303547B2 (en) * 2009-07-07 2012-11-06 Relox Medical, Llc Method and apparatus for syringe injection of fluids
WO2011044346A1 (en) * 2009-10-07 2011-04-14 Nordson Corporation Medical injector and adapter for coupling a medicament container and an actuator
EP2501294B1 (en) 2009-11-17 2018-08-15 C.R. Bard, Inc. Overmolded access port including anchoring and identification features
JP5508093B2 (en) * 2010-03-30 2014-05-28 テルモ株式会社 Syringe pump
US9687603B2 (en) * 2010-04-16 2017-06-27 Medtronic, Inc. Volume monitoring for implantable fluid delivery devices
WO2011140394A1 (en) 2010-05-05 2011-11-10 Medical Components, Inc. Method and apparatus for printing radiopaque indicia
JP6025718B2 (en) 2010-06-24 2016-11-16 ベイヤー メディカル ケア インク. A model for drug propagation and parameter generation for infusion protocols
US8876793B2 (en) * 2010-10-01 2014-11-04 Smiths Medical Asd, Inc. Flushing a fluid line from a medical pump
CN102441206B (en) * 2010-10-08 2013-01-30 郭霞 Automatic injection machine
IT1403334B1 (en) 2010-11-09 2013-10-17 Maffei DEVICE FOR THE TRANSFER AND DETERMINATION OF BIOMEDICAL FLUIDS BETWEEN HOSPITAL BINS
USD682416S1 (en) 2010-12-30 2013-05-14 C. R. Bard, Inc. Implantable access port
USD676955S1 (en) 2010-12-30 2013-02-26 C. R. Bard, Inc. Implantable access port
US9173999B2 (en) 2011-01-26 2015-11-03 Kaleo, Inc. Devices and methods for delivering medicaments from a multi-chamber container
US8939943B2 (en) 2011-01-26 2015-01-27 Kaleo, Inc. Medicament delivery device for administration of opioid antagonists including formulations for naloxone
USD669170S1 (en) 2011-03-28 2012-10-16 3M Innovative Properties Company Dental syringe
CN103703468A (en) * 2011-05-09 2014-04-02 马林克罗特有限公司 Contrast media injection data management system
JP4907738B1 (en) * 2011-06-14 2012-04-04 株式会社根本杏林堂 Injection device and method for controlling ultrasonic motor
AU2012299169B2 (en) 2011-08-19 2017-08-24 Icu Medical, Inc. Systems and methods for a graphical interface including a graphical representation of medical data
US10155090B2 (en) 2011-10-07 2018-12-18 Novo Nordisk A/S System for determining position of an element in relation to another element using magnetic fields
AU2011379997B2 (en) * 2011-10-28 2015-08-06 Husqvarna Ab Indicator system for outdoor power equipment
US10022498B2 (en) 2011-12-16 2018-07-17 Icu Medical, Inc. System for monitoring and delivering medication to a patient and method of using the same to minimize the risks associated with automated therapy
BR112014016148A8 (en) 2011-12-29 2017-07-04 Novo Nordisk As augmentation / reduction mechanism for automatic injection device and torsion spring-based automatic injection device
WO2013148798A1 (en) 2012-03-30 2013-10-03 Hospira, Inc. Air detection system and method for detecting air in a pump of an infusion system
ES2672136T3 (en) 2012-05-08 2018-06-12 Liebel-Flarsheim Company Llc Contrast media injection data management
US9949704B2 (en) 2012-05-14 2018-04-24 Bayer Healthcare Llc Systems and methods for determination of pharmaceutical fluid injection protocols based on x-ray tube voltage
US9522235B2 (en) 2012-05-22 2016-12-20 Kaleo, Inc. Devices and methods for delivering medicaments from a multi-chamber container
IN2014DN10662A (en) * 2012-06-12 2015-08-28 Altaviz Llc
CA3089257C (en) 2012-07-31 2023-07-25 Icu Medical, Inc. Patient care system for critical medications
US11219719B2 (en) 2012-08-28 2022-01-11 Osprey Medical, Inc. Volume monitoring systems
US11116892B2 (en) 2012-08-28 2021-09-14 Osprey Medical, Inc. Medium injection diversion and measurement
US9999718B2 (en) 2012-08-28 2018-06-19 Osprey Medical, Inc. Volume monitoring device utilizing light-based systems
US10413677B2 (en) 2012-08-28 2019-09-17 Osprey Medical, Inc. Volume monitoring device
EP2892590B1 (en) 2012-09-05 2018-01-10 E3D Agricultural Cooperative Association Ltd. Electronic auto-injection device
ITMO20120219A1 (en) * 2012-09-17 2014-03-18 Giuseppe Maffei EQUIPMENT FOR THE TRANSFER OF BIOMEDICAL FLUIDS BETWEEN HOSPITAL BINS
US9174003B2 (en) 2012-09-28 2015-11-03 Bayer Medical Care Inc. Quick release plunger
GB2506918A (en) * 2012-10-12 2014-04-16 Cambridge Consultants Injector device
US9555379B2 (en) 2013-03-13 2017-01-31 Bayer Healthcare Llc Fluid path set with turbulent mixing chamber, backflow compensator
WO2014145906A2 (en) * 2013-03-15 2014-09-18 Phd Preventative Health Care And Diagnostics, Inc. A prefilled medication device, method of making and using the same
EP2981310B1 (en) 2013-04-05 2017-07-12 Novo Nordisk A/S Dose logging device for a drug delivery device
EP2988803B1 (en) * 2013-04-22 2017-08-16 Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH A supplementary device for a manually operable injection device
GB2503556B (en) * 2013-04-30 2014-07-02 Meditech Endoscopy Ltd Container
US10046112B2 (en) 2013-05-24 2018-08-14 Icu Medical, Inc. Multi-sensor infusion system for detecting air or an occlusion in the infusion system
AU2014274122A1 (en) 2013-05-29 2016-01-21 Icu Medical, Inc. Infusion system and method of use which prevents over-saturation of an analog-to-digital converter
EP3003441B1 (en) 2013-05-29 2020-12-02 ICU Medical, Inc. Infusion system which utilizes one or more sensors and additional information to make an air determination regarding the infusion system
US9861740B2 (en) * 2013-07-03 2018-01-09 Smiths Medical Asd, Inc. Combination linear potentiometer and syringe thumbpress detection sensor and related systems and methods
CN103393411B (en) * 2013-08-12 2015-03-25 苏波 Wrist type monitor
CA2925458C (en) 2013-09-26 2021-11-30 Companion Medical, Inc. System for administering a medicament
EP3057648B1 (en) * 2013-10-18 2018-11-21 Bayer Healthcare LLC Magnetic pressure jacket for fluid injector
AU2014340174B2 (en) 2013-10-24 2019-09-12 Amgen Inc. Drug delivery system with temperature-sensitive control
WO2015066346A1 (en) * 2013-11-01 2015-05-07 Massachusetts Institute Of Technology Automated method for simultaneous bubble detection and expulsion
US20150133861A1 (en) 2013-11-11 2015-05-14 Kevin P. McLennan Thermal management system and method for medical devices
WO2015106157A1 (en) * 2014-01-10 2015-07-16 Sebacia, Inc. Particle containers and delivery applicators
ES2901783T3 (en) 2014-01-27 2022-03-23 Te Pari Products Ltd A fluid dispenser
US11857356B2 (en) * 2014-02-21 2024-01-02 Siemens Healthcare Gmbh Method and device for recording medical images
EP3110474B1 (en) 2014-02-28 2019-12-18 ICU Medical, Inc. Infusion system and method which utilizes dual wavelength optical air-in-line detection
EP3119453B1 (en) 2014-03-19 2019-02-27 Bayer Healthcare LLC System for syringe engagement to an injector
CA2947045C (en) 2014-05-29 2022-10-18 Hospira, Inc. Infusion system and pump with configurable closed loop delivery rate catch-up
CA2952167C (en) 2014-06-13 2023-06-13 Aterica Inc. System and device for management of medication delivery devices
US10478315B2 (en) * 2014-06-24 2019-11-19 The University Of Toledo Apparatus and method for injecting bone graft substitute and other materials
WO2016007935A2 (en) 2014-07-10 2016-01-14 Companion Medical, Inc. Medicine administering system including injection pen and companion device
US9517307B2 (en) 2014-07-18 2016-12-13 Kaleo, Inc. Devices and methods for delivering opioid antagonists including formulations for naloxone
TWI689326B (en) * 2014-08-06 2020-04-01 加拿大商複製細胞生命科學公司 Injection devices
CA2953393C (en) 2014-08-15 2019-05-14 Eli Lilly And Company Automatic medication injection device with visible indication of injecting progress
US10143795B2 (en) 2014-08-18 2018-12-04 Icu Medical, Inc. Intravenous pole integrated power, control, and communication system and method for an infusion pump
US10971260B2 (en) 2014-09-14 2021-04-06 Becton, Dickinson And Company System and method for capturing dose information
US10704944B2 (en) 2014-09-14 2020-07-07 Becton, Dickinson And Company System and method for capturing dose information
US11344668B2 (en) 2014-12-19 2022-05-31 Icu Medical, Inc. Infusion system with concurrent TPN/insulin infusion
EP3542841B1 (en) * 2015-01-16 2021-08-25 Becton Dickinson France Drug storage and dispensing system for pre-filled containers
US10850024B2 (en) 2015-03-02 2020-12-01 Icu Medical, Inc. Infusion system, device, and method having advanced infusion features
WO2016154427A2 (en) 2015-03-24 2016-09-29 Kaleo, Inc. Devices and methods for delivering a lyophilized medicament
US10071181B1 (en) 2015-04-17 2018-09-11 Teleflex Innovations S.À.R.L. Resorbable embolization spheres
CN104841039A (en) * 2015-05-06 2015-08-19 深圳圣诺医疗设备有限公司 Micro injection pump with heating function and work method thereof
ES2809505T3 (en) 2015-05-26 2021-03-04 Icu Medical Inc Disposable infusion fluid delivery device for programmable delivery of high volume drugs
US10576206B2 (en) 2015-06-30 2020-03-03 Kaleo, Inc. Auto-injectors for administration of a medicament within a prefilled syringe
US20170043139A1 (en) * 2015-08-11 2017-02-16 Vascular Solutions, Inc. Fluid delivery or removal system
CN113521439B (en) 2015-08-28 2023-04-25 拜耳医药保健有限公司 System and method for syringe fluid filling verification and image recognition of power injector system features
US11065381B2 (en) 2015-10-05 2021-07-20 E3D A.C.A.L. Infusion pump device and method for use thereof
WO2017091636A1 (en) * 2015-11-25 2017-06-01 Bayer Healthcare Llc Syringe tip with fluid wicking drip flanges
US10864327B2 (en) 2016-01-29 2020-12-15 Companion Medical, Inc. Automatic medication delivery tracking
EP3423130A1 (en) 2016-03-03 2019-01-09 Bayer Healthcare LLC System and method for improved fluid delivery in multi-fluid injector systems
WO2017156523A1 (en) * 2016-03-11 2017-09-14 Quio Technologies Llc Automatic injector devices and systems for controlled delivery of dosage and associated methods
US20200297943A1 (en) * 2016-04-01 2020-09-24 cosmic ME Co., Inc. System for temperature-maintaining and injecting contrast medium for microcatheter and system for temperature-maintaining and injecting therapeutic suspension medicine for microcatheter
US11246985B2 (en) 2016-05-13 2022-02-15 Icu Medical, Inc. Infusion pump system and method with common line auto flush
GB2565978B (en) * 2016-06-06 2022-03-02 E3D Agricultural Cooporative Association Ltd Multiple use computerized injector
CA3027176A1 (en) 2016-06-10 2017-12-14 Icu Medical, Inc. Acoustic flow sensor for continuous medication flow measurements and feedback control of infusion
US10532166B2 (en) 2016-07-08 2020-01-14 Bayer Heatlhcare Llc System and method for identifying a fill volume of a fluid chamber
EP3490638A4 (en) 2016-07-29 2020-01-22 Alcyone Lifesciences, Inc. Automated drug delivery systems and methods
WO2018069150A1 (en) * 2016-10-13 2018-04-19 Carebay Europe Ltd. A controller for a medicament delivery device
AU2017379094B2 (en) 2016-12-23 2023-08-24 Kaleo, Inc. Medicament delivery device and methods for delivering drugs to infants and children
EP3573687A1 (en) * 2017-01-25 2019-12-04 Biocorp Production S.A. Dose control system for injectable-drug delivery devices and associated methods of use
CN114082048A (en) 2017-02-28 2022-02-25 伊莱利利公司 Dose detection and drug identification for drug delivery devices
CN106964025B (en) * 2017-03-28 2022-08-02 深圳安特医疗股份有限公司 Syringe with a needle
WO2018218132A1 (en) 2017-05-26 2018-11-29 Bayer Healthcare Llc Injector state logic with hemodynamic monitoring
US11484657B2 (en) 2017-06-09 2022-11-01 Medtronic Minimed, Inc. Intelligent medication delivery systems and methods
WO2019010324A1 (en) 2017-07-06 2019-01-10 Modular Medical, Inc. Medical pump with flow control
AU2018326379A1 (en) 2017-08-31 2020-01-23 Bayer Healthcare Llc Method for dynamic pressure control in a fluid injector system
JP7346309B2 (en) 2017-08-31 2023-09-19 バイエル・ヘルスケア・エルエルシー Fluid path impedance assessment to improve fluid delivery performance
AU2018326485B2 (en) 2017-08-31 2024-01-04 Bayer Healthcare Llc Injector pressure calibration system and method
US11786652B2 (en) 2017-08-31 2023-10-17 Bayer Healthcare Llc System and method for drive member position and fluid injector system mechanical calibration
WO2019046267A1 (en) 2017-08-31 2019-03-07 Bayer Healthcare Llc Fluid injector system volume compensation system and method
JP7222985B2 (en) 2017-09-22 2023-02-15 ノボ・ノルデイスク・エー/エス Accessory device for drug delivery device
EP3694583A4 (en) 2017-10-12 2021-08-04 Companion Medical, Inc. Intelligent medication delivery systems and methods for dose recommendation and management
JP7247191B2 (en) * 2017-12-04 2023-03-28 ノボ・ノルデイスク・エー/エス Drug delivery system with multi-pole magnet and sensor system
US10987464B2 (en) 2017-12-12 2021-04-27 Bigfoot Biomedical, Inc. Pen cap for insulin injection pens and associated methods and systems
EP3724889A2 (en) 2017-12-12 2020-10-21 Bigfoot Biomedical, Inc. Therapy assist information and/or tracking device and related methods and systems
US11077243B2 (en) 2017-12-12 2021-08-03 Bigfoot Biomedical, Inc. Devices, systems, and methods for estimating active medication from injections
US11464459B2 (en) 2017-12-12 2022-10-11 Bigfoot Biomedical, Inc. User interface for diabetes management systems including flash glucose monitor
US10089055B1 (en) 2017-12-27 2018-10-02 Icu Medical, Inc. Synchronized display of screen content on networked devices
US11191893B2 (en) * 2018-01-31 2021-12-07 Bayer Healthcare Llc System and method for syringe engagement with injector
KR102510636B1 (en) 2018-02-22 2023-03-17 일라이 릴리 앤드 캄파니 Dose detection system module for medication delivery device
DE102018104002B3 (en) * 2018-02-22 2018-11-08 Ulrich Gmbh & Co. Kg Container holder with tempering device for an injector
DE202018100979U1 (en) 2018-02-22 2019-05-23 Ulrich Gmbh & Co. Kg Container holder with tempering device for an injector
CN108272473B (en) * 2018-03-02 2020-11-27 杭州霆科生物科技有限公司 Electric saliva collector
CN108392417B (en) * 2018-04-08 2023-09-01 中国人民解放军总医院 Hand-held dispensing device
US10898653B2 (en) 2018-05-08 2021-01-26 Companion Medical, Inc. Intelligent medication delivery systems and methods for dose setting and dispensing monitoring
US11664107B2 (en) 2018-05-08 2023-05-30 Medtronic Minimed, Inc. Intelligent medication delivery systems and methods using a prescription-regulated software application
USD893020S1 (en) 2018-05-11 2020-08-11 Companion Medical, Inc. Injection pen
WO2019236367A1 (en) * 2018-06-04 2019-12-12 Bayer Healthcare Llc Rolling diaphragm syringe with piston engagement portion
US11587663B2 (en) 2018-06-20 2023-02-21 Medtronic Minimed, Inc. Intelligent medication delivery systems and methods for medicine dose calculation and reporting
USD892819S1 (en) 2018-06-20 2020-08-11 Companion Medical, Inc. Display screen with graphical user interface
US11801343B2 (en) 2018-07-12 2023-10-31 Alcon Inc. Methods and systems for delivering material to a body part
WO2020021060A1 (en) * 2018-07-27 2020-01-30 CSL Behring Lengnau AG Infusion device having a syringe plunger control comprising a joystick
EP4201444A1 (en) 2018-10-03 2023-06-28 Eli Lilly And Company Status sensing systems within an injection device assembly
CN109224187B (en) * 2018-10-15 2023-09-22 深圳中科生物医疗电子有限公司 Infusion driving device
US10525195B1 (en) * 2018-11-24 2020-01-07 RiteDose, LLC Injection device
WO2020210623A1 (en) 2019-04-12 2020-10-15 Osprey Medical Inc. Energy-efficient position determining with multiple sensors
US20220088312A1 (en) * 2019-04-26 2022-03-24 Biocorp Production S.A. Injection monitoring module
CN111939378A (en) * 2019-05-17 2020-11-17 南京感控通化工产品经营部 High-pressure injection device and high-pressure injection system
CN110354374A (en) * 2019-07-18 2019-10-22 张波 Hysterosalpingography compartment controller
EP4009936A4 (en) 2019-08-09 2023-08-09 Kaleo, Inc. Devices and methods for delivery of substances within a prefilled syringe
USD939079S1 (en) 2019-08-22 2021-12-21 Icu Medical, Inc. Infusion pump
US20220362481A1 (en) * 2019-10-23 2022-11-17 Becton Dickinson France Safety Injection Device
CN110694146B (en) * 2019-10-25 2022-01-25 刘苏衡 Needleless injector
US11278671B2 (en) 2019-12-04 2022-03-22 Icu Medical, Inc. Infusion pump with safety sequence keypad
EP4069333A4 (en) * 2019-12-06 2023-12-20 Quasuras, Inc. Rotary microfluidic medical pump
CN113425949B (en) * 2020-03-05 2022-08-12 深圳索感科技有限公司 Oral cavity anesthesia injection device
CA3189781A1 (en) 2020-07-21 2022-01-27 Icu Medical, Inc. Fluid transfer devices and methods of use
BR102020020684A2 (en) * 2020-10-08 2022-04-19 Rodrigo Kikuchi Mechanical syringe driver with controlled speed.
EP4237044A1 (en) * 2020-10-30 2023-09-06 Analog Devices, Inc. Capacitive sensing for drug delivery
US11135360B1 (en) 2020-12-07 2021-10-05 Icu Medical, Inc. Concurrent infusion with common line auto flush
US11766520B2 (en) * 2021-03-22 2023-09-26 Nypro Inc. Reagent-catalyst driven single use hydraulic drive and single use large volume injector
CN113289118B (en) * 2021-05-26 2023-02-07 东莞市一星医疗科技有限公司 High-efficient electromagnetic shield's high-pressure syringe
US11701473B2 (en) 2021-06-23 2023-07-18 Medtronic Minimed, Inc. Reusable injection pens
CN114099838A (en) * 2021-11-04 2022-03-01 李志军 Syringe storage device with spiral pressure regulating function
FR3134521A1 (en) * 2022-04-14 2023-10-20 Apollina DEVICE FOR MOTORIZING THE MOVEMENTS OF THE PISTON OF A FLUID TANK USED IN THE MEDICAL ENVIRONMENT

Citations (72)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3812843A (en) * 1973-03-12 1974-05-28 Lear Siegler Inc Method and apparatus for injecting contrast media into the vascular system
US3964139A (en) * 1975-06-16 1976-06-22 Harvard Apparatus Company, Inc. Syringe holder
US3983363A (en) * 1975-02-03 1976-09-28 Alter R R Electrically heated semen warming and storage unit
US4217993A (en) * 1977-12-02 1980-08-19 Baxter Travenol Laboratories, Inc. Flow metering apparatus for a fluid infusion system
US4265618A (en) * 1977-09-09 1981-05-05 Solar Energy Technology, Inc. Electrically heated endodontic syringe for injecting thermoplastic material into a root canal cavity
US4422942A (en) * 1981-09-09 1983-12-27 Isco, Inc. Method for liquid chromatography
US4460355A (en) * 1982-06-11 1984-07-17 Ivac Corporation Fluid pressure monitoring system
US4560979A (en) * 1983-04-22 1985-12-24 Intermedicat Gmbh Method for triggering an alarm in an infusion syringe
US4628499A (en) * 1984-06-01 1986-12-09 Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. Linear servoactuator with integrated transformer position sensor
US4634431A (en) * 1976-11-12 1987-01-06 Whitney Douglass G Syringe injector
US4650465A (en) * 1984-11-13 1987-03-17 Liebel-Flarsheim Company Injectors and injector consoles
US4743228A (en) * 1986-08-18 1988-05-10 Ivac Corporation Fluid flow monitoring method and system
US4755172A (en) * 1987-06-30 1988-07-05 Baldwin Brian E Syringe holder/driver and syringe arrangement and syringe/holder driver therefor
US4812724A (en) * 1984-11-13 1989-03-14 Liebel-Flarsheim Corporation Injector control
US4854324A (en) * 1984-01-31 1989-08-08 Medrad, Inc. Processor-controlled angiographic injector device
US4913703A (en) * 1987-09-30 1990-04-03 Sherwood Medical Company Safety interlock system for medical fluid pumps
US4931041A (en) * 1987-11-22 1990-06-05 Fresenius Ag Infusion syringe pump
US4950246A (en) * 1987-05-08 1990-08-21 Spruyt-Hillen B.V. Injection pen
US4994984A (en) * 1987-03-31 1991-02-19 Tecnolab Snc Di Sanna Massimo & C. System and device for supplying desired liquid volumes by means of a metering pump in variable flow rate condition
US5069225A (en) * 1988-09-28 1991-12-03 Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha Blood collection and/or injection device and double-ended medical needle and holder therefor
US5078698A (en) * 1991-02-19 1992-01-07 Sterling Drug Inc. Axial eject hypodermic syringe holder
US5135511A (en) * 1990-08-22 1992-08-04 Becton, Dickinson And Company Assembly for aspirating tissue, including adapter for syringe
US5178609A (en) * 1990-06-19 1993-01-12 Kato Hatsujo Kaisha, Ltd. Medical liquid injector for continuous transfusion
US5242408A (en) * 1992-09-23 1993-09-07 Becton, Dickinson And Company Method and apparatus for determining pressure and detecting occlusions in a syringe pump
US5261884A (en) * 1992-04-29 1993-11-16 Becton, Dickinson And Company Syringe pump control system
USD341760S (en) * 1992-04-21 1993-11-30 Sterling Winthrop Inc. Hand-held power injector
US5269762A (en) * 1992-04-21 1993-12-14 Sterling Winthrop, Inc. Portable hand-held power assister device
US5295966A (en) * 1992-04-29 1994-03-22 Becton, Dickinson And Company Syringe pump with biased lockable syringe clamp
US5300031A (en) * 1991-06-07 1994-04-05 Liebel-Flarsheim Company Apparatus for injecting fluid into animals and disposable front loadable syringe therefor
US5322511A (en) * 1992-04-21 1994-06-21 Sterling Winthrop Inc. Portable hand-held power injector
US5383858A (en) * 1992-08-17 1995-01-24 Medrad, Inc. Front-loading medical injector and syringe for use therewith
US5425716A (en) * 1991-08-09 1995-06-20 Atom Kabushiki Kaisha Infusion apparatus
USD360462S (en) * 1993-09-22 1995-07-18 Sterling Winthrop Inc. Hand-held power syringe
US5505704A (en) * 1993-04-02 1996-04-09 Eli Lilly And Company Manifold medication injection apparatus and method
US5509901A (en) * 1990-01-05 1996-04-23 Milijasevic; Zoran Controlled pressure fluid delivery device
US5512730A (en) * 1993-11-30 1996-04-30 Spintech Inc. Self sterilizing hypodermic syringe and method
US5520653A (en) * 1995-09-01 1996-05-28 Medrad, Inc. Syringe adapter for front-loading medical injector
USD370974S (en) * 1995-01-27 1996-06-18 Hamilton Company Manual dispensing aid for a syringe
US5611784A (en) * 1993-06-30 1997-03-18 Hamilton Company Manual dispensing aid for a syringe
US5662612A (en) * 1993-11-24 1997-09-02 Liebel Flarsheim Company Controlling plunger drives for fluid injections in animals
US5672155A (en) * 1996-06-14 1997-09-30 Riley; Robert Q. Fluid transfer apparatus
USRE35979E (en) * 1984-06-06 1998-12-01 Mtfp, Inc. Angiographic injector and angiographic syringe for use therewith
US5899885A (en) * 1995-08-25 1999-05-04 Medrad, Inc. Front load pressure jacket system with syringe holder
US5925022A (en) * 1996-11-22 1999-07-20 Liebel-Flarsheim Company Medical fluid injector
US5947929A (en) * 1997-08-22 1999-09-07 Coeur Laboratories, Inc. Front-load angiographic injector system, angiographic syringe and plunger for angiographic syringe
US6017326A (en) * 1987-09-30 2000-01-25 Sherwood Services, Ag Safety interlock system for medical fluid pumps
USD422356S (en) * 1997-04-07 2000-04-04 Minimed Inc. Injector for a subcutaneous infusion set
US6059754A (en) * 1995-02-15 2000-05-09 C. R. Bard, Inc. Pulsed lavage pump with integral power source and variable flow control
US6080136A (en) * 1998-06-11 2000-06-27 Polyten Plastics, Llc Angiographic syringe adapter for front-loading injector
US6091058A (en) * 1995-04-26 2000-07-18 O.R. Solutions, Inc. Thermal treatment system and method for maintaining integrity and ensuring sterility of surgical drapes used with surgical equipment
US6200289B1 (en) * 1998-04-10 2001-03-13 Milestone Scientific, Inc. Pressure/force computer controlled drug delivery system and the like
US6221045B1 (en) * 1995-04-20 2001-04-24 Acist Medical Systems, Inc. Angiographic injector system with automatic high/low pressure switching
US6259067B1 (en) * 1998-10-16 2001-07-10 Medical Solutions, Inc. Temperature control system and method for heating and maintaining medical items at desired temperatures
US6269340B1 (en) * 1992-10-15 2001-07-31 The General Hospital Infusion pump with an electronically loadable drug library and a user interface for loading the library
US6312410B1 (en) * 1995-10-30 2001-11-06 Sugan Co., Ltd. Auxiliary appliance for syringe fixation
US20010047153A1 (en) * 2000-02-07 2001-11-29 Mark Trocki Front-loading medical injector and syringes, syringe interfaces, syringe adapters and syringe plungers for use therewith
US6336913B1 (en) * 1996-03-29 2002-01-08 Medrad, Inc. Front-loading syringe adapter for front-loading medical injector
US6344030B1 (en) * 1995-04-20 2002-02-05 Acist Medical Systems, Inc. Random speed change injector
US6368307B1 (en) * 1997-07-18 2002-04-09 Liebel-Flarsheim Company Front-loading power injector and method of loading flanged syringe therein
US6428509B1 (en) * 1999-07-29 2002-08-06 Alaris Medical Systems, Inc. Syringe plunger driver system and method
US20020107481A1 (en) * 2001-02-08 2002-08-08 Reilly David M. Syringe loading devices for use with syringes and medical injectors
US20020165491A1 (en) * 1999-11-24 2002-11-07 Reilly David M. Injectors, injector systems, syringes and methods of connecting a syringe to an injector
US20030018252A1 (en) * 1995-04-20 2003-01-23 Duchon Douglas J. Angiographic injector system and method of use
US20030028145A1 (en) * 1995-04-20 2003-02-06 Duchon Douglas J. Angiographic injector system with multiple processor redundancy
US20030120212A1 (en) * 2001-01-18 2003-06-26 Dedig James Albert Syringe interfaces and adapters for use with medical injectors
US20030233069A1 (en) * 2002-06-14 2003-12-18 John Gillespie Infusion pump
US6676635B2 (en) * 2000-02-10 2004-01-13 Nemoto Kyorindo Co., Ltd. Syringe barrel and cylinder holder
US20040015124A1 (en) * 1999-11-24 2004-01-22 Sciulli Francis J. Fluid delivery system having a syringe interface module separate from but in communicaiton with a control unit
US20040092878A1 (en) * 2001-09-19 2004-05-13 Flaherty J. Christopher Plunger for patient infusion device
US20050059932A1 (en) * 1992-08-17 2005-03-17 Reilly David M. Injector system having a front loading pressure jacket assembly
US6929619B2 (en) * 2002-08-02 2005-08-16 Liebel-Flarshiem Company Injector
US20050187572A1 (en) * 2002-03-22 2005-08-25 Gyrus Ent L.L.C. Powered surgical apparatus, method of manufacturing powered surgical apparatus, and method of using powered surgical apparatus

Family Cites Families (60)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1168263A (en) * 1966-03-04 1969-10-22 James C Ii Hobbs Apparatus for Injecting Radio Opaque Liquid into a Vascular System
US3701345A (en) 1970-09-29 1972-10-31 Medrad Inc Angiographic injector equipment
JPS59228850A (en) * 1983-06-09 1984-12-22 アトム株式会社 Transfusion apparatus
US4652260A (en) * 1985-03-11 1987-03-24 Strato Medical Corporation Infusion device
EP0285679A1 (en) * 1987-04-04 1988-10-12 B. Braun-SSC AG Pressure infusion apparatus
JPH0542338Y2 (en) 1987-07-07 1993-10-26
JPH02166516A (en) 1988-12-21 1990-06-27 Fujitsu Ltd Floating point arithmetic circuit
JPH0524343Y2 (en) * 1989-09-25 1993-06-21
JPH0810655Y2 (en) 1990-02-02 1996-03-29 株式会社クボタ Engine muffler
DE69212069T2 (en) * 1991-05-23 1997-02-20 Ivac Corp Drive system for the piston rod of a syringe
JPH0542338U (en) * 1991-11-15 1993-06-08 株式会社小松製作所 Work drop prevention mechanism for handling equipment
US6245041B1 (en) * 1992-04-17 2001-06-12 Science Incorporated Fluid dispenser with fill adapter
US6090071A (en) 1992-04-17 2000-07-18 Science Incorporated Fluid dispenser with fill adapter
JP2576925Y2 (en) * 1992-07-02 1998-07-23 テルモ株式会社 Drug dispenser
JPH06241206A (en) * 1993-02-19 1994-08-30 Toyota Motor Corp Piston speed controller
JP3381301B2 (en) * 1993-04-14 2003-02-24 株式会社ジェイ・エム・エス Syringe pump
JP3201497B2 (en) * 1993-06-01 2001-08-20 富士電機株式会社 Syringe pump syringe barrel clamp device
US5553675A (en) * 1994-06-10 1996-09-10 Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company Orthopedic surgical device
JPH08254402A (en) * 1995-03-17 1996-10-01 Hitachi Ltd Rotary shaft monitoring device
US6656157B1 (en) 1995-04-20 2003-12-02 Acist Medical Systems, Inc. Infinitely refillable syringe
ES2205024T3 (en) * 1995-04-20 2004-05-01 Acist Medical Systems, Inc. ANGIOGRAPHIC INJECTOR.
JP4119479B2 (en) * 1995-04-20 2008-07-16 アキスト メディカル システムズ,インコーポレイテッド Blood contrast medium injector with automatic air removal function
US5964736A (en) 1995-09-22 1999-10-12 Lane; Donovan R. Livestock biological and vaccine handling system
JPH09154944A (en) * 1995-12-01 1997-06-17 Terumo Corp Medical pump
JPH109214A (en) * 1996-06-25 1998-01-13 Sankyo Seiki Mfg Co Ltd Position detecting device for driving cylinder
US6042565A (en) * 1996-10-18 2000-03-28 Medrad, Inc. Syringe, injector and injector system
US5944694A (en) * 1996-11-12 1999-08-31 Medrad, Inc. Prefillable syringes and injectors for use therewith
US5947935A (en) * 1996-11-12 1999-09-07 Medrad, Inc. Syringes, syringe plungers and injector systems
US5873861A (en) 1996-11-12 1999-02-23 Medrad, Inc. Plunger systems
EP1563861A3 (en) * 1997-01-10 2005-08-24 Japan Servo Co. Ltd. Liquid infusion apparatus
JP3475032B2 (en) * 1997-01-10 2003-12-08 日本サーボ株式会社 Infusion device
JP3874484B2 (en) * 1997-03-05 2007-01-31 スーガン株式会社 Medical injector head
US5938637A (en) 1997-03-14 1999-08-17 Path Single-use medicine delivery unit for needleless hypodermic injector
AR015113A1 (en) 1997-05-01 2001-04-18 Duracell Inc PACK FOR BATTERIES AND STORAGE METHOD OF THE SAME
US5865805A (en) * 1997-07-16 1999-02-02 Liebel-Flarsheim Company Power injector and side loadable syringe support therefor for plunger pushrod type syringes
US5954736A (en) * 1997-10-10 1999-09-21 Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. Coagulator apparatus having indexed rotational positioning
ES2278406T3 (en) * 1997-11-26 2007-08-01 Liebel-Flarsheim Company FRONT LOAD INJECTOR AND LOAD METHOD OF A SYRINGE WITH AN EDGE.
CA2223659A1 (en) 1997-12-03 1999-06-03 Alain Villette Injector for medical use
JP4011702B2 (en) * 1997-12-15 2007-11-21 松下電器産業株式会社 Positioning control device
FI3487U1 (en) * 1998-03-27 1998-07-23 Addtek Res & Dev Oy Ab Removable side system of the mold
DE19819409A1 (en) * 1998-04-30 1999-11-11 Schering Ag Injection device
EP1094858B1 (en) * 1998-07-08 2003-10-08 Novo Nordisk A/S A medication delivery device and a cartridge assembly for use in the same
US6217558B1 (en) * 1998-12-17 2001-04-17 Filiberto P. Zadini Apparatus for blood vessel type differentiation for syringes and guidewires placement devices
US6276567B1 (en) 1999-03-29 2001-08-21 Hydrus, Inc. Pressurized fluid delivery apparatus
US7092753B2 (en) * 1999-06-04 2006-08-15 Impulse Dynamics Nv Drug delivery device
US6339718B1 (en) * 1999-07-30 2002-01-15 Medrad, Inc. Programmable injector control
JP2001037875A (en) * 1999-07-30 2001-02-13 Terumo Corp Medicine injector
JP4838468B2 (en) 1999-07-30 2011-12-14 メドラッド インコーポレーテッド Injector system and syringe adapter used in the injector system
JP2001065516A (en) * 1999-08-26 2001-03-16 Seiwa Kk Clamp
MXPA02005099A (en) * 1999-11-24 2002-11-07 Medrad Inc Front-loading medical injector and syringe.
US6607508B2 (en) * 2000-04-27 2003-08-19 Invivotech, Inc. Vial injector device
US6673048B1 (en) * 2000-05-24 2004-01-06 Acist Medical Systems, Inc. Pressure sleeve assembly
AUPQ867900A0 (en) * 2000-07-10 2000-08-03 Medrad, Inc. Medical injector system
EP1301227B1 (en) * 2000-07-20 2007-11-28 ACIST Medical Systems, Inc. Syringe plunger locking mechanism
US6610033B1 (en) * 2000-10-13 2003-08-26 Incept, Llc Dual component medicinal polymer delivery system and methods of use
US6854620B2 (en) 2001-04-13 2005-02-15 Nipro Diabetes, Systems, Inc. Drive system for an infusion pump
EP2258425B1 (en) * 2001-05-16 2013-01-30 Eli Lilly and Company Medication injector apparatus
US7308300B2 (en) * 2001-05-30 2007-12-11 Acist Medical Systems, Inc. Medical injection system
US7150724B2 (en) * 2002-06-05 2006-12-19 Cardinal Health 303, Inc. Syringe plunger driver system
WO2005122722A2 (en) * 2004-06-09 2005-12-29 D'antonio Consultants International, Inc. Hypodermic injection system

Patent Citations (84)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3812843A (en) * 1973-03-12 1974-05-28 Lear Siegler Inc Method and apparatus for injecting contrast media into the vascular system
US3983363A (en) * 1975-02-03 1976-09-28 Alter R R Electrically heated semen warming and storage unit
US3964139A (en) * 1975-06-16 1976-06-22 Harvard Apparatus Company, Inc. Syringe holder
US4634431A (en) * 1976-11-12 1987-01-06 Whitney Douglass G Syringe injector
US4265618A (en) * 1977-09-09 1981-05-05 Solar Energy Technology, Inc. Electrically heated endodontic syringe for injecting thermoplastic material into a root canal cavity
US4217993A (en) * 1977-12-02 1980-08-19 Baxter Travenol Laboratories, Inc. Flow metering apparatus for a fluid infusion system
US4422942A (en) * 1981-09-09 1983-12-27 Isco, Inc. Method for liquid chromatography
US4460355A (en) * 1982-06-11 1984-07-17 Ivac Corporation Fluid pressure monitoring system
US4560979A (en) * 1983-04-22 1985-12-24 Intermedicat Gmbh Method for triggering an alarm in an infusion syringe
US4854324A (en) * 1984-01-31 1989-08-08 Medrad, Inc. Processor-controlled angiographic injector device
US4628499A (en) * 1984-06-01 1986-12-09 Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. Linear servoactuator with integrated transformer position sensor
USRE35979E (en) * 1984-06-06 1998-12-01 Mtfp, Inc. Angiographic injector and angiographic syringe for use therewith
US4650465A (en) * 1984-11-13 1987-03-17 Liebel-Flarsheim Company Injectors and injector consoles
US4812724A (en) * 1984-11-13 1989-03-14 Liebel-Flarsheim Corporation Injector control
US4743228A (en) * 1986-08-18 1988-05-10 Ivac Corporation Fluid flow monitoring method and system
US4994984A (en) * 1987-03-31 1991-02-19 Tecnolab Snc Di Sanna Massimo & C. System and device for supplying desired liquid volumes by means of a metering pump in variable flow rate condition
US4950246A (en) * 1987-05-08 1990-08-21 Spruyt-Hillen B.V. Injection pen
US4755172A (en) * 1987-06-30 1988-07-05 Baldwin Brian E Syringe holder/driver and syringe arrangement and syringe/holder driver therefor
US4913703A (en) * 1987-09-30 1990-04-03 Sherwood Medical Company Safety interlock system for medical fluid pumps
US4913703B1 (en) * 1987-09-30 1992-06-16 Pasqualucci Joseph
US6017326A (en) * 1987-09-30 2000-01-25 Sherwood Services, Ag Safety interlock system for medical fluid pumps
US4931041A (en) * 1987-11-22 1990-06-05 Fresenius Ag Infusion syringe pump
US5069225A (en) * 1988-09-28 1991-12-03 Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha Blood collection and/or injection device and double-ended medical needle and holder therefor
US5509901A (en) * 1990-01-05 1996-04-23 Milijasevic; Zoran Controlled pressure fluid delivery device
US5178609A (en) * 1990-06-19 1993-01-12 Kato Hatsujo Kaisha, Ltd. Medical liquid injector for continuous transfusion
US5135511A (en) * 1990-08-22 1992-08-04 Becton, Dickinson And Company Assembly for aspirating tissue, including adapter for syringe
US5078698A (en) * 1991-02-19 1992-01-07 Sterling Drug Inc. Axial eject hypodermic syringe holder
US5300031A (en) * 1991-06-07 1994-04-05 Liebel-Flarsheim Company Apparatus for injecting fluid into animals and disposable front loadable syringe therefor
US5425716A (en) * 1991-08-09 1995-06-20 Atom Kabushiki Kaisha Infusion apparatus
USD341760S (en) * 1992-04-21 1993-11-30 Sterling Winthrop Inc. Hand-held power injector
US5322511A (en) * 1992-04-21 1994-06-21 Sterling Winthrop Inc. Portable hand-held power injector
US5269762A (en) * 1992-04-21 1993-12-14 Sterling Winthrop, Inc. Portable hand-held power assister device
US5295966A (en) * 1992-04-29 1994-03-22 Becton, Dickinson And Company Syringe pump with biased lockable syringe clamp
US5261884A (en) * 1992-04-29 1993-11-16 Becton, Dickinson And Company Syringe pump control system
US5383858A (en) * 1992-08-17 1995-01-24 Medrad, Inc. Front-loading medical injector and syringe for use therewith
US20050059932A1 (en) * 1992-08-17 2005-03-17 Reilly David M. Injector system having a front loading pressure jacket assembly
US5383858B1 (en) * 1992-08-17 1996-10-29 Medrad Inc Front-loading medical injector and syringe for use therewith
US5741232A (en) * 1992-08-17 1998-04-21 Medrad, Inc. Front loading medical injector and syringe for use therewith
US5242408A (en) * 1992-09-23 1993-09-07 Becton, Dickinson And Company Method and apparatus for determining pressure and detecting occlusions in a syringe pump
US6269340B1 (en) * 1992-10-15 2001-07-31 The General Hospital Infusion pump with an electronically loadable drug library and a user interface for loading the library
US5505704A (en) * 1993-04-02 1996-04-09 Eli Lilly And Company Manifold medication injection apparatus and method
US5611784A (en) * 1993-06-30 1997-03-18 Hamilton Company Manual dispensing aid for a syringe
USD360462S (en) * 1993-09-22 1995-07-18 Sterling Winthrop Inc. Hand-held power syringe
US5662612A (en) * 1993-11-24 1997-09-02 Liebel Flarsheim Company Controlling plunger drives for fluid injections in animals
US5928197A (en) * 1993-11-24 1999-07-27 Liebel-Flarsheim Company Controlling plunger drives for fluid injections in animals
US5512730A (en) * 1993-11-30 1996-04-30 Spintech Inc. Self sterilizing hypodermic syringe and method
USD370974S (en) * 1995-01-27 1996-06-18 Hamilton Company Manual dispensing aid for a syringe
US6059754A (en) * 1995-02-15 2000-05-09 C. R. Bard, Inc. Pulsed lavage pump with integral power source and variable flow control
US20030028145A1 (en) * 1995-04-20 2003-02-06 Duchon Douglas J. Angiographic injector system with multiple processor redundancy
US20030018252A1 (en) * 1995-04-20 2003-01-23 Duchon Douglas J. Angiographic injector system and method of use
US6344030B1 (en) * 1995-04-20 2002-02-05 Acist Medical Systems, Inc. Random speed change injector
US6221045B1 (en) * 1995-04-20 2001-04-24 Acist Medical Systems, Inc. Angiographic injector system with automatic high/low pressure switching
US6091058A (en) * 1995-04-26 2000-07-18 O.R. Solutions, Inc. Thermal treatment system and method for maintaining integrity and ensuring sterility of surgical drapes used with surgical equipment
US5899885A (en) * 1995-08-25 1999-05-04 Medrad, Inc. Front load pressure jacket system with syringe holder
US5938639A (en) * 1995-08-25 1999-08-17 Medrad, Inc. Front load pressure jacket system with syringe holder
USRE37487E1 (en) * 1995-08-25 2001-12-25 Medrad, Inc. Front load pressure jacket system with syringe holder
US5520653A (en) * 1995-09-01 1996-05-28 Medrad, Inc. Syringe adapter for front-loading medical injector
US6312410B1 (en) * 1995-10-30 2001-11-06 Sugan Co., Ltd. Auxiliary appliance for syringe fixation
US6336913B1 (en) * 1996-03-29 2002-01-08 Medrad, Inc. Front-loading syringe adapter for front-loading medical injector
US6676634B1 (en) * 1996-03-29 2004-01-13 Medrad, Inc. Front-loading syringe adapter for front-loading medical injector
US5672155A (en) * 1996-06-14 1997-09-30 Riley; Robert Q. Fluid transfer apparatus
US6254572B1 (en) * 1996-11-22 2001-07-03 Liebel Flarsheim Company Medical fluid injector having watchdog circuit
US5925022A (en) * 1996-11-22 1999-07-20 Liebel-Flarsheim Company Medical fluid injector
US6159183A (en) * 1996-11-22 2000-12-12 Liebel Flarsheim Company Medical fluid injector having face plate with magnetic conductors
USD422356S (en) * 1997-04-07 2000-04-04 Minimed Inc. Injector for a subcutaneous infusion set
US6368307B1 (en) * 1997-07-18 2002-04-09 Liebel-Flarsheim Company Front-loading power injector and method of loading flanged syringe therein
US5947929A (en) * 1997-08-22 1999-09-07 Coeur Laboratories, Inc. Front-load angiographic injector system, angiographic syringe and plunger for angiographic syringe
US6200289B1 (en) * 1998-04-10 2001-03-13 Milestone Scientific, Inc. Pressure/force computer controlled drug delivery system and the like
US6080136A (en) * 1998-06-11 2000-06-27 Polyten Plastics, Llc Angiographic syringe adapter for front-loading injector
US6259067B1 (en) * 1998-10-16 2001-07-10 Medical Solutions, Inc. Temperature control system and method for heating and maintaining medical items at desired temperatures
US6428509B1 (en) * 1999-07-29 2002-08-06 Alaris Medical Systems, Inc. Syringe plunger driver system and method
US20020165491A1 (en) * 1999-11-24 2002-11-07 Reilly David M. Injectors, injector systems, syringes and methods of connecting a syringe to an injector
US20040015124A1 (en) * 1999-11-24 2004-01-22 Sciulli Francis J. Fluid delivery system having a syringe interface module separate from but in communicaiton with a control unit
US20010047153A1 (en) * 2000-02-07 2001-11-29 Mark Trocki Front-loading medical injector and syringes, syringe interfaces, syringe adapters and syringe plungers for use therewith
US6652489B2 (en) * 2000-02-07 2003-11-25 Medrad, Inc. Front-loading medical injector and syringes, syringe interfaces, syringe adapters and syringe plungers for use therewith
US6676635B2 (en) * 2000-02-10 2004-01-13 Nemoto Kyorindo Co., Ltd. Syringe barrel and cylinder holder
US20030120212A1 (en) * 2001-01-18 2003-06-26 Dedig James Albert Syringe interfaces and adapters for use with medical injectors
US20020107481A1 (en) * 2001-02-08 2002-08-08 Reilly David M. Syringe loading devices for use with syringes and medical injectors
US20040092878A1 (en) * 2001-09-19 2004-05-13 Flaherty J. Christopher Plunger for patient infusion device
US20050187572A1 (en) * 2002-03-22 2005-08-25 Gyrus Ent L.L.C. Powered surgical apparatus, method of manufacturing powered surgical apparatus, and method of using powered surgical apparatus
US20070156083A1 (en) * 2002-03-22 2007-07-05 Gyrus Ent L.L.C. Powered surgical apparatus, method of manufacturing powered surgical apparatus, and method of using powered surgical apparatus
US20030233069A1 (en) * 2002-06-14 2003-12-18 John Gillespie Infusion pump
US7018361B2 (en) * 2002-06-14 2006-03-28 Baxter International Inc. Infusion pump
US6929619B2 (en) * 2002-08-02 2005-08-16 Liebel-Flarshiem Company Injector

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20080053805A1 (en) * 2006-08-30 2008-03-06 Helmut Wanek Power tool
US8945051B2 (en) 2009-07-24 2015-02-03 Bayer Medical Care Inc. Multi-fluid medical injector system and methods of operation
US9474857B2 (en) 2009-07-24 2016-10-25 Bayer Healthcare Llc Multi-fluid medical injector system and methods of operation
US10751465B2 (en) 2009-07-24 2020-08-25 Bayer Healthcare Llc Multi-fluid medical injector system and methods of operation
WO2015129940A1 (en) * 2014-02-28 2015-09-03 최규동 Device and method for injecting drug
CN105664346A (en) * 2016-03-15 2016-06-15 西安交通大学第一附属医院 Percutaneous T-tube cholangiography agent bolus injection device

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
KR20050032108A (en) 2005-04-06
CA2494553C (en) 2011-04-19
CA2730216C (en) 2014-01-21
JP5085617B2 (en) 2012-11-28
CN101352590B (en) 2011-09-14
EP2359884A2 (en) 2011-08-24
CN101352592B (en) 2011-07-27
US20050038390A1 (en) 2005-02-17
BR0313205B1 (en) 2013-02-05
ES2539913T3 (en) 2015-07-07
EP1526881A4 (en) 2007-11-28
WO2004012787A2 (en) 2004-02-12
EP1526881B1 (en) 2015-12-23
CN101352591A (en) 2009-01-28
EP2359884B1 (en) 2015-04-08
US6929619B2 (en) 2005-08-16
EP2359884A3 (en) 2011-12-28
JP5588379B2 (en) 2014-09-10
CN101352591B (en) 2012-07-18
US20040024361A1 (en) 2004-02-05
US8882704B2 (en) 2014-11-11
AU2003261213B2 (en) 2008-07-24
JP2010000373A (en) 2010-01-07
US20090036771A1 (en) 2009-02-05
US20110184281A1 (en) 2011-07-28
CN101352592A (en) 2009-01-28
MXPA05001335A (en) 2005-09-08
ES2564573T3 (en) 2016-03-23
CN101352590A (en) 2009-01-28
US20070250005A1 (en) 2007-10-25
US7632246B2 (en) 2009-12-15
AU2003261213A1 (en) 2004-02-23
US20050038386A1 (en) 2005-02-17
EP1526881A2 (en) 2005-05-04
JP5564446B2 (en) 2014-07-30
JP2011136195A (en) 2011-07-14
AU2008229826A1 (en) 2008-10-30
JP2006500087A (en) 2006-01-05
JP2011078847A (en) 2011-04-21
BR0313205A (en) 2005-06-28
CN100411696C (en) 2008-08-20
CN1684729A (en) 2005-10-19
JP2014131745A (en) 2014-07-17
AU2008229826B2 (en) 2011-05-12
ES2539966T3 (en) 2015-07-07
EP2609949B1 (en) 2015-04-08
WO2004012787A3 (en) 2004-09-23
EP2609949A1 (en) 2013-07-03
CA2494553A1 (en) 2004-02-12
AU2003261213B9 (en) 2008-08-28
US7854726B2 (en) 2010-12-21
CA2730216A1 (en) 2004-02-12
CA2730219A1 (en) 2004-02-12

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US7632246B2 (en) Injector
US8463362B2 (en) Multi-dose injection system
WO2010027757A2 (en) Power injector with keep vein open functionality
AU2011205123B2 (en) Injector
AU2011205122B2 (en) Injector

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: LIEBEL-FLARSHEIM COMPANY, OHIO

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:MALLINCKRODT INC.;REEL/FRAME:016289/0965

Effective date: 20050404

STCB Information on status: application discontinuation

Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION