Abstract: A needle assembly has a needle hub that has a body to which are formed two plates at opposite sides thereof in a parallel relationship. The plates have respective upper edges and lower edges that lie substantially along respective planes, so that the needle hub may be stably placed onto a surface by means of the respective edges. The plates also prevent the rolling of the needle between the fingers of the clinician when the clinician holds the needle assembly by means of the plates. A partition is formed orthogonally proximate to the front ends of the parallel plates. The connector at the proximal portion of the needle hub is configured to have a non-conventional configuration that allows it to mate only with a counterpart connector that has a complementary non-conventional configuration.

Abstract: A combined detectional and positional sensor for a syringe pump. The sensor can comprise a syringe thumbpress clamp that is pivotable so that an engagement pin deflects a linear membrane potentiometer first circuit thus providing a closed switch for detection of a syringe in the pump and a variable signal return for indication of plunger head position. Embodiments of the sensor can be used in relatively large syringe pumps and in relatively small syringe pumps, for example.

Abstract: A medical device has a base having an internally tapered wall mounted to a neck of a tube holder that has a reverse taper, so that rotation of the base relative to the neck may be effected with a controlled drag to provide a smooth and secure relative rotation. The base may be rotated relative to the holder by rotationally moving a needle protection housing hingedly attached to the base. The housing may be rotated to any orientation relative to the tube holder so long as a torsional force greater than the predetermined friction between the tapered surfaces is applied thereto. The base is designed to have a ring at its base that biases against the base of the neck in a self-adjustable manner. Other devices may also be fitted with reverse tapered complementary connection fittings to securely couple to each other.

Abstract: An infusion planning system providing clinical decision support for dynamic patient treatment scheduling. The infusion planning system includes a graphical user interface and a rescheduling assistance engine. The graphical user interface presents a time schedule display graphically representing a plurality of patient treatments over time including at least one infusion delivery profile graphic associated with an ordered infusion. The rescheduling assistance engine includes a user interface display providing a plurality of selectable schedule updates each comprising a set of recommended changes to the patient treatments in compliance with rules governing the patient treatment. The rescheduling assistance engine also provides a selectable graphical visual preview of each of the selectable schedule updates in some embodiments.

Abstract: An air blower has an inlet muffler and an outlet muffler to reduce the noise of the air blower during operation. Each of the mufflers may have two sections. One section is configured to attenuate high frequency noise and the other section is configured to attenuate lower frequency noise. A tubular internal wall in each of the mufflers defines the through passage for each of the mufflers. A noise absorbent material may be fitted about the tubular wall within each muffler. A plurality of holes are formed along the tubular wall of each through passage to expose the through passage to the noise absorbent material. A heater plenum may be interposed between the blower plenum and the outlet muffler to heat the air from the blower plenum. A filter at the input muffler filters the air sucked into the air blower.

Abstract: An embodiment is directed to pressure plate for attachment to an infusion pump, where the pressure plate includes a tubing support surface at least partially surrounded by a raised perimeter support. The pressure plate includes a plurality of guide structures extending from the raised perimeter support that define a passageway for an infusion pump tube. Additionally an attachable flow stop assembly is included that includes an attachable occlusion arch and an attachable flow stop arm. The attachable occlusion arch includes a plurality of tab structures that couple to the raised perimeter support. The occlusion arch further includes an aperture configured to surround an infusion pump tube threaded therethrough. The attachable flow stop arm is operatively coupled to the raised perimeter support adjacent the attachable occlusion arch in a spring-biased fashion such that the aperture in the occlusion arch may be selectively occluded by the flow stop arm.

Abstract: A method for associating medical devices is provided. The method can include providing a plurality of medical devices and each of the medical devices can include an accelerometer configured to measure spatial accelerations of the medical device. Each of at least two of the medical devices can measure with its accelerometer an acceleration pattern with respect to time. The method can include comparing for correspondence, according to defined correspondence criteria, the measured acceleration patterns, and associating all of the medical devices that measured acceleration patterns that satisfy the defined correspondence criteria. The method can also include modifying a parameter of each member of a set of devices that are associated.

Abstract: An infusion pump can include a syringe receptacle, a retention mechanism, a drive mechanism, and a keyed lock. The retention mechanism can inhibit removal of the syringe from the receptacle when in an engaged state, and enable removal of the syringe when in a disengaged state. The drive mechanism can include a pusher to selectively couple to a thumb press of the syringe, a motor coupleable to the pusher, and a clutch to couple and decouple the motor to the pusher. The keyed lock can operate in coordination with the retention and drive mechanisms such that, if: the keyed lock is locked, the retention mechanism is in the engaged state, and the pusher is coupled to the thumb press of the syringe, then as long as the keyed lock remains locked, the retention mechanism is constrained to the engaged state and the clutch to the coupled state.

Abstract: A portal access device has a first member pivotally movable relative to a base. A groove is provided at the first member to be in alignment with a bore at the base, so that a cannula may freely extend through the bore, with a portion of the cannula being frictionally held along the groove of the first member. The first member may be rotatably connected to a second member, so that once the cannula is correctly inserted into a portal, the first member may be pivoted from its vertical position to its horizontal position to bend the cannula into a right angle cannula. The cannula is removed from the portal by pivoting the second member upwardly away from the base. In an alternate portal access device where there is only one arm member, the portal access device may be removed from the portal by being pulled vertically upwards.

Abstract: An apparatus for indicating a change in operation of a medical infusion pump. The apparatus includes a memory configured to store an original pump parameter and a current pump parameter. The apparatus further includes a programmable circuit in electrical communication with the memory, the programmable circuit programmed to display the original pump parameter and the current pump parameter. A method indicates a change in operation of a medical infusion pump.

Abstract: An overload protection method and apparatus for a medicament syringe pump force sensor. A dome switch is employed with force sensor components of a medicament pump. The dome switch collapses at overload pressures, isolating the force sensor from pump driving forces that exceed the force sensor limit. An alarm signal can be triggered by the overload, and initiate pump shut down.

Abstract: A dose request device for a medicament delivery device can include a housing, a dose request button, a short-range non-contact identifier, a communication interface configured to communicate with the medicament delivery device, and a controller. The short-range non-contact identifier can be configured to be capable of reading an identification code from a tag when the tag is disposed within a first range and not to be able to read the identification code from the tag when the tag is disposed beyond a second range. The controller can be configured and programmed to determine whether the identification code read by the short-range non-contact identifier matches any authorized identification code of a set of one or more authorized identification codes, and if so, and if the dose request button is pressed, the controller can then communicate a dose request to the medicament delivery device via the communication interface.

Abstract: An infusion system fully compliant with international standard ISO 80639-1, Small-bore Connectors for Liquids and Gases in Healthcare Applications, yet compatible with a multipurpose infusion pump to enable operational redeployment of the pump. An attachment set, removably couplable to the pump inlet and outlet, includes a coded attachment set outlet connector detachably coupling the attachment set to an infusion set, and a coded attachment set pump fitting coupling the attachment set to the infusion pump, thereby identifying to the pump a particular infusion route.

Abstract: A method identifies to which one of a plurality of infusion pumps one of a plurality of fluid lines is coupled. The method can include intentionally producing a predetermined pressure pattern in one of the plurality of fluid lines, detecting the predetermined pressure pattern by way of a sensor of one of the plurality of infusion pumps, and indicating detection of the predetermined pressure pattern in the one of the plurality of fluid lines, thereby indicating the one of the plurality of infusion pumps to which the one of the plurality of fluid lines is coupled. In some cases, a tool configured to occlude and the squeeze the fluid line can be used to intentionally produce the predetermined pressure pattern.

Abstract: To enable a user to readily determine the gauge of the needle of a needle assembly that has a base and a needle protective housing pivotably attached thereto, the needle assembly is injection molded from a color coded molding material which color was preassigned to correspond to the gauge of the needle. As a result, both the base and the protective housing of the needle assembly have—the same specific color, and reflect or provide an indication of the given gauge of the needle. The needle sheath that covers the needle prior to use may be made of a plastics material that may be clear, or have the same or a different color than that of the needle assembly. The gauge of the needle of a fixed needle syringe could also be ascertained by its color coded needle protective housing. Color coded markings that correspond to the gauge of the needle may also be printed onto the syringe barrel of the fixed needle syringe.

Abstract: A pressure plate is configured to be coupled to a control module of an infusion pump. First and second securing hooks may extend away from a major surface of the pressure plate proximally to a first end. Each of the securing hooks may be structured to reversibly and hingedly couple to a hinge pin of the control module. An arch may extend away from the major surface proximally to a second transverse end and be structured to be received by a latch receptacle of the control module. The pressure plate may be secured to the control module by the securing hooks and arch. Each of the securing hooks may include a bearing surface configured to bear against a hinge pin when the pressure plate is secured to the control module, each bearing surface being parallel along the longitudinal axis with respect to the first major surface to within five degrees.

Abstract: An echogenic needle may have at least one V-shaped spiral groove formed at its distal portion adjacent to its patient end. The walls of the groove are orthogonal to each other. The groove is titled at a given angle from a neutral position toward the proximal end of the needle so that when the needle is inserted into the patient at an insertion angle under ultrasound imaging, the ultrasound wave emitted from the ultrasound transducer is reflected in a substantially reverse direction back to the transducer by at least one wall of the spiral groove. A pair of crisscrossing grooves may be spirally wound about the distal portion of the needle with each groove being tilted to the given angle to enhance echogeneity. The echogeneity of the needle may also be enhanced by increasing the pitch density of each groove while maintaining the crisscrossing groves at their neutral position.