Powerhead control in a power injection system
View Patent ↗A dual head contrast media injection system performs a patency check or test injection, determining flow rate and/or flow volume from the programmed protocol. The tubing that connects syringes to a patient shares only a short common section near to the patient. Appropriate injection steps are taken to compensate for tubing elasticity. A wireless remote control and a touch screen control are provided, improving functionality and information delivery. The display brightness is controlled based on the ambient light, and the display panel includes a double swivel permitting re-orientation. The orientation of the display may also be controlled based on, e.g., the current step, the tilt angle of the powerhead, or a manual control. Furthermore, the display is customizable to identify the type of fluid (contrast, saline, etc.) on either side of the injector, to provide matched color coding, and to provide a folder/tab analogy for retrieving injection protocol parameters.
1. A medical fluid injector system comprising:
a stand;
a powerhead comprising a powerhead housing, wherein said powerhead is interconnected with, supported by, and tiltable relative to said stand;
a syringe mounted to said powerhead housing and having a movable plunger disposed within said syringe, wherein at least a portion of said syringe is located outside said powerhead housing;
a motorized drive having a syringe ram designed both to move in and out of said powerhead housing to cause movement of said plunger within the syringe; and
a touch screen display incorporated into said powerhead housing and configured to provide an interactive user interface for controlling the system, wherein a first screen presentable on said touch screen display comprises a button, wherein pressing said button alters an orientation of an output on said first screen, and wherein said first screen further comprises:
a first volume region for a first phase of an injection procedure;
a first flow rate region for said first phase of said injection procedure;
a second volume region for a second phase of said injection procedure; and
a second flow rate region for said second phase of said injection procedure, wherein pressing any of said first volume region, said first flow rate region, said second volume region, and said second flow rate region on said first screen generates a second screen, wherein said second screen comprises a protocol parameter entry screen, wherein said protocol parameter entry screen comprises a separate input region for each of a volume for said first phase, a flow rate for said first phase, a volume for said second phase, and a flow rate for said second phase, wherein each said input region may be pressed to add a value to the corresponding said input region.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said interactive user interface provides a series of display screens having a plurality of input regions.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein said interactive user interface provides contextual help information for one or more of said display screens.
4. The system of claim 2 , wherein a brightness level of said touch screen display is dependent upon ambient light conditions.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein said interactive user interface duplicates functionality of a console of the system.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein said interactive user interface provides a redundant source for functionality of a console of the system.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein said interactive user interface provides for entering a protocol.
8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a swivel that allows said touch screen display to pivot relative to said powerhead housing.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein said syringe ram of said drive motor is engaged with said plunger of said syringe.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein at least a portion of said syringe ram of said drive motor is located within a barrel of said syringe in which said plunger is located.
11. The system of claim 1 , further comprising another syringe mounted to said powerhead housing and having a movable plunger disposed therein, wherein at least a portion of said another syringe is located outside said powerhead housing.
12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising another syringe ram designed both to move in and out of said powerhead housing to cause movement of said plunger of said another syringe within said another syringe.
13. The system of claim 11 , further comprising contrast media disposed within said syringe and saline disposed within said another syringe.
14. The system of claim 1 , wherein said interactive user interface provides for saving a protocol.
15. The system of claim 1 , wherein said interactive user interface provides for editing a protocol.
16. The system of claim 1 , wherein said interactive user interface provides for identifying total patient volume.
17. The system of claim 1 , wherein said interactive user interface provides for displaying historical injection data.
18. The system of claim 1 , wherein said interactive user interface provides for displaying injection phase information.
19. The system of claim 1 , wherein said interactive user interface provides for displaying injection delay information.
20. The system of claim 1 , wherein the interactive user interface provides for selecting a language setting.
21. The system of claim 1 , wherein said interactive user interface provides for programming a flow rate.
22. The system of claim 1 , wherein said interactive user interface provides for editing a flow rate.
23. The system of claim 1 , wherein said interactive user interface provides for programming a plurality of phases of an injection protocol.
24. The system of claim 1 , wherein said interactive user interface provides for editing a plurality of phases of an injection protocol.
25. The system of claim 1 , wherein said button facilitates the use of the powerhead housing in multiple orientations.
26. The system of claim 1 , wherein pressing said button reverses said output on said first screen.
27. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a controller that is configured to present said output on said touch screen display in a scale that is dependent upon a current operation being executed by the injector.