Dialysis medical system with a portable control unit
This disclosure relates to detecting fluid in medical tubing. In certain aspects, a method is performed by a data processing apparatus. The method includes controlling repetitive activation of the ultrasonic transmitter. The method also includes receiving a signal from the ultrasonic receiver during an activation of the ultrasonic transmitter. The method also includes determining that fluid is absent or present in a portion of the medical fluid tube based on a comparison between the signal and a threshold value.
1. A dialysis medical system comprising:
a dialysis medical machine;
a control unit;
a portable computing device that is configured to wirelessly communicate with the control unit;
a medical fluid tube connected to the dialysis medical machine;
an ultrasonic transmitter positioned adjacent to the medical fluid tube;
an ultrasonic receiver positioned adjacent to the medical fluid tube configured to receive one or more signals in response to the activation of the ultrasonic transmitter; and
a computer storage medium encoded with computer program instructions that when executed by the dialysis medical system, cause the control unit to perform operations comprising:
controlling repetitive activation of the ultrasonic transmitter, wherein controlling repetitive activation of the ultrasonic transmitter comprises, for each repetition:
activating the ultrasonic transmitter for a first period; and
deactivating the ultrasonic transmitter for a second period;
for each repetition, comparing a signal received from the ultrasonic receiver during the activation of the ultrasonic transmitter for the first period to a threshold value; and
determining presence of fluid in a portion of the medical fluid tube if the signal received from the ultrasonic receiver satisfies the threshold value for at least two consecutive repetitions, wherein:
for a first repetition, the signal received from the ultrasonic receiver during the activation of the ultrasonic transmitter for the first period is compared to a first threshold value; and
for a second repetition, the signal received from the ultrasonic receiver during the activation of the ultrasonic transmitter for the first period is compared to a second threshold value if the first threshold value was satisfied and compared to a third threshold value if the first threshold value was not satisfied.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first period is 5 milliseconds and the second period is 995 milliseconds.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the medical fluid tube has an outer diameter of less than 0.128 inch.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the medical fluid tube has an inner diameter of less than 0.031 inch.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the portable computing device is configured to transmit and receive information related to one or more treatment parameters of a patient who is receiving or is to receive a treatment from the dialysis medical system.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the information related to one or more treatment parameters includes one or more of a drug selection, a drug dosage, a drug delivery rate, an amount of a drug delivered, a status of a drug delivered, a time during which a drug has been delivered, a completion percentage for a drug delivery, and a time remaining for a drug delivery.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid carried in the medical fluid tube includes a drug.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the portable computing device is configured to transmit information related to a dosage of the drug prescribed to the patient.
9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the drug includes one or both of iron sucrose and a drug for stimulating production of red blood cells.
10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the portable computing device is configured to receive information related to a dosage of the drug delivered to the patient during a treatment received from the dialysis medical system.
11. The system of claim 7 , wherein the portable computing device is configured to receive an indication that a source of the drug is empty.
12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the portable computing device is configured to provide instructions for controlling the control unit.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein controlling the control unit includes causing the control unit to disable or enable a pump for delivering a drug to a patient who is receiving or is to receive a treatment from the dialysis medical system.
14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the portable computing device is configured to receive an alert indicating an occurrence of an alert condition.
15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the alert condition comprises no fluid being detected in the medical fluid tube at a time at which fluid is expected to be present in the medical fluid tube.
16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the alert condition comprises fluid being detected in the medical fluid tube at a time at which fluid is not expected to be present in the medical fluid tube.
17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the alert condition comprises one or both of a drug type and a drug dosage to be provided to a patient who is receiving or is to receive a treatment from the dialysis medical system not matching an expected drug type and drug dosage.
18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the alert comprises one or more of a visual alert, an auditory alert, and a tactile alert.
19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the portable computing device is configured to display information related to one or more treatment parameters of a patient who is receiving or is to receive a treatment from the dialysis medical system.
20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the portable computing device is configured to display information that is displayed on a user interface of the dialysis medical machine.
21. The system of claim 19 , wherein the portable computing device is configured to display an interface for providing instructions for controlling the control unit.
22. The system of claim 1 , comprising a database that is configured to transmit and receive information, over a network, related to one or more treatment parameters of a patient who is receiving or is to receive a treatment from the dialysis medical system.
23. The system of claim 22 , wherein the information related to one or more treatment parameters includes one or more of a drug selection, a drug dosage, a drug delivery rate, an amount of a drug delivered, a status of a drug delivered, a time during which a drug has been delivered, a completion percentage for a drug delivery, and a time remaining for a drug delivery.
24. The system of claim 1 , wherein the third threshold value is greater than the second threshold value.