Infusion system with radioisotope detector

Abstract

A shielding assembly for an infusion system includes a plurality of compartments and a door for each compartment, and provides a radioactive radiation barrier for the compartments. One of the compartments contains a radioisotope generator of the infusion system and another of the compartments may contain a waste bottle of the infusion system. An opening into each of the generator and waste bottle compartments may be oriented upward, and the opening into the latter may be at a higher elevation than the opening into the former, for example, to facilitate independent removal and replacement of each. A door of at least one of the compartments, other than the generator compartment, when closed, may prevent the door of the generator compartment from being opened. A cabinet structure for the infusion system may enclose the shielding assembly and secure the generator.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A system comprising:
 a shielding assembly configured to contain a radioisotope generator that generates radioactive eluate via elution;   a computer carried by the shielding assembly, wherein the computer is configured to receive a user input and, responsive to receiving the user input, control the radioisotope generator to generate a sample of eluate via elution during breakthrough testing; and   a dose calibrator electronically coupled to the computer and configured to measure an activity of the sample of eluate generated during breakthrough testing,   wherein the computer carried by the shielding assembly is configured to receive the activity data from the dose calibrator and calculate breakthrough test results.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the radioisotope generator comprises a strontium-rubidium generator configured to generate rubidium-82 by decay of strontium-82. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the computer is configured to calculate the breakthrough test results by at least calculating a ratio of an activity of strontium-82 divided by an activity rubidium-82 and a ratio of an activity of strontium-85 divided by the activity of rubidium-82. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the computer is further configured to indicate if the breakthrough test results are within allowable limits. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the allowable limits include the ratio of the activity of strontium-82 divided by the activity rubidium-82 and the ratio of the activity of strontium-85 divided by the activity of rubidium-82 each being less than 0.02 microcurie/millicurie. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the computer is further configured to prevent a patient infusion procedure if a breakthrough test result exceeds an allowable limit. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 2 , further comprising an activity detector. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the computer is configured to divert eluate generated via elution to a waste bottle until the activity detector detects a given level of activity. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the given level of activity is approximately 1.0 millicurie per second. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 2 , further comprising a display configured to display the breakthrough test results. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the computer is configured to control the display to provide an indication of progress of the breakthrough testing. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 2 , further comprising a cabinet structure, wherein the shielding assembly is positioned inside the cabinet structure and the computer is carried by the cabinet structure. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the dose calibrator is configured to physically receive the sample of eluate generated during breakthrough testing. 
     
     
         15 . A method comprising:
 generating, with a radioisotope generator contained within a shielding assembly, a radioactive eluate via elution of an eluant;   measuring, with a dose calibrator electronically coupled to a computer carried by the shielding assembly, an activity of the radioactive eluate; and   determining, with the computer, an activity of rubidium-82 within the radioactive eluate.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising determining, with the computer, an activity of strontium-82 and an activity of strontium-85 in the radioactive eluate. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising determining, with the computer, a ratio of the activity of strontium-82 divided by the activity rubidium-82 and a ratio of the activity of strontium-85 divided by the activity of rubidium-82. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising determining, with the computer, if the ratio of activity of strontium-82 divided by the activity rubidium-82 and the ratio of the activity of strontium-85 divided by the activity of rubidium-82 are within allowable limits. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the allowable limits include the ratio of the activity of strontium-82 divided by the activity rubidium-82 and the ratio of the activity of strontium-85 divided by the activity of rubidium-82 each being less than 0.02 microcurie/millicurie. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising displaying breakthrough test results determined by the computer. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising preventing, with the computer, a patient infusion procedure if a breakthrough test result exceeds an allowable limit. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising measuring, with an activity detector electronically coupled to the computer, an activity of the radioactive eluate. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising controlling, with the computer, a diverter valve to divert the radioactive eluate to a waste bottle until the activity detector detects a given level of activity. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the given level of activity is approximately 1.0 millicurie per second. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the shielding assembly is positioned inside a cabinet structure and the computer is carried by the cabinet structure.