Delivery System and Mode of Operation Thereof

Abstract

A dialysis unit for performing a dialysis treatment to a patient, the dialysis unit including a fluid pathway, a fluid pump configured to move a fluid through the fluid pathway, a sensor configured to measure the fluid pressure in the fluid pathway, and a processing unit operatively connected to the fluid pump and the sensor, the processing unit is configured to control the fluid pump at a first flow rate, receive a first pressure measurement from the sensor, compare the first pressure measurement to a first threshold, and determine based on the comparison whether or not an abnormal variation of the fluid pressure has occurred.

1 . A method for controlling a medical system according to a defined treatment in order to achieve a collection of objectives, the method comprising:
 providing a dialysis system which comprises:
 a processor designed to control the medical system according to at least two modes of operation:
 a mode of normal operation determined by a first collection of parameters making it possible to achieve substantially all of the objectives defined by the treatment 
 a mode of safe operation determined by a second collection of parameters that does not allow all of the objectives defined by the treatment to be achieved but that does allow the treatment to be performed substantially, 
 
 a sensor designed to send signals to the processor, 
   determining at least one condition of operation,   receiving and analyzing the signals from the sensor,   automatically selecting the mode of normal operation or the mode of safe operation according to the signal analysis and/or said at least one condition of operation,   controlling the medical system according to the mode of operation selected.   
     
     
         2 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the system is designed to operate according to several modes of safe operation. 
     
     
         3 . The method as claimed in  claim 2 , in which the processor switches from one mode of safe operation to another mode of safe operation progressively. 
     
     
         4 . The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, in which the medical system comprises a pump controlled by the processor and designed to displace a medical fluid. 
     
     
         5 . The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, in which the medical system is a dialysis system. 
     
     
         6 . The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, further comprising the following step:
 adapting at least one condition of operation according to the mode of operation selected.   
     
     
         7 . The method as claimed in one of the preceding  claims 4  to  6 , in which at least one parameter is: the duration of the treatment, a volume of medical fluid displaced by the pump, a volume of medical fluid used, the temperature or the pressure of the displaced fluid or the delivery rate of the pump. 
     
     
         8 . The method as claimed in one of the preceding  claims 4  to  7 , in which the mode of safe operation is characterized by a pump delivery rate that is not as high as in the mode of normal operation. 
     
     
         9 . The method as claimed in one of the preceding  claims 2  to  8 , in which the processor during treatment switches from one mode of operation to another defined mode of operation according to the signal analysis and/or to said at least one condition of operation. 
     
     
         10 . The method as claimed in one of the preceding  claims 5  to  9 , in which the treatment is a peritoneal dialysis and the dialysis system performs several successive cycles comprising an injection phase in which the system injects the medical fluid into the peritoneum of the patient, a stasis phase in which the medical fluid remains in the patient's peritoneum for a determined length of time, and a drainage phase in which the pump removes the fluid from the patient's peritoneum. 
     
     
         11 . The method as claimed in  claims 10 , in which at least one parameter is: the duration of each stasis phase, the total volume of fluid injected into and/or removed from the peritoneum, the volume of fluid injected into the peritoneum during an injection phase, the volume of fluid removed from the peritoneum during a drainage phase, the number of cycles, the duration of the phases or the delivery rate of the pump in the injection or drainage phase. 
     
     
         12 . The method as claimed in  claim 10 , in which the mode of safe operation decreases the risk of overfilling the patient's peritoneum during the treatment. 
     
     
         13 . The method as claimed in  claim 10 , in which the processor is designed to estimate the risk of overfilling or of underfilling the patient's peritoneum. 
     
     
         14 . The method as claimed in  claim 10 , in which during a mode of safe operation, the processor is designed to command complete forced drainage of the peritoneum at least once before the end of the treatment. 
     
     
         15 . The method as claimed in  claim 14 , in which the processor is designed to perform several forced drainages at defined intervals. 
     
     
         16 . The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, in which one condition of operation is:
 the status of the sensor, the drift in the sensor measurement, the crossing of a threshold or the leaving of a predefined domain, or a discrepancy in the measurement against another sensor.   
     
     
         17 . The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, in which the sensor is a pressure sensor or a temperature sensor.