Medical device having a detachable cover element

Abstract

Medical device having a detachable cover element A medical device (1) for administering a medical solution to a patient comprises a housing (10), a receptacle (12) for receiving a pumping apparatus (3) for administering the medical solution to the patient, and a cover element (2) for covering the receptacle (12). The cover element (2), in a connected state, is pivotably connected to the housing (10) about a pivot axis (P) by means of a hinge connection, the hinge connection being releasable for detaching the cover element (2) from the housing (10). In this way a medical device is provided which may have an increased adjustability for use in different environments in a healthcare environment.

Claims

1. A medical device for administering a medical solution to a patient, comprising: a housing; a receptacle for receiving a pumping apparatus for administering the medical solution to the patient; a cover element for covering the receptacle, wherein the cover element, in a connected state, is pivotably connected via a hinge connection to the housing to pivot about a pivot axis, the hinge connection being releasable for detaching the cover element from the housing; and a blocking device disposed at the pivot axis, the blocking device for blocking, in the connected state of the cover element, movement of the cover element directed along the pivot axis with respect to the housing to detach the cover element from the housing, wherein the blocking device comprises a blocking pin displaceably arranged on one of the housing and the cover element transverse to the pivot axis, the blocking pin being configured to interact with a blocking element arranged on the other of the housing and the cover element for blocking a movement of the cover element with respect to the housing opposite to an insertion direction directed along the pivot axis.

2. The medical device according to claim 1, wherein the hinge connection is formed by at least one hinge device configured to pivotably connect the cover element to the housing.

3. The medical device according to claim 2, wherein the at least one hinge device comprises a hinge pin arranged on one of the cover element and the housing and a pin receptacle arranged on the other of the cover element and the housing, the pin receptacle being configured to pivotably receive the hinge pin.

4. The medical device according to claim 3, wherein the hinge pin is insertable into the pin receptacle in the insertion direction directed along the pivot axis for establishing the hinge connection.

5. The medical device according to claim 4, wherein a first hinge device of the hinge connection comprises a first hinge pin, and a second hinge device of the hinge connection comprises a second hinge pin, wherein the first hinge pin and the second hinge pin are configured such that, when connecting the cover element to the housing, the first hinge pin of the first hinge device comes into engagement with an associated first pin receptacle prior to the second hinge pin of the second hinge device coming into engagement with an associated second pin receptacle.

6. The medical device according to claim 3, further comprising a sensor device for detecting whether the hinge pin is received in the pin receptacle.

7. The medical device according to claim 6, wherein the sensor device comprises a movable lever configured to interact with the hinge pin when inserting the hinge pin into the pin receptacle.

8. The medical device according to claim 2, wherein the at least one hinge device comprises a damping element for damping a pivoting movement of the cover element with respect to the housing.

9. The medical device according to claim 1, wherein the blocking pin and/or the blocking element comprise a run-up slope configured to cause a displacement of the blocking pin for enabling the connecting of the cover element to the housing and/or the releasing of the cover element from the housing.

10. The medical device according to claim 1, wherein the cover element comprises a lock element for locking the cover element with the housing when the cover element is connected to the housing and is closed for covering the receptacle.

11. The medical device according to claim 1, wherein the cover element comprises a cover body formed from a transparent material.

12. The medical device according to claim 1, further comprising a control device constituted to evaluate whether the cover element is connected to the housing and is closed for covering the receptacle in order to enable an administration operation dependent on the evaluation.

13. A medical device for administering a medical solution to a patient, comprising: a housing; a receptacle for receiving a pumping apparatus for administering the medical solution to the patient; a cover element for covering the receptacle, the cover element, in a connected state, being pivotably connected to the housing about a pivot axis by means of a hinge connection, the hinge connection being releasable for detaching the cover element from the housing, the hinge connection being formed by at least one hinge device configured to pivotably connect the cover element to the housing, the at least one hinge device comprising a hinge pin arranged on one of the cover element and the housing and a pin receptacle arranged on the other of the cover element and the housing, the pin receptacle being configured to pivotably receive the hinge pin, and a sensor device for detecting whether the hinge pin is received in the pin receptacle.

14. The medical device according to claim 13, wherein the sensor device comprises a movable lever configured to interact with the hinge pin when inserting the hinge pin into the pin receptacle.

Description

(1) The idea of the invention shall subsequently be described in more detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the figures. Herein:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a view of a medical device in the shape of a syringe infusion pump;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a front view of the medical device;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a side view of the medical device;

(5) FIG. 4 shows another view of the medical device, with a detached cover element;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a separate view of the cover element;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a front view of the cover element;

(8) FIG. 7 shows a back view of the cover element;

(9) FIG. 8 shows a bottom view of the cover element;

(10) FIG. 9 shows a top view of the cover element;

(11) FIG. 10 shows a first side view of the cover element;

(12) FIG. 11 shows a second side view of the cover element;

(13) FIG. 12A shows a view of the cover element prior to connection to the housing of the medical device;

(14) FIG. 12B shows a view of the cover element during establishment of the connection;

(15) FIG. 12C shows the cover element in a connected state in which it is connected to the housing; and

(16) FIG. 13 shows a view of a medical device in the shape of a syringe infusion device.

(17) FIGS. 1 to 3 show an embodiment of a medical device 1 in the shape of a syringe infusion pump having a housing 10 which, by means of a fixation device 13 in the shape of a clamp, can be fixed for example to a stand or the like for placing it at a bedside of a patient or in an operating room in a hospital.

(18) The medical device 1 serves to administer a medical fluid, such as a medication or a nutritional solution for the enteral feeding, to a patient. For this, the housing 10 forms a receptacle 12, as it is visible for example in FIG. 13, which is configured to receive a pumping apparatus in the shape of a syringe 3 having a cylindrical barrel 32 and a piston 33 movable within the barrel 32. The syringe 3 can be fixed in the receptacle 12 by means of a clamping device 122 such that the cylindrical barrel 32 is held stationary within the receptacle 12. The piston 33, by means of a piston head 330, can be brought into operative connection with a pusher device 120 movable with respect to the housing 10 along a guide track 121 by means of an electromechanical drive mechanism of the medical device 1, such that the piston 33 can be moved by means of the pusher device 120 in an actuation direction B to deliver a medical fluid from the cylindrical barrel 32 via a delivery line 31 connected at a connector 30 to the cylindrical barrel 32 towards a patient.

(19) The medical device 1, in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3, comprises a cover element 2 having a cover body 20 formed from a transparent material and being pivotable with respect to the housing 10 about a pivot axis P. The cover element 2 is, in a connected state as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, connected to the housing 3 by means of three hinge devices 21, 22, 23 forming a hinge connection which allows to pivot the cover element 2 from a closed position in an opening direction O with respect to the housing 10 in order to open the cover element 2 and to allow access to the receptacle 12 formed on the housing 10, and vice versa to close the cover element 2 in order to cover the receptacle 12 in a closed position.

(20) The cover element 2, as it is shown in FIG. 4, is detachable from the housing 10 of the medical device 1 by releasing the hinge connection.

(21) As it is visible from the separate views of FIGS. 5 to 11 of the cover element 2 and from the views of FIG. 12A to 12C showing the cover element 2 during establishment of the connection with the housing 10, each hinge device 21, 22, 23 comprises a hinge pin 210, 220, 230 fixedly arranged on the cover element 2, for example by overmolding a metallic pin element. The hinge pins 210, 220, 230 are, for connecting the cover element 2 to the housing 10 in a pivotable fashion, received in pin receptacles 211, 221, 231 formed on the housing 10 and having the shape of pinholes, the hinge pins 210, 220, 230 in the connected state of the cover element 2 engaging with the pin receptacles 211, 221, 231 as this is visible in FIG. 12C.

(22) As it is indicated for example in FIG. 6, the hinge pin 230 of a first hinge device 23 has a first length L1, which is longer than a second length L2 of the hinge pins 210, 220 of the other two hinge devices 21, 22. This shall facilitate arrangement of the cover element 2 on the housing 10 in that the hinge pin 230 of the first hinge device 23 comes to engage the associated pin receptacle 231 prior to the other pinch pins 210, 220 engaging with their associated pin receptacles 211, 221, as it is visible from FIGS. 12A and 12B.

(23) In particular, for arranging the cover element 2 on the housing 10 for establishing the (pivotable) connection of the cover element 2 to the housing 10 the cover element 2 is approached towards the housing 10 such that the hinge pin 230 of the hinge device 23 comes into engagement with its associated pin receptacle 231, as it is shown in FIG. 12A. By rotating the cover element 2 in a rotational direction A1 towards the housing 10 the hinge pins 210, 220 of the other hinge devices 21, 22 are approached towards their associated pin receptacles 211, 221 to reach the position shown in FIG. 12B, upon which the hinge pins 210, 220, 230 can be brought into full engagement with their associated pin receptacles 211, 221, 231 by laterally moving the cover element 2 in an insertion direction A2 to reach the connected state shown in FIG. 12C.

(24) The connection of the cover element 2 to the housing 10 may be possible (only) in certain pivoting positions of the cover element 2 with respect to the housing 10, for example in a partially opened position.

(25) The hinge device 23 comprises a damping element 233 in the shape of a cylindrical bushing serving to dampen a pivoting movement of the cover element 2 in between its closed position and the opened position. As visible for example from FIGS. 5 and 11, the cover element 2 comprises an engagement face 232 which comes into operative connection with the damping element 233 when connecting the cover element 2 to the housing 10, such that in the connected state the damping element 233 provides for a damping of the rotational movement of the cover element 2 with respect to the housing 10.

(26) The damping element 233 may for example provide for a friction in between the cover element 2 and the housing 10 in order to dampen the pivoting movement. Alternatively, the damping element 233 may comprise a damping fluid such as an oil or the like which provides for a dampening of the pivoting movement.

(27) The hinge device 21 comprises a sensor device 25 having a lever 250 movable within the pin receptacle 211 by interaction with the hinge pin 210 upon insertion into the pin receptacle 211. In particular, when inserting the hinge pin 210 into the pin receptacle 211 by moving the cover element 2 laterally in the insertion direction A2 with respect to the housing 10, the hinge pin 210 acts onto the lever 250 to pivot the lever 250 from a rest position towards a deflected position, the pivoting being detectable by a suitable sensor such that the sensor device 25 may output a sensing signal indicative whether the cover element 2 is in its connected state connected to the housing 10.

(28) The lever 250, in one embodiment, is pretensioned towards the rest position (FIG. 12A, 12B) for example by means of a suitable spring element such that, upon removing the cover element 2 from the housing 10, the lever 250 resumes its initial position.

(29) In the vicinity of the hinge device 22 a blocking device 26 having a blocking pin 260 is arranged. The blocking pin 260 is displaceable with respect to an outer housing face from a normal rest position in a direction transverse to the pivoting axis P and serves to interact with a blocking element 222 in the shape of a protrusion arranged on the cover element 2 next to the hinge pin 220.

(30) The blocking element 222 comprises a run-up slope 223 having a rather small inclination, the run-up slope 223 interacting with the blocking pin 260 for deflecting the blocking pin 260 when laterally moving the cover element 2 with respect to the housing 10 for establishing the engagement of the hinge pins 210, 220, 230 with the pin receptacles 211, 221, 231. Once the engagement has been established and the blocking element 222 has been moved past the blocking pin 260, the blocking pin 260—due to a pretensioning force of a spring element 262—snaps back into place into its normal rest position, as this is visible from FIG. 12C. In this way the blocking pin 260 comes to lie beyond an end of the blocking element 222 opposite to the hinge pin 220, such that the engagement of the hinge pins 210, 220, 230 in the associated pin receptacles 211, 221, 231 is blocked and cannot be released, at least not without releasing the blocking by the blocking pin 260.

(31) The blocking pin 260 comprises a run-up slope 261 having a rather large inclination and acting together with a corresponding slope at the end of the blocking element 222 associated with the blocking pin 260 in the connected state (FIG. 12C). Because of the run-up slope 261 and its interaction with the blocking element 222 on the cover element 2, if the cover element 2 is forced with a sufficient force in a direction opposite to the insertion direction A2, the blocking pin 260 is deflected and pushed into the housing 10 by interaction with the blocking element 222, such that the blocking of the cover element 2 is released and the cover element 2 can be detached from the housing 10 by removing the hinge pins 210, 220, 230 from the pin receptacles 211, 221, 231. The cover element 2 hence can be taken off the housing 10.

(32) The cover element 2 comprises a lock element 24 (see for example FIGS. 8 to 11) which serves to interact with a lock 241 arranged on the housing 10 (see FIG. 1). When closing the cover element 2 the locking element 24 is locked by means of the lock 241, which can be actuated by a key or the like and preferably is biased towards its locked position such that, if not actuated, the lock 241 is in its locked position and hence automatically locks the cover element 2 if the cover element 2 is closed. By actuating the lock 241 the lock element 24 can be unlocked such that the cover element 2 can be opened with respect to the housing 10.

(33) In one embodiment, the medical device 1 comprises a control device 14 (schematically indicated in FIG. 2) serving to control operation of the medical device 1, in particular infusion operations to be carried out by the medical device 1.

(34) For controlling the operation of the medical device 1, the control device 14 may take into account sensor signals of the sensor device 25 as well as of a locking sensor monitoring a lock state of the lock 241.

(35) The control device 14 may in particular be configured to enable an infusion operation if the cover element 2 is removed from the housing 10, dependent potentially upon the medication to be delivered and/or the care area of a hospital in which the medical device 1 is to be used. For example, for some medications and/or care areas an operation with the cover element 2 removed may be admissible. For other medications and/or care areas, in contrast, it may be mandatory to connect the cover element 2 to the housing 10 and to bring the cover element 2 in its closed position.

(36) Additionally or alternatively, the control device 14 may be configured to enable an infusion operation if the cover element 2 is connected to the housing 10, but in that case only if the cover element 2 is in its closed position.

(37) In its closed position, the cover element 2, with an edge 200 at least partially surrounding the body 20 of the cover element 2, is in close abutment with the housing 10 and preferably is received within a corresponding recess of the housing 10, as it is visible for example from FIG. 1. Due to its rounded shape and the close abutment of the edge 200 with the housing 10, an opening of the cover element 2 by means of an external tool is, as far as possible, prevented such that an unauthorized party may and not tamper with the cover element 2 to force its opening.

(38) The idea underlying the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but may be implemented in an entirely different fashion in entirely different embodiments.

(39) In particular, the invention in principle also is applicable to medical devices other than syringe infusion devices, for example volumetric (peristaltic) infusion devices having a cover element in the shape of a door.

(40) The cover element may fully close the receptacle or may only partially cover the receptacle in its closed position.

(41) In the illustrated embodiment three hinge devices are used to pivotably connect the cover element to the housing. However, also other numbers of hinge devices are conceivable, in principle one hinge device being sufficient to pivotably connect the cover element to the housing.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(42) 1 Medical device 10 Housing 12 Receptacle 120 Pusher device 121 Guide track 122 Clamping device 13 Fixation device (clamp) 14 Control device 2 Cover element 20 Cover body 200 Edge 21 Hinge device 210 Hinge pin 211 Pin receptacle 22 Hinge device 220 Hinge pin 221 Pin receptacle 222 Blocking element 223 Run-up slope 23 Hinge device 230 Hinge pin 231 Pin receptacle 232 Engagement face 233 Damping element 24 Lock element 240 Engagement opening 241 Lock device 25 Sensor device 250 Lever element 26 Blocking device 260 Blocking pin 261 Run-up slope 262 Spring element 3 Pumping apparatus 30 Connector 31 Delivery line 32 Body 33 Piston 330 Piston head A1, A2 Movement B Actuation direction L1, L2 Length O Opening direction P Pivot axis