BLOOD TESTING DEVICE

Abstract

The invention concerns a blood testing device for the direct connection to a throughflow unit for blood, in particular a throughflow unit of an extracorporeal blood circuit, and for the recording of blood parameters of the blood flowing through the throughflow unit. The blood testing device can be operated without cables.

Claims

1.-14. (canceled)

15. A blood testing device configured for direct connection to a throughflow unit for blood, in particular a throughflow unit of an extracorporeal blood circuit, and for the recording of blood parameters of the blood flowing through the throughflow unit, characterized in that the blood testing device can be operated without cables.

16. A blood testing device according to claim 15, characterized in that the blood testing device has a housing, in or on which an electrical energy storage device and an indicator device for displaying the recorded blood parameters are arranged.

17. A blood testing device according to claim 15, characterized in that it is autonomous.

18. A blood testing device according to claim 15, characterized by at least one transducer.

19. A Blood testing device according to claim 18, characterized in that the transducer a. has at least one light source for illuminating the blood flowing through a throughflow unit with light and/or b. a sound source for enveloping the blood flowing through a throughflow unit with sound and/or c. has a pressure transducer and/or d. has a flow transducer and/or e. has an optical transducer.

20. A blood testing device according to claim 15, characterized by at least a transducer interface.

21. A blood testing device according to claim 20, characterized in that the transducer interface to designed to, a. transfer energy from the electrical energy storage unit to a throughflow device incorporated in a throughflow unit and/or b. relay measurement signals from a throughflow device transducer incorporated in a throughflow unit.

22. A blood testing device according to claim 20, characterized in that the transducer interface is designed for connecting to a throughflow device transducer which has a pressure transducer or a flow transducer or an optical transducer.

23. A blood testing device according to claim 15, characterized by a holder which can be fixed in or on the one throughflow unit.

24. A blood testing device in particular according to claim 1, characterized in that the blood testing device is designed to record at least one of the following blood parameters: a. Oxygen saturation of the blood, b. CO.sub.2 content of the blood c. Temperature of the blood, d. Pressure of the blood, e. Flow quantity of the blood per unit of time, f. Flow speed of the blood, g. Haemoglobin proportion in the blood.

25. A throughflow unit, which is configured to be introduced into an extracorporeal blood circuit such that blood flows along a flow direction through the throughflow unit and is designed to be coupled directly to a blood testing device according to claim 15, characterized by at least one transducer attachment element and at least one throughflow device transducer.

26. A throughflow unit according to claim 25, characterized in that a. the throughflow device transducer has a pressure transducer or a flow transducer or an optical transducer, and/or that b. the throughflow device transducer has at least one light source and/or a sound source to flood the blood flowing through the throughflow unit with light and/or sound and/or that c. the transducer attachment element is designed for connecting to a transducer of a blood testing device which has a pressure transducer or a flow transducer or an optical transducer, and/or that d. the transducer attachment element has a window or a flexible membrane.

27. A throughflow unit according to claim 25, characterized in that both the transducer attachment element as well as the throughflow device transducer run tangentially around the longitudinal axis of the throughflow unit and/or are arranged relative to one another axially spaced apart.

28. A system having a throughflow unit according to claim 25 and the blood testing device.

Description

[0046] In the drawing, the subject matter of the invention is illustrated in an exemplary and schematic fashion and is described using the figures in the following text wherein identical and identically-acting elements are also mostly provided in different embodiments with the same reference labels. They show in:

[0047] FIG. 1 a top view of a first embodiment of a system according to the invention, comprising a first embodiment of a blood testing device and a first embodiment of a throughflow unit,

[0048] FIG. 2 an extracorporeal blood circuit with the system according to the invention,

[0049] FIG. 3 a sectional view of a second embodiment of a system according to the invention, comprising a second embodiment of a blood testing device according to the invention and a second embodiment of a throughflow unit according to the invention,

[0050] FIG. 4 a sectional view of a third embodiment of a system according to the invention, comprising a third embodiment of a blood testing device according to the invention and a third embodiment of a throughflow unit according to the invention,

[0051] FIG. 5 a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a throughflow unit according to the invention, and

[0052] FIG. 6 a sectional view of a fifth embodiment of a throughflow unit according to the invention.

[0053] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a top view of an embodiment of a system according to the invention comprising the blood testing device 1 and a throughflow unit 2. The blood testing device 1 is connected to a throughflow unit 2 of an extracorporeal blood circuit 3. The blood testing device 1 is designed to record blood parameters of the blood flowing through the throughflow unit 2.

[0054] The throughflow unit 2 has two plug connections 4 which are connected with tubes 5 of an extracorporeal blood circuit 3. The direction of flow 25 is indicated by arrows in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0055] The blood testing device 1 has a housing 6, in or on which an (not illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2) electrical energy storage device 7 and an indicator device to indicate 8 the recorded blood parameters are arranged.

[0056] The blood testing device 1 of the system can be used quickly and without having to be connected to a power circuit or to other devices. The blood testing device 1 is operated without cables so that, on the one hand, it is particularly easy to manage and, on the other hand, the personnel treating the patient are not inconvenienced by cables hanging about, or detaching the cables is prevented by people moving around. Furthermore, the blood testing device 1 is particularly compact in design as a manually operated device.

[0057] FIG. 2 shows an extracorporeal blood circuit 3 with the throughflow unit 2, to which the blood testing device 1 is connected. The extracorporeal blood circuit 3 also has a pump 9 for pumping blood and an oxygenator 10. The devices are connected by tubes 5 wherein the connection to the blood circuit of the patient is also done by means of tubes 5.

[0058] FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of a system according to the invention, comprising a second embodiment of a blood testing device and a second embodiment of a throughflow unit in a sectional drawing. The blood testing device 1 is designed autonomously and can be operated without a cable connection to other devices of a heart/lung machine or to an external energy source. The blood testing device 1 has an electrical energy storage unit 7 which, in the embodiment shown, is a battery 11 which supplies the remaining components of the blood testing device 1 with electrical energy.

[0059] The blood testing device 1 has a holder 12 into which the throughflow unit 2 is fixed. The holder 12 has a flap 16 rotatably pivoted on the housing 6 which opens to insert the throughflow unit 2 and can be closed again after the insertion of the throughflow unit 2 so that the throughflow unit 2 makes an interlocking connection to the blood testing device 1. The upper part of the flap 16 is flexible and has a snap-in lug 26 at its end.

[0060] The throughflow unit 2 is attached to the holder 12 non-destructively and without requiring tools. The holder 12 enables a fast and efficient coupling and uncoupling of the throughflow unit 2 to be made. Also, an immediately recognisable securing ability is created for a user by the holder 12, by means of which the risk of faulty operation by incorrect attachment is reduced. In particular, this guarantees that the blood testing device 1 and the throughflow unit 2 are connected together correctly and safely.

[0061] The throughflow unit 2 has a transducer attachment element 17 and the blood testing device 1 has a transducer 18. The transducer 18 is an optical transducer 19. The transducer attachment element 17 is formed by the transparent wall of the throughflow unit 2 through which the light to record an optical measurement signal can penetrate.

[0062] When the throughflow unit 2 is added, an operative connection of the transducer 18 of the blood testing device 1 to the transducer attachment element 17 of the throughflow unit 2 is automatically created and an operative connection of the transducer interface 23 to the throughflow device transducer 13 of the throughflow unit 2 is automatically produced. By doing so, advantageously an effective coupling 1 of the throughflow unit 2 to the blood testing device is produced. Advantageously, data can also be transferred from the transducer 13 to the blood testing device 1 via the transducer interface 23.

[0063] The throughflow unit 2 has a throughflow device transducer 13 which is a pressure transducer 14 according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3. The pressure transducer 14 is connected by means of a transducer coupling element 17 with the interior 15 of the throughflow unit 2 through which the blood flows, so that the pressure of the blood occurring in the inner space is transferred to the pressure transducer 14. The transducer attachment element 17 has a membrane by means of which the pressure of the blood is transferred to the pressure transducer 14.

[0064] Alternatively, the transducer attachment element 17 can also be designed, for example, by a compression die which acts on the pressure transducer 14.

[0065] The blood testing device 1 also has an electronic device 20, like, for example, a programmable logic controller (PCL), and an indication device for the indication 8 of the recorded blood parameters.

[0066] Furthermore, the blood testing device 1 has a transmission and receiving device 21 for transmitting and receiving measurement signals wherein the transmission and receiving device 21 in this embodiment is designed for wireless transmission.

[0067] FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of a third embodiment of a blood testing device 1 according to the invention. The blood testing device 1 has an optical transducer 19 as a transducer 18 which is arranged opposite the pressure transducer 14 of the throughflow unit 2.

[0068] The battery 11 of the blood testing device 1 supplies electrical power to both the optical transducer 19 of the blood testing device 1 as well as the pressure transducer 14 of the throughflow unit 2. The battery 11 is connected by a cable to the transducer 19 and to the pressure transducer 14 by means of the schematically depicted transducer interface 23.

[0069] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a throughflow unit 2 according to the invention.

[0070] The throughflow unit 2 has two plug-in connections 4 to connect fluidically with (not shown in this figure) tubes 5 of an (not shown in this figure) extracorporeal blood circuit 3. The plug-in connections 4 each have a disc 22. The discs 22 function as a stop for the tubes 5 which are to be connected. The discs 22 fulfil a double function simultaneously, that is, to act as guides for a blood testing device 1 to be connected to the throughflow unit 2 as soon as it is plugged to the throughflow unit 2 to make the connection. Furthermore, the discs 22 are arranged such that they are able to make an interlocking connection of the blood testing device 1.

[0071] The discs are also arranged such that they undertake the guidance of a blood testing device 1 to attach to the throughflow unit 2 wherein the blood testing device 1 is guided between the discs 5 on to which the intermediate part of the throughflow unit 2 is interlockingly pushed.

[0072] The throughflow unit 2 also has a pressure transducer 14 and a transducer attachment element 17 for the automatic connection of a transducer 18 (not shown in this figure) of a blood testing device 1. The transducer attachment element 17 and the pressure transducer 14 are arranged on one common plane (shown schematically as a dotted line) perpendicular to the direction of flow 25. By doing so, because of its longitudinal extension, the throughflow unit 2 is designed to be short and therefore compact.

[0073] FIG. 6 shows a sectional view of a fifth embodiment of a throughflow unit 2 according to the invention.

[0074] The throughflow unit 2 is defined as a blood testing device 1 according to the invention wherein, for simplification, only the transducers 18 of the blood testing device 1 are shown. The blood testing device 1 has a transducer 18 which, as an ultrasonic transducer 24, measures the blood flow per unit of time. The ultrasonic transducer 24 has an ultrasonic transmitter and a reflector to reflect the ultrasonic waves. Also, the blood testing device 1 (not fully illustrated) has an optical transducer 19 to determine the oxygen content and/or CO.sub.2 content in the blood.

[0075] Since several transducers 18 of different types are present, different technical possibilities, also in combination, can be effected.

REFERENCE LIST

[0076] 1 Blood testing device

[0077] 2 Throughflow unit

[0078] 3 Blood circuit

[0079] 4 Plug-in connection

[0080] 5 Tube

[0081] 6 Housing

[0082] 7 Energy storage

[0083] 8 Display device for displays

[0084] 9 Pump

[0085] 10 Oxygenator

[0086] 11 Battery

[0087] 12 Holder

[0088] 13 Throughflow device transducer

[0089] 14 Pressure transducer

[0090] 15 Inner space

[0091] 16 Flap

[0092] 17 Transducer connecting element

[0093] 18 Transducer

[0094] 19 Optical transducer

[0095] 20 Programmable logic controller

[0096] 21 Transmission and receiving device

[0097] 22 Disc

[0098] 23 Transducer interface

[0099] 24 Ultrasonic transducer

[0100] 25 Flow direction

[0101] 26 Snap-in lug