Dosing Device Utilizing An Electronic Scale And Regulating Means

Abstract

A method for dosing patients with blood, nutrients, chemical solutions and the like, using a new device which includes gravity dose feeding means and gravity dose removal means both in communication with a regulating valve. The valve is regulated by an electric motor which is turn controlled by an electronic scale. The scale senses changes in gravity flow containers to automatically control the dosage.

Description

This invention relates to a dosing device for patients which device is useful for feeding by doses blood, nutrients, chemical solutions and for other liquids to the patient and removing them from the patient by means of tubes connected with the patient.

A device constructed for kidney patients, wherein liquid chemicals are pumped into the abdominal cavity of the patient and therefrom by doses is well-known. Such a device is rather complicated and includes as a necessary constructional part a pump with a driving motor and other gadgets. In the present method, the relative positioning of the abdominal cavity of the patient is made use of, thereby avoiding use of very expensive known artificial kidney devices. An obstacle to a more general use of this favored method is, however, the costliness of the equipment. The purpose of the invention is to effect a much less complicated, cheaper and simultaneously more reliable device by which dosing can be carried out. Although the invention was created in connection with the planning of the apparatus required for the treatment of kidney patients, all kinds of liquids, for diversified measures of treatment, can, however, be transfused into the patient and removed from the patient by the device according to the invention.

Generally stated the apparatus according to the invention is an upper container placed at a level higher than the patient and a lower container placed at a level lower than the patient, a multiple-way valve fitted on connecting tubes in communication with these containers, and a transfusion channel leading from the valve to the patient, all in combination for of effecting without a pump, by force of gravity, the feeding to the patient and removal from the patient by the multiple-way valve of doses, by regulation of the valve.

The invention is illustrated with reference to the attached drawings, schematically showing two devices according to the invention.

In the Figures:

FIG. 1 illustrates an automatic dosing device of the present invention, and

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment thereof.

In FIGS. 1 symbol 1 refers to the abdominal cavity of the patient or other zone of the patient to which liquid is fed and from which liquid is removed. The liquid, a chemical solution, is in the upper container 2, from which it by gravity flows through the tube 3 to the multiple-way valve 4. One single channel may lead from the muliple-way valve 4 to the point 1, in which case a three-way valve is required. Depending on the position of the valve the liquid of the upper container flows either to point 1 or away from this point through the tube 5 to the lower container 6. A separate feed channel 7 may also lead from the multiple-way valve 4 to point 1, and from the feed channel a separate outlet channel 8. This latter arrangement is more advantageous than the use of one combined feed and outlet channel.

The above-described apparatus is uncomplicated and, feeds the dose from the upper container 2 to the point 1 and removes the dose from the point 1 to the lower container 6, merely by gravity, without any pump or driving motor. The, the valve 4 controls and regulates the dosing.

FIG. 1 illustrates an automatic dosing device, for which the valve 4 is controlled by a regulating motor 9 which is controlled by a relay 10 and amplifier 11 from electronic pressure box scales 12.

According to another embodiment of the invention the pressure box scales will weigh the patient by pressure sensitive load cells preferably disposed under the legs of the patient's bed, one cell under each bed leg. In this case the function is such that a certain amount of liquid e.g. 1 liter per hour, is let from the upper container to the object 1 at fixed intervals. The scales will indicate this as an increase in weight on the load cells and affect the regulating valve so that it performs the emptying from the object 1 to the lower container 6 until the weight of the patient has again reached the fixed value. The regulating valve 4 is thus controlled by electronic scales controlling the weight of the patient, and by a clock. The clock will determine the feeding intervals and the scales will make sure that the removal, corresponding to the feeding amount, is carried out.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment, where both the upper container 2 and the lower container 6 are hanging from the ceiling by scales 12.

Between these containers is situated rope 13 such that the scales 12 will weigh the whole, consisting of the upper container and the lower container A feed tube 3 starts from the upper container, which feed tube then branches to the feeding object 1 and to an outlet tube 5, connected with the lower container 6. With the Y-shaped ramification a regulating valve 4 is connected, which in the positon according to FIG. 2 closes the feed tube 3, situated above the modification and keeps the outlet tube 5 open. This is the position, in which the emptying from the object 1 to the lower container 6 takes place. When the regulating valve 4 changes position, the feed tube 3 will open and the outlet tube 5 will be shut, the feeding taking place from the upper container through the tube 3 to the object 1. The filling and emptying of the object 1 is thus effected by changing the positions of the regulating valve 4, from one position to another, which is made automatic by the scales 12. In this case it is possible to act so that the scales gives the pulse with two weight values. Let us assume that the entirety of the liquid to be fed is in the upper container 2. The scale will weigh the total weight, e.g. 30 kg. At this weight value the scale will give the pulse which, amplified, will turn the regulating valve 4 away from the position according to FIG. 2. Then liquid will flow from the upper container 2 to the object 1 until the scales indicates a lower weight, for example 29 kg. After the dose is discharged from upper container 2, the scale will give a pulse which, amplified, will turn the regulating valve 4 to the position according to FIG. 2, whereat liquid will flow from the object 1 to the lower container 6 until the scale again indicates the first weight value, or in the example, 30 kg. The phase described is repeated again and again, so that the liquid 2 of the upper container flows by 1 kilo doses to the object 1 and therefrom, when used up, to the lower container 6. At times the lower container 6 is emptied and the upper container 2 is filled.

As it appears from the foregoing description, the device according to the invention can be made automatic and thereby many-sided, without the device becoming very costly. In its basic parts the device is indeed very uncomplicated and simultaneously safe to operate. The need of making the device automatic for the automatic regulation method depends on the purpose for which the device is intended. All these different embodiments are within the scope of the invention. The essential and common feature of the invention, however is that the operation is controlled by scales, either on the basis of the weight of the patient, the weight of the upper or lower container or the total weight of the two containers.

The essential feature of the device and method is, in short, a unique arrangement of the elements so disposed that neither a pump nor a driving motor is needed. It is evident that this is of great importance regarding the reliability.

Claims

I claim:

1. A dosing device for feeding doses of blood, nutrients, chemical solutions, other liquids and the like to a patient, said device comprising in combination, an upper container adapted to be disposed at a level higher than the patient, a lower container adapted to be disposed at a level lower than the patient, a three-way valve in communication with the upper container and with the lower container through connecting tubes, a regulating motor, the three-way valve being controlled by the regulating motor, an electronic scale, said regulating motor being controlled by the electronic scale, said electronic scale arranged to weigh the upper container, and the lower container, a tube in communication with said valve and said patient whereby dose feeding of the patient and dose removal from the patient is effected by gravity, without a pump, by regulation of the said valve.

2. The dosing device of claim 1 wherein the lower container is suspended from the upper container.

3. The dosing device of claim 1, wherein an electronic scale device is arranged to weigh the gross weight of the upper and lower container.

4. The dosing device of claim 1, wherein the upper container and the lower container are supported by scales, and wherein the three-way valve includes a closing device with two positions, one of said positions disposed for closing the feed tube and permitting the outlet tube to open, the second of said positions disposed for closing the outlet tube and permitting the feed tube to open, said closing device being controlled by electronic means in association with said scales, said electronic means giving a pulse at two weight values, of which the higher gross weight effects the second closing position for release of a dose to the feed tube, and of which the lower gross weight after release of a dose effects the first closing position.