Intravenous Metering Device

Considerable attention has been directed to intravenous delivery of fluids to patients, such as saline solutions and the like, in the last several years. Initially, such materials were administered to a patient by means of gravity flow from a container containing the liquid to be delivered. A difficulty encountered with such devices was that administration by gravity flow often required that the container for the liquid to be transmitted to the patient had to be positioned at a considerable elevation above the patient. Further, attempts to accurately regulate the flow of such devices proved difficult because of the fact that the pressure causing the flow to be transferred to the patient decreased as the liquid level within the container was reduced during the delivery operation.

It is the object of this invention to provide an improved intravenous metering device. Other and additional objects become apparent upon a reading of the entire specification, drawings and claims.

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view illustrating the use of the present invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are partial cross-sectional views illustrating the subject matter of this invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the intravenous metering device 1 is shown positioned within a metering device control unit 3. The intravenous metering device 1 is connected to a container of fluid 5 by means of conventional tubing 7. Tubing 9, extending from the outlet of the intravenous metering device 1 transfers precise amounts of fluid to the patient to be treated.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the construction of the intravenous metering device 1 of the present invention will be discussed in detail. The intravenous metering device 1 includes a pumping chamber 11 and a reciprocable diaphragm 13 which is positioned within the pumping chamber 11, and preferably at the approximate center of the pumping chamber 11. The intravenous metering device 1 includes a pumping chamber inlet 15 and a pumping chamber outlet 17. Pumping chamber inlet 15 includes a valve seat means 19. Similarly, pumping chamber outlet 17 includes valve seat means 21. Ball checks 23 and 25 are positioned such that they are normally in a position so as to seat against valves seats 19 and 21 of the pumping chamber inlet 15 and pumping chamber outlet 17, respectively. The ball check 23 is normally held in the closed position by gravity while the ball check 25 is normally held in the closed position by biasing means such as spring 27.

The reciprocable diaphragm 13 includes a projection 29, preferably centered within the pumping chamber 11 such that the cross-sectional area of the liquid flow path through the pumping chamber 11 is approximately equal to the cross-sectional area of the pumping chamber inlet 15 and the pumping chamber outlet 17. One of the advantages of this relationship is the relatively constant, high velocities of fluid flow experienced during the filling operation of the intravenous metering device 1, which will be discussed in greater detail when reference is made to FIG. 3.

The intravenous metering device 1 further includes a gas retention chamber 31 bounded by sidewalls 33 and 35 and gas retention chamber opposed walls 37 and 39. As shown in FIG. 2, the gas retention chamber 31 includes a gas retention chamber upper portion 41 providing for a gas-liquid interface 43, and a gas retention chamber lower portion 45 from whence liquid free of gas bubbles may pass from the gas retention chamber lower portion 45 through a gas retention chamber passageway 47 and into the pumping chamber 11.

The detailed construction of the intravenous metering device 1 of this invention having been described, its method of operation will now be discussed. Incoming fluid, transmitted by tubing such as 7 to the intravenous metering device inlet 49 passes into the gas retention chamber 31 which, due to the extension of side wall 35 prevents any gases therein from entering the pumping chamber 11 and allows for the generation of a gas-liquid interface 43 at the gas retention chamber upper portion 41. Liquid free of gas bubbles passes from the gas retention chamber lower portion 45 through gas retention chamber passageway 47. When the intravenous metering device shaft 51 is reciprocated upwardly, the volume of the pumping chamber 11 is increased by a precise and predetermined amount and the pressure within the pumping chamber 11 correspondingly decreased. This pressure decrease within the pumping chamber 11 is sufficient to lift pumping chamber inlet ball check 23 from pumping chamber inlet valve seat 19 so as to allow the liquid free of gas bubbles to enter the pumping chamber 11. As the reciprocable diaphragm 13 is reciprocated downwardly by means of the intravenous metering device shaft 51, the volume within the pumping chamber 11 is decreased and the pressure within the pumping chamber 11 increased. This increase in pressure within the pumping chamber 11 causes pumping chamber chamber inlet ball check 23 to seat against pumping chamber inlet valve seat 19 thus preventing fluid flow from the pumping chamber 11 to the gas retention chamber 31. Simultaneously, the increase in pressure within pumping chamber 11 overcomes the biasing means 27 urging pumping chamber outlet ball check 25 to engage pumping chamber outlet valve seat 21 thereby allowing a precise amount of metered fluid to be pumped from the pumping chamber 11 through the intravenous metering device outlet 53 to a patient as by means of tubing 9. The intravenous metering device 1 includes shoulders 55 for the positioning of the intravenous metering device 1 within the metering device control unit 3 that provides control for the reciprocation of the intravenous metering device shaft 51 and the reciprocable diaphragm 13 attached thereto.

FIG. 3 illustrates the orientation and configuration of the intravenous metering device 1 when it is to be filled with liquid to be administered to a patient and placed in service. The intravenous metering device of the present invention may be disposable such that a fresh and sterilized intravenous metering device 1 is employed at each application of intravenous passage of fluid to a patient. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the intravenous metering device 1 is rotated 180 degrees in order to be filled with liquid. During this filling operation, the intravenous metering device shaft 51 is manually depressed beyond its normal travel length such that intravenous metering device shaft detent 57 is engaged by a corresponding shoulder 59 of the intravenous metering device 1. The projection 29 of the reciprocable diaphragm 13 is constructed such that it may pass through the pumping chamber outlet 17 and overcome the biasing means 27 acting upon the pumping chamber outlet ball check 25 thereby allowing fluid to flow through the intravenous metering device outlet 53 and the pumping chamber outlet 17 from the pumping chamber 11. Because the pumping chamber inlet ball check 23 is normally positioned in the closed position as shown in FIG. 2 by force of gravity, rotation of the intravenous metering device 1 as shown in FIG. 3 also opens the pumping chamber inlet 15 thereby allowing the flow of liquid to pass into the pumping chamber 11 from the gas retention chamber 31 and the intravenous metering device inlet 49. The configuration of the reciprocable diaphragm 13 and its projection 29 is such that when depressed as shown in FIG. 3, the cross-sectional area of the liquid flow path through chamber 11 is approximately equal to the cross-sectional area of the pumping chamber inlet 15 and the pumping chamber outlet 17. Accordingly, during the filling operation as illustrated in FIG. 3, the fluid fills the intravenous metering device at a substantially constant velocity thereby sweeping out gases present in the intravenous metering device for use. Further, the orientation of the reciprocable diaphragm 13 at the approximate center of the pumping chamber 11 produces a swirling liquid flow path about the reciprocable diaphragm projection 29 as the liquid enters the intravenous metering device thereby creating a swirling fluid flow and sweeping out gases present within the intravenous metering device 1 prior to usage of the device. It is of critical importance that such gases be removed from the pumping chamber in order to ensure that precise amounts of fluid are administered to a patient. In the event that gases are present within the pumping chamber 11, the gases, being compressible as contrasted with a liquid, will alter the amount of liquid transferred to the patient during each reciprocation of the reciprocable diaphragm 13. The presence of gases within the pumping chamber 11 is effectively foreclosed by the configuration of the device allowing for the filling with a swirling liquid action at constant high velocity as shown in FIG. 3 and the employment of the gas retention chamber 31 during normal operation of the device as was more particularly described in the explanation of FIG. 2 of the drawings.

It is obvious that certain changes can be made to the preferred form of the invention as described above. Accordingly, the claims should be given an interpretation commensurate with the scope of the invention as set out in the claims appended hereto.