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EP-3894737-B1 - METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR A MEDICAL GAS DELIVERY MODULE

EP3894737B1EP 3894737 B1EP3894737 B1EP 3894737B1EP-3894737-B1

Inventors

  • NELSON MOCK, Kristen Elizabeth
  • MEYFERTH, Donald Charles

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20191211

Claims (12)

  1. A method (800) for a medical gas delivery module, comprising: supplying (801) a medical gas from a pipeline gas supply source (202) to a gas delivery system via a first conduit (212); measuring (802) a quality of the medical gas in the first conduit via a gas quality sensor (252) coupled in the first conduit, wherein the gas quality sensor is one of a humidity sensor, a hydrocarbon sensor, an oxygen sensor, and a particulate matter sensor; comparing (804) the measured quality to an allowable range; in response to the measured quality being outside of the allowable range: switching (810) to an alternative gas supply source (204) for supplying the medical gas to the gas delivery system; and communicating (812) a pipeline gas supply fault to the operator of the gas delivery system, a controller of the gas delivery system, and a remote error log; and in response to the measured quality being inside of the allowable range, continuing supplying (806) the medical gas to the gas delivery system from the pipeline gas supply source.
  2. The method (800) of claim 1, wherein supplying the medical gas from the pipeline gas supply source (202) to the gas delivery system includes maintaining open a first valve (256) coupled in the first conduit (212) and maintaining closed a second valve (258) coupled in a second conduit configured (216) to flow the medical gas from the alternative gas supply source (204) to the gas delivery system.
  3. The method (800) of claim 2, wherein switching to the alternative gas supply source (204) includes closing the first valve (256) to block a flow of the medical gas through the first conduit (212) while opening the second valve (258) to enable a flow of the medical gas through the second conduit (216).
  4. The method (800) of claim 1, wherein the medical gas is oxygen, the pipeline gas supply source (202) includes an oxygen concentrator, and the measured quality is a concentration of oxygen, and the method further comprises: further in response to the measured concentration of oxygen being inside of the allowable range, communicating (808) the measured concentration of oxygen to a controller (240) of the gas delivery system.
  5. The method (800) of claim 1, wherein the allowable range is selected based on at least one of an identity of the medical gas, the measured quality, and a configuration of the pipeline gas supply source (202).
  6. The method (800) of claim 1, wherein communicating (812) the pipeline gas supply fault includes emitting an audible communication.
  7. A system for a medical gas delivery module, comprising: a first conduit (212) configured to flow a medical gas from a pipeline gas supply source (202) to a gas delivery system (200); a first valve (256) coupled in the first conduit (212) that, when open, enables gas flow from the pipeline gas supply source (202) to the gas delivery system and, when closed, blocks gas flow from the pipeline gas supply source to the gas delivery system; at least one gas quality sensor (252) coupled to the first conduit upstream of the first valve, wherein the gas quality sensor is one of a humidity sensor, a hydrocarbon sensor, an oxygen sensor, and a particulate matter sensor; a second conduit (216) configured to flow the medical gas from an alternative gas supply source (204) to the gas delivery system; a second valve (258) coupled in the second conduit that, when open, enables gas flow from the alternative gas supply source to the gas delivery system and, when closed, blocks gas flow from the alternative gas supply source to the gas delivery system; and a controller (240) storing executable instructions in non-transitory memory that, when executed, cause the controller to: supply (801) the medical gas from the pipeline gas supply source to the gas delivery system via the first conduit; measure (802) a quality of the medical gas in the first conduit via the at least one gas quality sensor; compare (804) the quality of the medical gas measured by the at least one gas quality sensor to an allowable range; in response to the measured quality being outside of the allowable range, switch (810) to the alternative gas supply source for supplying the medical gas to the gas delivery system and communicate (812) a pipeline gas supply fault to the operator of the gas delivery system, a controller of the gas delivery system, and a remote error log; and in response to the measured quality being inside of the allowable range, continue supplying (806) the medical gas to the gas delivery system from the pipeline gas supply source.
  8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first valve (256) is a normally open solenoid actuated valve that is de-energized when open and energized when closed, and the second valve (258) is a normally closed solenoid actuated valve that is de-energized when closed and energized when open.
  9. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions that cause the controller (240) to supply (806) the medical gas from the pipeline gas supply source to the gas delivery system via the first conduit include further executable instructions in non-transitory memory that, when executed, cause the controller to: maintain the first valve open by maintaining the first valve de-energized; and maintain the second valve closed by maintaining the second valve de-energized.
  10. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions that cause the controller (240) to switch (810) to the alternative gas supply source for supplying the medical gas to the gas delivery system include further executable instructions in non-transitory memory that, when executed, cause the controller to: close the first valve by energizing the first valve while simultaneously opening the second valve by energizing the second valve.
  11. The system of claim 7, further comprising a third conduit (218) that fluidly couples the medical gas delivery module to the gas delivery system, and wherein the first conduit is coupled to the third conduit downstream of the first valve and the second conduit is coupled to the third conduit downstream of the second valve.
  12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to: operate a medical gas delivery module (250) to supply (801) a medical gas from a pipeline gas supply source (202) to a gas delivery system (200) via a first conduit (212) of the medical gas delivery module; operate a gas quality sensor (252), wherein the gas quality sensor is one of a humidity sensor, a hydrocarbon sensor, an oxygen sensor, and a particulate matter sensor, coupled to the first conduit to measure (802) a quality of the medical gas in the first conduit; compare (804) the quality of the medical gas measured by the gas quality sensor to an allowable range; in response to the quality of the medical gas measured by the gas quality sensor being outside of the allowable range, operate the medical gas delivery module to switch (810) to an alternative gas supply source (204) for supplying the medical gas to the gas delivery system and communicate (812) a pipeline gas supply fault to the operator of the gas delivery system, a controller of the gas delivery system, and a remote error log ; and in response to the measured quality being inside of the allowable range, continue operating the medical gas delivery module to supply (806) the medical gas to the gas delivery system from the pipeline gas supply source.

Description

FIELD Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein relate to gas delivery systems, and more particularly, to devices for monitoring medical gas supplied to the gas delivery systems. BACKGROUND Healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, include medical gas pipelines that deliver different types of medical gases (e.g., oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide) to various locations throughout the facility. For example, the medical gas pipelines may supply the medical gases from source equipment (e.g., gas tanks, pumps, compressors, dryers, receivers, and manifolds) at a centralized location to gas delivery systems at a patient care location via a network of pipes and service outlets. The gas delivery system may in turn provide medical gas to a patient, such as to provide anesthesia (e.g., when the gas delivery system is configured as an anesthesia machine) and/or to assist in respiration (e.g., when the gas delivery system is configured as a ventilator). JP H08 94000 A describes, according to its abstract, supplying a spare backup gas without momentary interruption even when an abnormality occurs at the feed of artificial air to a hospital, and ensuring a high reliability having no danger on the life of a patient. Normal close type and normal open type automatic cutoff valves and a connecting part for setting the gas pressure of a backup gas BG lower than that of a main gas MG and preferentially supplying the main gas MG to a hospital in normal state are interposed in series to an outlet in a main gas feed piping delivered from a main gas feeding device for artificial air. When abnormality input signals from the main gas feeding device are inputted to one system having no failure of first and second electric control systems, one of the solenoid cutoff valves is interrupted to close the main gas MG, and the backup gas BG is switched and supplied to the hospital from the connecting part 6 without momentary interruption. When the service a commercial power source 8a is interrupted, also, the normal close type automatic cutoff valve 3a is closed. The document US2006290525 A1 discloses a medical gas alarm system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION In one embodiment, a method for a medical gas delivery module includes supplying a medical gas from a pipeline gas supply source to a gas delivery system via a first conduit, measuring a quality of the medical gas in the first conduit, comparing the measured quality to an allowable range, switching to an alternative gas supply source for supplying the medical gas to the gas delivery system and communicating a pipeline gas supply fault in response to the measured quality being outside of the allowable range, and continuing supplying the medical gas to the gas delivery system from the pipeline gas supply source in response to the measured quality being inside of the allowable range. It should be understood that the brief description above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be better understood from reading the following description of non-limiting embodiments, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein below: FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C show a first front perspective view, a second front perspective view, and back perspective view, respectively, of an anesthesia machine.FIG. 2 schematically shows an exemplary embodiment of a medical gas delivery module configured to deliver a single medical gas to a gas delivery system.FIG. 3 schematically shows a first exemplary mounting configuration of the medical gas delivery module of FIG. 2.FIG. 4 schematically shows a second exemplary mounting configuration of the medical gas delivery module of FIG. 2.FIG. 5 schematically shows an exemplary embodiment of a medical gas delivery module configured to deliver a plurality of medical gases to a gas delivery system.FIG. 6 schematically shows a first exemplary mounting configuration of the medical gas delivery module of FIG. 5.FIG. 7 schematically shows a second exemplary mounting configuration of the medical gas delivery module of FIG. 5.FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a method for operating a medical gas delivery module to deliver a gas to a gas delivery system.FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a method for adjusting operation of a gas delivery system based on an oxygen concentration measured by a medical gas delivery module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The following description relates to various embodiments for monitoring and controlling a flow of medical gas delivered t