# US 10,481,083 B2 · Determination of blood volume in a culture bottle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,481,083 B2 - Document ID: US10481083B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/867,980 - Filed: 2008-02-19 - Published: 2011-02-03 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2008-02-19 - Assignees: Becton, Dickinson and Company - Applicants: Patrick Shawn Beaty - Inventors: Patrick Shawn Beaty - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10481083B2 ## CPC - G01N 21/27: using photo-electric detection (G01N21/31 takes precedence){; circuits for computing concentration (logarithmic circuits G06G7/24; photometric circuits in general G01J)} - G01N 21/6428: {Measuring fluorescence of fluorescent products of reactions or of fluorochrome labelled reactive substances, e.g. measuring quenching effects, using measuring "optrodes" (in vivo A61B5/00; immunoassay G01N33/53)} - G16H 40/63: for local operation - G01N 2021/3144: {for oxymetry} - Y02A 90/10: Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA - Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE ## Abstract Systems, methods and apparatus for determining an amount of blood in a blood culture are provided where an initial biological state and then periodic measurements of the biological state of the culture are taken. For each respective measurement, a normalization relative value between the respective measurement and the initial measurement is made thereby forming normalization relative values. For each interval of time points represented by the normalization relative values, a first derivative of the normalization relative values in the interval is made thereby forming a plurality of rate transformation values. For each set of rate transformation values in the plurality of rate transformation values, an average relative transformation value is computed, thereby forming average relative transformation values. A lookup table that matches a measure of central tendency of the average relative transformation values to a blood amount is used to determine the amount of blood in the culture. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus comprising: (1) a processor; (2) a sensor that measures a CO2 concentration, an O2 concentration, a pH, a rate of change in CO2 concentration, a rate of change in O2 concentration, or a rate of change in pH as a measure of a biological state of a blood culture disposed in a vessel, wherein the sensor measures the biological state of the blood culture at a plurality of time points between a first time point and a second time point, and wherein the blood culture comprises a blood sample and a blood culture media; (3) a memory comprising: (a) a first threshold of a minimum acceptable blood amount; (b) a second threshold of a maximum acceptable blood amount; (c) a lookup table comprising matches between a plurality of measures of central tendency and a plurality of blood amounts; and (d) a blood amount determination module comprising: (i) electronically encoded instructions that calculate a plurality of rate transformation values, wherein each rate transformation value is derived from a different subset of the measurements of the biological state of the blood culture made by the sensor within a predetermined time interval between the first time point and the second time point; (ii) electronically encoded instructions that calculate a plurality of average rate transformation values, wherein each average rate transformation value is derived from a different subset of the rate transformation values; (iii) electronically encoded instructions that calculate a measure of central tendency from one or more of the average rate transformation values; and (iv) electronically encoded instructions that determine the amount of blood in the blood culture in the vessel by comparing the measure of central tendency to one or more of the measures of central tendency in the lookup table; and (4) a user interface that displays a warning if the determined amount of blood in the blood culture in the vessel is below the first threshold or above the second threshold. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface is also configured to display the determined amount of blood in the blood culture in the vessel. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each rate transformation value is a first derivative of a different subset of the measurements of the biological state of the blood culture made by the sensor within a predetermined time interval. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the blood amount determination module further comprises electronically encoded instructions that convert the measurements of the biological state of the blood culture into normalization relative values. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The apparatus of claim 4, wherein each rate transformation value is a first derivative of a different subset of the normalization relative values within a predetermined time interval. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein all of the predetermined time intervals have the same duration. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the rate transformation values are calculated and stored in successive instances. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the average rate transformation values are calculated and stored in successive instances. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the measure of central tendency is a geometric mean, an arithmetic mean, a median, or a mode of one or more of the average rate transformation values. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the blood amount determination module further comprises electronically encoded instructions that remove average rate transformation values below a third threshold or above a fourth threshold. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of colorimetric means, fluorometric means, nephelometric means, or infrared means. ### Claim 12 A method comprising: (1) obtaining a vessel with a blood culture disposed therein, wherein the blood culture comprises a blood sample and a blood culture media; (2) measuring, with a sensor, a CO2 concentration, an O2 concentration, a pH, a rate of change in CO2 concentration, a rate of change in O2 concentration, or a rate of change in pH as a measure of a biological state of the blood culture at a plurality of time points between a first time point and a second time point; (3) determining with a processor, an amount of blood in the blood culture in the vessel, in part, by: (a) calculating a plurality of rate transformation values, wherein each rate transformation value is derived from a different subset of the measurements of the biological state of the blood culture within a predetermined time interval between the first time point and the second time point; (b) calculating a plurality of average rate transformation values, wherein each average rate transformation value is derived from a different subset of the rate transformation values; (c) calculating a measure of central tendency from one or more of the average rate transformation values; and (d) determining the amount of blood in the blood culture in the vessel by comparing the measure of central tendency to one or more measures of central tendency in a lookup table comprising matches between a plurality of measures of central tendency and a plurality of blood amounts; (4) comparing, with the processor, the determined amount of blood in the blood culture in the vessel to a first predetermined threshold of a minimum acceptable blood amount and a second predetermined threshold of a maximum acceptable blood amount; and (5) providing, with a user interface, a warning to a user if the determined amount of blood in the blood culture in the vessel is below the first threshold or above the second threshold. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12 further comprising: displaying the determined amount of blood in the blood culture in the vessel to the user. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein each rate transformation value is a first derivative of a different subset of the measurements of the biological state of the blood culture within a predetermined time interval. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein determining the amount of blood in the blood culture in the vessel further comprises converting the measurements of the biological state of the blood culture into normalization relative values. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein each rate transformation value is a first derivative of a different subset of the normalization relative values within a predetermined time interval. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein all of the predetermined time intervals have the same duration. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the rate transformation values are calculated and stored in successive instances. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the average rate transformation values are calculated and stored in successive instances. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the measure of central tendency is a geometric mean, an arithmetic mean, a median, or a mode of one or more of the average rate transformation values. ### Claim 21 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein determining the amount of blood in the blood culture in the vessel further comprises removing average rate transformation values below a third threshold or above a fourth threshold. ### Claim 22 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of colorimetric means, fluorometric means, nephelometric means, or infrared means.