Programmable injector control

A fluid injection apparatus comprising:

• at least one drive mechanism;
• at least two fluid containers operably associated with the at least one drive mechanism, one fluid container containing a contrast medium and the other fluid container containing a flushing medium;
• and
• a control device operably associated with the at least one drive mechanism;
• wherein said control device is operable to selectively program a plurality of phases of an injection procedure;
• at least one phase comprising one of:
• a contrast medium phase and a flushing medium phase;
• and
• an arrangement for providing an internal stopwatch function.

A fluid injection apparatus comprising:

• at least one drive mechanism;
• at least two fluid containers operably associated with the at least one drive mechanism, one fluid container containing a contrast medium and the other fluid container containing a flushing medium;
• and
• a control device operably associated with the at least one drive mechanism;
• wherein said control device is operable to selectively program a plurality of phases of an injection procedure;
• at least one phase comprising one of:
• a contrast medium phase and a flushing medium phase;
• at least one phase comprising a pause phase.

A method of programming an injector, comprising:

• providing an arrangement for providing an internal stopwatch function;
• programming a contrast medium phase;
• injecting the contrast medium;
• activating the arrangement for providing an internal stopwatch function to count time period increments upon initiating said injecting step;
• ascertaining the arrival of contrast medium at a predetermined location of the body of a patient;
• determining, with the arrangement for providing an internal stopwatch function, the elapsed time between initiation of said injecting step and the arrival of contrast medium at the predetermined location;
• and
• thereafter programming, for a subsequent injection of contrast medium, a delay period based on the elapsed time determined in said determining step.

A method of programming an injection procedure, comprising:

• selectably programming a first phase of an injection procedure;
• selectably programming a second phase of an injection procedure;
• and
• programming a pause phase to occur between said first and second phases, wherein said pause phase corresponds to an inject delay.

A fluid injection apparatus comprising:

• at least one drive mechanism;
• at least two fluid containers operably associated with the at least one drive mechanism, one fluid container containing a contrast medium and the other fluid container containing a flushing medium;
• and
• a control device operably associated with the at least one drive mechanism;
• wherein said control device is operable to:
• selectively program an injection procedure to be performed;
• thereafter store aggregate information relating to the injection procedure as performed, the aggregate information including at least quantitative information relating to at least one of:
• a scan delay and an inject delay;
• and
• avail an operator at a future time of the aggregate information relating to the performed injection procedure.

A fluid injection apparatus comprising:

• at least one drive mechanism;
• at least two fluid containers operably associated with the at least one drive mechanism, one fluid container containing a contrast medium and the other fluid container containing a flushing medium;
• and
• a control device operably associated with the at least one drive mechanism;
• wherein said control device is operable to selectively program an injection procedure comprising a pause phase, the pause phase corresponding to an inject delay.