Automated infusion system with dose rate calculator

An infusion system for infusing medical fluid to a patient, comprising;

• a pump for infusing the medical fluid;
• a memory for storing a plurality of infusion parameters for controlling the operation of the pump, the memory also having stored within it flags associated with identifying names comprising names of drugs more commonly used with the pump, the flags also associated with a plurality of selected stored memory data;
• a display;
• a selection key that provides a selection signal when actuated
• a fast selection key that provides a fast signal when actuated;
• and
• a processor responsive to the selection signal to select and retrieve infusion parameters from the entire plurality of parameters stored in the memory, to display selected parameters and to control the pump to operate in accordance with the selected parameters, and also responsive to the fast signal to select among only the flagged memory data, to display selected flagged memory data and to control the pump to operate in accordance with the selected flagged memory data;
• a remote programming source being capable of providing data comprising identifying names;
• and
• a communications interface for connecting the remote programming source to the memory and for transmitting the data from the remote programming source to the memory for storage in the memory.

An infusion system for infusing medical fluid to a patient, comprising;

• a pump for infusing the medical fluid;
• a memory for storing a plurality of infusion parameters for controlling the operation of the pump, the memory also having stored within it flags associated with selected memory data comprising values of infusion parameters more commonly used with the pump;
• a display;
• a selection key that provides a selection signal when actuated;
• a fast selection key that provides a fast signal when actuated;
• and
• a processor responsive to the selection signal to select and retrieve infusion parameters from the entire plurality of parameters stored in the memory, to display selected parameters and to control the pump to operate in accordance with the selected parameters, and also responsive to the fast signal to select among only the flagged memory data, to display selected flagged memory data and to control the pump to operate in accordance with the selected flagged memory data;
• a remote programming source being capable of providing data comprising values associated with infusion parameters;
• and
• a communications interface for connecting the remote programming source to the memory and for transmitting the data from the remote programming source to the memory for storage in the memory.

A method of infusing medical fluid to a patient with a pump having a memory having stored within it a plurality of infusion parameters for controlling the operation of the pump, a display, a selection key that provides selections signals when actuated, and a processor responsive to selection signals to select and retrieve infusion parameters from the entire plurality of parameters stored in the memory, to display the selected parameters and to control the pump to operate in accordance with the selected parameters, the method comprising the steps of:

• storing in the memory flags associated with a plurality of selected stored memory data;
• providing a fast signal from a fast selection key when the fast selection key is actuated;
• and
• selecting among only the flagged memory data, displaying selected flagged memory data and controlling the pump to operate in accordance with the selected flagged memory data in response to the fast signal.