# US 8,876,793 B2 · Flushing a fluid line from a medical pump > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,876,793 B2 - Document ID: US8876793B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/974,473 - Filed: 2010-12-21 - Published: 2012-04-05 - Granted: 2014-11-04 - Earliest claimed: 2010-10-01 - Assignees: Smiths Medical ASD, Inc. - Applicants: Ricky L. Ledford; Sachin Kumar Choudhary; Lori Lynette Patoros - Inventors: Ricky L. Ledford; Sachin Kumar Choudhary; Lori Lynette Patoros - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8876793B2 ## CPC - A61M 5/1684: {by detecting the amount of infusate remaining, e.g. signalling end of infusion} - A61M 5/14: Infusion devices, e.g. infusing by gravity; Blood infusion; Accessories therefor - A61M 5/142: Pressure infusion, e.g. using pumps - A61M 5/168: Means for controlling media flow to the body or for metering media to the body, e.g. drip meters, counters - A61M 2005/1403: {Flushing or purging} - A61M 2039/0018: {designed for flushing a line, e.g. by a by-pass} - A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)} ## Abstract A method and medical pump to perform a flushing procedure are provided. The medical pump is configured to execute the flushing procedure subsequent to an infusion procedure, the flushing procedure and infusion procedure lacking a specified relationship between each other until after performance of the infusion procedure. The method comprises performing an infusion procedure of a medicament with the medical pump and automatically querying in human detectable form whether to execute a flushing procedure in response to conclusion of the infusion procedure. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of flushing a fluid line with a syringe pump configured to support only a single syringe at a time and execute a flushing procedure subsequent to an infusion procedure, the method comprising: removably mounting a first syringe to the syringe pump, the first syringe containing a medicament and being coupled to the fluid line; performing the infusion procedure with the syringe pump to expel the medicament from the first syringe into the fluid line; automatically querying in human detectable form whether to proceed with a flushing procedure in response to conclusion of the infusion procedure, the flushing procedure lacking a specified relationship with the infusion procedure until after performance of the infusion procedure; removing the first syringe from the syringe pump location and decoupling the fluid line from the first syringe; and in response to a determination to proceed with the flushing procedure: coupling a second syringe containing a flushing fluid to the fluid line, mounting the second syringe to the syringe pump, and performing the flushing procedure with the syringe pump to expel the flushing fluid into the fluid line to flush the fluid line with the flushing fluid. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising determining conclusion of the infusion procedure by determining that the syringe is empty. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the total volume of medicament expelled during the infusion procedure and flushing fluid expelled during the flushing procedure. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising displaying the total volume. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3 further comprising separately determining the total volume of flushing fluid expelled during the flushing procedure. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5 further comprising separately displaying both of the total volumes. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising stopping the flushing procedure before it is completed. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 further comprising automatically querying in human detectable form whether to restart the flushing procedure after it has been stopped. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8 further comprising restarting the flushing procedure in response to a determination to restart the flushing procedure. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9 further comprising restarting the flushing procedure with at least one altered setting. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8 further comprising canceling the flushing procedure. ### Claim 12 A syringe pump comprising: a piston drive adapted to selectively couple to a plunger of one of a first syringe that contains medicament to expel the medicament therefrom and a second syringe that contains flushing fluid to expel flushing fluid therefrom; at least one processing unit operable to control movement of the piston drive; and a memory containing program code configured to, when executed by the at least one processing unit with said plunger of said first syringe coupled to the piston drive, perform an infusion procedure to expel a medicament from said first syringe into a fluid line coupled to said first syringe, and automatically query in human detectable form whether to proceed with a flushing procedure in response to conclusion of the infusion procedure, the flushing procedure lacking a specified relationship with the infusion procedure until after performance of the infusion procedure, the program code further configured to, in response to determining to proceed with the flushing procedure, when executed by the at least one processing unit with said plunger of said second syringe coupled to the piston drive, perform the flushing procedure to expel the flushing fluid into the fluid line to flush the fluid line with the flushing fluid. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The syringe pump of claim 12, the program code further configured to determine conclusion of the infusion procedure by determining that the syringe is empty. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The syringe pump of claim 12, the program code further configured to determine the total volume of medicament expelled during the infusion procedure and flushing fluid expelled during the flushing procedure. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The syringe pump of claim 14, the program code further configured to display the total volume. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The syringe pump of claim 14, the program code further configured to separately determine the total volume of flushing fluid expelled during the flushing procedure. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The syringe pump of claim 16, the program code further configured to separately display both of the total volumes. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The syringe pump of claim 12, the program code further configured to stop the flushing procedure before it is completed. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The syringe pump of claim 18, the program code further configured to automatically query in human detectable form whether to restart the flushing procedure after it has been stopped. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The syringe pump of claim 19, the program code further configured to restart the flushing procedure in response to a determination to restart the flushing procedure. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The syringe pump of claim 20, the program code further configured to restart the flushing procedure with at least one altered setting. ### Claim 22 (depends on 19) The syringe pump of claim 19, the program code further configured to cancel the flushing procedure.