Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present inve~tion relat~s to an in~u6ion bag having at lea~t
one collapsible chamber that hold~ a liquid, and a non~
collapsi~le outlet tube that i~ connect~d to the chamber and with
a breathex devica (appendix to Patent AE~plication 38 26 456).
Infusion bags of the typ~ de~cribed above ar~ u~ed in medicine in
order to supply pati~nt~ with liquid~, f.`or example, for
nutritional purpose~O Since the liquid has to ba admini~ter~d to
ths patienk in pr~æaribed volumes, it i8 nece~ary ko check the
volume of liquid 90 infused con~tantly, or to determine this, if
the total contents of the bag are not to be admini~tered, but
only a portion th~reo~. In particular, when a patient is being
~ed artificially, it iæ de~irable that the contants of the bag be
administered in individual portion~ over a longer pQriod o~ time.
In order that th~ medical p~rsonnel can ch~ck, on the one hand,
whether or not the desired quantity of li~uid has been
admini~tered to the patient, and, on th~ other hand, can
de~ermine whether or not ~u~ficient liquid remains in the bag, it
;
i6 desirable that the ~uantity o~ uid that has been
administered ran he d~termined in a suitable mannex.
I~ is:known ~rom the priox art that ~low measuxement systems can . ;
be pro~ided in th2 tubes so as to permit preclG~ ~etermination of :`
the volume o~ uid that ha~ b~en adminietered in this way.
This procedure entalls the disadvantag~ that measurement ~ystems
of this kind are aompllax and c08tly and have t~ be u~ed by
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per~onnel skilled in the art. In particular in the case o~ less
highly train~d per onnel and~or in countriss of the third world,
this solution is impractical.
A ~urther possibility o~ datermining the volume of liquid that
has been admini~tered iB to provid~ a calibrated tube with a
fixed flow rate and then determine the necessary periods o~ time
that are required in each instance. The di~advantage in this is
that th~ out~low time mu~t be praci~ely monitored.
It is the task o~ the present invention to cre~e a collapsible
bag of the typs described in the introduction h~r~to, which,
being of ~imple construation and being cheap to produce permits
~u~iciently preai~e determination o~ the quantity of li~uid that
has been administeredO
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According to the present invention, thi~ task ha~ been solved in
that a soale is attaahed to a tran~parent side o~ the bag.
The bag according to the present invention is characterized by a
numbex of considerable advantages. Using the scal~ that is
attached to the 8ide o~ the bag, it is po sible to dat~rmin~,
either vi~ually or wikh the help o~ a det~ctor ~yst~m, by
comparison the level o~ ths li~uid withln the container. The
scale that:i~ provided according to th~ prs~ent inv~ntion can be ..
aalibrated precisel~ in a particularly ~imple manner, ~ince it i~
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known how the bag will ~e d~formed as it emptie~ incrementally.I~ the bag is positioned or ~u~pended in a suitable manner,
identical levels of liquid will result aLs corre~pondingly equal
quantities of liquid ara remov~dO
A furthex and important advantage o~ the bag according to the
present invention is that the type o~ scale can be matched in a
particularly simple mannar to the requirementR in ~ach case.
Thus, for example~ it i~ not ne~essary to set up the scale in
volume unit~ of the usual dimensions; rather, the scale can be
divided inko hourly or daily rations or other units. In this
conrleation, it i~ also advantageous that the ~cale do~ n~t need
to be linear, rather, the simple type and configuratio~ of the
6cale makes it po~sible to match khi~ in a particularly ~imple
manner to the particular bag size or bag shape.
Since the bag according to the present invention i~ fitted with a
breather ~evic~, a~ter removal o~ a prescribed ~uantity o~
liquid, the remaining v~lume o~ the chamber ~ills with air, i.e.,
an open ~y~tem results, thi~ being ~imilar to the system used in
an in~u~ion bottl~. Thi~ av~ids ~he side~ o~ the bag being
pres~ed against :~ach other and thereby ~alsi~ying the reading.
The distPnc0 between the sides o~ th~ ba~ i~ thus ~overned,by the
volume o~ liqui~ wi~hin the ohamber, and thu~ any sub~equent
compr~s~ion or oollap~e o~ th~ bag a~ a result ~ external air
pr~ssur~ is preoludQd.
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In a furth~r, extremely advantageou~, con~iguration o~ the
present invention, the br~ather device includes an essentially
rigid brsakable tube that is open to the atmosphere and, when the
bag is closed, i~ clo~ed o~f relative to the chamber. The
breather device can thus be produced together with the bag; it
~orms a component part of tha bag system ~nd can be broken when
the bag is used, which is to say, the breather device can be
opened. In a bag that is con~igured in this wayl no additional
individual parts are requir~d; on the contrary, a system that is
ready for use is ~ormed ther~by. The break-o~ configuration of
the tube entails the advantage that no other manipulation of the
sy tem, by which the bag could be damaged, are needed. The
broken off end o~ the tube remains in the chamber o~ the bag and
does not interfere with the removal process.
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In order that the tub~ can be broken of~ preci~ely, it is
advantageous i~ the tube is provided with a nominal break point.
In an alternative configuration o~ th bag, it i~ foresQen that
ths breat.her device includes an e~santially rigid tube in which
there is a plug or closing element that can be panetrated by
means of a cannula~ Thus, the bag c~n b~ connected to tha
atmosphere by means o~ a commarcially available cannula and,
given a suitable configuxation o~ the plug~ it i~ pos~ible to
~lose the bag onas again by withdrawing tha cannula an~ ~hus
interrupt the removal process ~or a longar period o~ time. In . .
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addition, khis configuxation makes it possible to introduce other
additive~ into the chamber of the bag by means of the cannula in
order that said additives can be mixad with the liquid within the
bag. Furthermore, if the removal process is to be interrupted,
it is possible to express the re~idual air contained within the
bag from the chamber in order to prevent the liquid being changed
as a re6ult o~ chemical reactions with the air.
The plug is preferably of ~ilicon or a similar material.
It is particularly advantageous if the cannula ~an be insertad so
as to b~ a ~ight fit in the tube and/or incorporates at least one
suitable sealing ~ection in order to ensure adequate sealing in
the event of a permanant penetration of the plug and, on the
other hand, to anchor the cannula mechanically within the pipe.
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In order to prevent the ingress of b~cteria into the chamber of
the bag~ lt is preferred that ~he breather device be fitted with
a~hydrophobio bacterial filter.
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It is pa~rticularly advantagaous: that the ba~ can be ~f
rectangular ~hape; however, it i~ al~o po~ibl~ to configure the
bag ln any ~ther shape. Furthermor~, according to tha present
invention, it ~ al~o po~sible ~Q form th~ bag as a multi-chamber
bag, wh~n th- variou~ ohambers can be connected to each other.
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I~ this is done, the scale can be provided on on~ chamber or a
plurality o~ chambers.
In order to ensure that the bag empties evenly, it i~
advantageou~ that the bag b~ pravided with a centrally located
suspension point and~or that the outlet tub~ be located centrally
at the lower end of the bag. This prevents any tilting or
tipping of the bag and any undesired deformation of th~ bag.
The present invention will b~ described in greater d~tail below
on the basi~ o~ two embodiment~ ~hown in the drawinys appended
hereto. These dr~wings ~how the ~ollowing:
Figure l~ a diagrammatic ~id~ vi~w oP a first embodim~nt of the :~
bag according to the present invention;
Figur~ 2: a diagrammatic side view o~ another embodiment, as in
f igure 1.
Figur. ~ is a side view o~ a bag ï which hag be~n produced in
:
that two layers of ~oil are c~nnect0d to each other along the
~ea1;1ine 13,~ ~or ~xampl~, by welding, ~o as t~ b~ parall0l to
~ach other~ It is pr~fer~ed that th~ bag be o~ ~ tra~s~arent
material in order ts ren~r th~ liquid contain~d within a chamber
2 visible. How~v~r, according to t;he pre~erlt invention it i~ :
also possible that only orl~ lay~r o~ ~oll ba ~r~n6p~ren~, whereas
the other layer:of foil. i~ no~-tran~par~n~, and i~, for example, coloured.
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At its upper end, the ~ag l i~ provid~d with a ~uspension point
12 ihat incorporate~ an ay~let; an outlet tube 3 i8 welded into
the lower end of thQ bag 1 and thi~ tube 3 is open to the chamber
2.
In the upper area o~ the bag 1 there is a breather device 4 which
will be described in detail below.
At least one of the ~id~ of th~ bag 1 i~ provided with a scale 5
which can be con~igured, ~or example, in the ~orm of horizontal
impressed lines. Th~ ~cal~ 5 can be a~sociated with a liquid
lev1 14 of a liqui.d that i~ contained in th~ chamb2r 2, ~o that
it is possible to determine the volums o~ liquid remaining in the
bag either visually or with the help of other detec~or6. The
intervals b~tween the individual divisions on th~ scale 5 can be
matched very simply to particular re~uirements.
According to th~ pre8ent invention, the breather deviGe 4 that is
provid~d in th~ ~mbodim~nt shown in ~igure 1 include~ a rigid
tube 6 that is open to t~ atmosphere and fitted with a
: hydrophobic bacterial ~ilter 11 or a simllar filter ln thi~
opening. Tha ~d o~ ths tube 1 that protrude~ into the chambex 2
is seaIed. The tube 6 is of a breakable material, and pre~erably
incorporates a nominal break point 7 ~o that the tube 6 can be
broken o~ at the d~ired point.
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Th~ e~bodiment that i~ shown in ~igure 2 di~er~ fr~m the
embodiment shown in ~igure 1 in the w~y the breather device is
configured; identical parts bear the sams re~erenc~ numbers so
that there is no n~ed to provide a detai.led description of these
part~.
The breather device 4 includes a rigid k.ube 8 that is open both
to the atmo~phere and to th~ chamber 2. Within the opening o~ -
the tub~ ~ ther~ is a plug 10, ~or exampl~ in tha form of a
silicon stopper. In order to connect the interior of the bag 1
with the atmosph~xe the plug element 10 i6 pen~rated by means of
a cannula 9 co that khe plug 10 is separated. The cannula 9 can
be of such dimensions that it is introduc~d into the tube 8 so as
to be a close ~it and 50 as to prevent any ingrass or egre~s of
air although it i also possibla to have the cannula 9 thinner so
that in the event that the emptying~process is interrupted, it
can ~e removed ~rom the plug element 10.
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The pre~nt inv~ntion i~ not con~ined to the embodlments ehown
h~reln; on the contrary, numerou~ po~6ibiliti~ ~or mod~fications
and change~ re~ult within the context of the precent invention~
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