Chemical liquid injection system

Abstract

An RFID chip including various types of data is mounted on a liquid syringe. A chemical liquid injector obtains various types of data from the RFID chip to perform a predetermined operation in accordance with at least some of the various types of data. For, example, a variable pattern for liquid can be recorded on the RFID chip of the liquid syringe to allow the chemical liquid injector to inject the liquid in accordance with the predetermined variable pattern. Thus, a large amount of data can be easily input into the chemical liquid injector to perform the various operations.

1 . A chemical liquid injection system including: a liquid syringe having a piston member being inserted slidably into a cylinder member filled with a liquid, a chemical liquid injector having a liquid injection mechanism for relatively moving the cylinder member and the piston member of the liquid syringe exchangeably mounted on the chemical liquid injector to inject the liquid into a patient and a medical device connected with the chemical liquid injector through a communication network; wherein
 said liquid syringe further comprises an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chip having various types of data recorded thereon, the RFID chip being mounted on said liquid syringe, and   said chemical liquid injector further comprises:   an RFID reader for obtaining the various types of data recorded on the RFID chip; and   an operation controller configured to perform a predetermined operation in accordance with at least some of the various types of obtained data, and wherein   said chemical liquid injector transmits information detected by said chemical liquid injector to said medical device.   
     
     
         2 . The chemical liquid injection system according to  claim 1 , wherein said chemical liquid injector further comprises data display means for outputting and displaying various types of data, and
 said operation controller comprises data holding means for holding the various types of data obtained from said RFID chip and display control means configured to cause at least the data display means to output at least some of the various types of held data.   
     
     
         3 . The chemical liquid injection system according to  claim 2 , wherein said chemical liquid injector further comprises an injection control unit on which at least the operation controller is mounted and an injection head formed separately from the injection control unit, at least the liquid injection mechanism and the data display means being mounted on the injection head. 
     
     
         4 . The chemical liquid injection system according to  claim 1 , wherein said RFID reader is mounted on the injection head. 
     
     
         5 . The chemical liquid injection system according to  claim 1 , wherein said RFID reader is placed at a position where the RFID reader detects said RFID chip of the mounted liquid syringe in said chemical liquid injector. 
     
     
         6 . The chemical liquid injection system according to  claim 5 , wherein said operation controller controls the liquid injection mechanism to enable its operation only when said RFID reader detects said RFID chip. 
     
     
         7 . The chemical liquid injection system according to  claim 5 , wherein said operation controller places the liquid injection mechanism at an initial position when the completion of injection operation is detected and then the detection of said RFID chip by said RFID reader is finished. 
     
     
         8 . The chemical liquid injection system according to  claim 1 , wherein said operation controller comprises data holding means for holding the various types of data obtained from said RFID chip and an injection controller configured to control the operation of the liquid injection mechanism in accordance with at least some of the various types of held data. 
     
     
         9 . The chemical liquid injection system according to  claim 8 , wherein said liquid syringe is of a pre-filled type which is shipped with a contrast medium filled thereinto as the liquid to be injected into a patient whose diagnostic image is taken by a diagnostic imaging apparatus, said RFID chip of the liquid syringe has a variable pattern set thereon for changing an injection rate of the contrast medium with time, and
 said operation controller changes the operation rate of the liquid injection mechanism with time in accordance with the variable pattern.   
     
     
         10 . The chemical liquid injection system according to  claim 1 , wherein said operation controller comprises a data store configured to store predetermined check conditions as data, a data collator configured to collate the stored check conditions with the various types of data obtained from said RFID chip, and alarm configured to output a check alarm based on the collation result. 
     
     
         11 . The chemical liquid injection system according to  claim 10 , wherein said RFID chip has at least a production number of each of said liquid syringes set thereon,
 said operation controller further comprises a data accumulator configured to store the production number of said liquid syringe which was mounted and used to perform injection operation, said data collator collates the stored production number with the production number of a newly mounted liquid syringe, and said alarm outputs the check alarm when the collated production numbers match.   
     
     
         12 . The chemical liquid injection system according to  claim 10 , wherein said liquid syringe has said RFID chip mounted thereon when the liquid syringe is used once or “used” is recorded as data on said RFID chip, and
 said operation controller further comprises a data recorder configured to record the “used” on said RFID chip of the liquid syringe which was mounted and used to perform injection operation, and said alarm outputs the check alarm when the “used” is obtained from said RFID chip of the liquid syringe. 
 
     
     
         13 . The chemical liquid injection system according to  claim 1 , further comprising peripheral device for the syringe including a hollow needle-like member inserted into the patient to flow the liquid, an extension tube connecting the needle-like member to said liquid syringe to flow the liquid, and a unidirectional valve inserted into the extension tube to regulate the flow direction of the liquid, and
 an RFID chip having various types of data recorded thereon being mounted on each peripheral device for the syringe.   
     
     
         14 . The chemical liquid injection system according to  claim 1 , further comprising a peripheral tool for the patient including a wristband put on an arm of the patient and a medical chart on which various types of data about the patient are written, and
 an RFID chip having various types of data about the patient recorded thereon being mounted on each peripheral tool for the patient.   
     
     
         15 . The chemical liquid injection system according to  claim 1 , further comprising a liquid warmer for keeping the liquid in the mounted liquid syringe at an appropriate temperature with a heat-retaining mechanism, the liquid warmer being provided separately from said chemical liquid injector,
 wherein the liquid warmer comprises:   an RFID reader for obtaining the various types of data recorded on said RFID chip; and   an operation controller configured to perform a predetermined operation in accordance with at least some of the various types of obtained data.   
     
     
         16 . A chemical liquid injector in the chemical liquid injection system according to  claim 1 , comprising:
 an RFID reader for obtaining the various types of data recorded on the RFID chip; and   an operation controller configured to perform a predetermined operation in accordance with at least some of the various types of obtained data, and wherein   said chemical liquid injector transmits information detected by said chemical liquid injector to said medical device.   
     
     
         17 . A liquid warmer in the chemical liquid injection system according to  claim 15 , comprising:
 an RFID reader for obtaining the various types of data recorded on the RFID chip; and   an operation controller configured to perform a predetermined operation in accordance with at least some of the various types of obtained data.   
     
     
         18 . The chemical liquid injection system according to  claim 1 , further comprising a second data display configured to display various types of data. 
     
     
         19 . The chemical liquid injection system according to  claim 1 , wherein said chemical liquid injector automatically moves the liquid injection mechanism forward to a position for holding the piston member when the chemical liquid injector detects the mounting of the liquid syringe by detecting the RFID chip with the RFID reader. 
     
     
         20 . The chemical liquid injection system according to  claim 1 , wherein the information is information about detection of said RFID chip by said RFID reader. 
     
     
         21 . The chemical liquid injection system according to  claim 1 , wherein said medical device comprises an operation control unit configured to control an operation of said medical device based on the information transmitted from said chemical liquid injector. 
     
     
         22 . A method of injecting a chemical liquid into a patient, the method comprising:
 providing a liquid syringe including a cylinder member filled with a liquid, a piston member inserted into the cylinder member and an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chip having various types of data recorded thereon, the RFID chip mounted on said liquid syringe;   mounting said liquid syringe on a chemical liquid injector connected to a medical device through a communication network, said chemical liquid injector comprising a liquid injection mechanism configured to relatively move the cylinder member and the piston member of the liquid syringe and an RFID reader configured to obtain the various types of data recorded on the RFID chip;   obtaining the various types of the data from the RFID chip by the RFID reader;   injecting the chemical liquid into the patient by driving the liquid injection mechanism in accordance with at least some of the various types of data; and   transmitting an information from said chemical liquid injector to said medical device when said chemical liquid injector detects the information.   
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 22 , wherein the transmitting includes detection of said RFID chip by said RFID reader. 
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 22 , further comprising controlling an operation of said medical device based on the information transmitted from said chemical liquid injector.