General Electric Company

Ge Precision Healthcare LLC

Ge Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC

Joseph James Lacey

Ashutosh Joshi

Russell James Kuzelka

Abdelaziz Ikhlef

Thomas Lane Bender, Ii

David Michael Wahl

Mark A Kappel

Gregory Scott Zeman

William Edward Burdick, Jr

Haruo Kurochi

Sandeep Shrikant Tonapi

Baiju Zacharia Babu

Lee F Wichlacz

Richard Paul Vandeweghe

David Michael Hoffman

Hua Zhang

Yunfeng Sun

Jean-Paul Bouhnik

Xiaoye Wu

James Scott Vartuli

Douglas J Snyder

Haochuan Jiang

Mayank Gupta

Zhaoping Wu

Russell Wayne Hum

Venkatarao Ryali

Brian Joseph Graves

Medy Satria

Qun Deng

Kun Tao

Mark Adamak

Zhaohui Yang

Sanketh Bhat

Ross Hoggatt

Matthew Edward Dragovich

Lucas Jason Divine

Brady S Weigel

Julie Anne Mills

Kotatsu Kawaguchi

Gary Warrichaiet

Robert J Augustyn

James A Beacham

Xinfeng Li

Pengcheng Liu

A system comprises an energy source and detector. The energy source is configured to emit energy from a focal spot. The detector comprises an array of pixels. Each of the pixels of the array of pixels has a centerline extending longitudinally through the pixel. The centerline of each pixel is focally aligned with the focal spot of the energy source. Each of the pixels receives selected amounts of the energy from the energy source that have passed through an object.

Detector with focally aligned pixels

Methods and systems are provided for delivering anesthetic agent to a patient. In one embodiment, an anesthetic vaporizer includes a sump configured to hold a liquid anesthetic agent; an ultrasonic transducer coupled to a bottom of the sump and at least partially disposed within the sump; a vaporizing chamber fluidically coupled to the sump; and a heating element coupled to the vaporizing chamber and configured to increase a temperature of a surface disposed within the vaporizing chamber.

Systems and methods for an ultrasonically driven anesthetic vaporizer

A moisture management system for a medical device. A water trap has an inlet, outlet, first reservoir, and drain, the inlet receiving gas from a supply connection and the outlet returning the gas to a patient connection. The water trap removes moisture from the gas flowing from the inlet to the outlet, where the moisture removed is held in the first reservoir. The system further includes an evaporation chamber having an inlet, an exhaust, and a second reservoir. The inlet is fluidly coupled to the drain of the water trap to receive the moisture from the first reservoir. The moisture is subsequently held in the second reservoir. The evaporation chamber is configured such that the moisture evaporates from the second reservoir and exits as vapor via the exhaust. An evaporator increases a rate at which the moisture in the second reservoir evaporates via the exhaust.

Systems and methods for managing moisture for medical devices

A method for making a container for retaining anesthetic agent. The method includes creating two or more parts each having a mating surface, where the container is formed when the mating surfaces of the two or more parts are coupled together, and where a first part of the two or more parts is formed of a material having pores defined within the mating surface thereof. The method further includes processing the mating surface of the first part via friction stir welding to reduce the pores defined therein. The method further includes coupling the two or more parts together such that the mating surfaces contact to create the container configured to retain the anesthetic agent therein.

Containers for retaining anesthetic agent and manufacturing methods thereof

An anesthesia vaporizer system includes a vaporizer reservoir forming a sump chamber that contains liquid anesthetic agent and a fill chamber isolated from the sump chamber configured to receive liquid anesthetic agent from a refill container. A piston is in the sump chamber configured to maintain a constant force on the liquid anesthetic agent in the sump chamber, and a transfer valve is configured to permit the liquid anesthetic agent to flow from the fill chamber to the sump chamber. The vaporizer reservoir has an outlet port that delivers the liquid anesthetic agent from the sump chamber to a vaporizing system that vaporizes the liquid anesthetic agent for delivery to a patient.

Anesthesia vaporizer reservoir and system

An anesthesia vaporizer system includes a sump chamber, a variable volume reservoir within the sump chamber, and an anesthetic vaporizer. The variable volume reservoir is configured to contain anesthetic agent. A pressurized gas source is connected to the sump chamber and configured to maintain a constant pressure within the sump chamber to compress the variable volume reservoir to force the anesthetic agent through the anesthetic vaporizer, which vaporizes the liquid anesthetic agent for delivery to a patient.

Anesthesia vaporizer system having a variable volume reservoir

Methods and systems are provided for anesthetic agent leakage diagnostics. In one embodiment, a method for diagnosing leaks in an anesthetic vaporizer includes calculating a leakage rate based on measurements of an anesthetic agent level in a sump of the anesthetic vaporizer, the measurements received from a fluid level sensor at a first time and a second time, and outputting a maintenance alert responsive to the leakage rate exceeding a threshold.

Methods and systems for anesthetic agent leakage diagnostics

Systems and methods are provided for anesthetic agent level sensing. In one embodiment, a system for an inductive level sensor for an anesthetic vaporizer includes a measurement target positioned around a rod that extends within a chamber configured to hold liquid anesthetic agent, the rod configured to be at least partially submerged in the liquid anesthetic agent and the measurement target configured to slide vertically along a length of the rod and rest on a surface of the liquid anesthetic agent, and a strip of inductive transmitter coils and receiver coils positioned external to the chamber, a length of the strip aligned with the length of the rod, the transmitter coils configured to generate a magnetic field that surrounds the rod and the measurement target and the receiver coils configured to sense changes in the generated magnetic field at a vertical location of the measurement target on the rod.

Systems and method for an inductive anesthetic agent level sensor

Systems and methods are provided for delivering anesthetic agent to a patient. In one embodiment, an anesthetic vaporizer includes a vaporizing chamber configured to hold a liquid anesthetic agent, and an inductive heating element positioned exterior to the vaporizing chamber and housed within a gas-tight barrier, the inductive heating element operated to selectively heat a target.

Systems and methods for an inductively heated anesthetic vaporizer

Systems and methods are provided for delivering anesthetic agent to a patient. In one embodiment, an anesthetic vaporizer includes a housing defining a sump, the sump configured to hold a self-contained supply of liquid anesthetic agent, a heating element electrically coupled to an electrical mating component, a gas inlet passage and a gas outlet passage, a manifold fluidically coupled to the gas inlet passage and the gas outlet passage, the manifold coupled to the housing and forming a gas-tight seal with the sump, and a quick disconnect pneumatic system coupled to the gas inlet passage and the gas outlet passage, sealing the gas inlet passage and the gas outlet passage from atmosphere.

Systems and methods for a disposable anesthetic vaporizer

Methods and systems are provided for delivering anesthetic agent to a patient. In one embodiment, an anesthetic vaporizer includes a vaporizing chamber configured to hold a liquid anesthetic agent; a grid disposed within the vaporizing chamber; and a heating element positioned relative to the vaporizing chamber and configured to increase the temperature of the grid.

A system for tracking anesthetic agent in a vaporizer reservoir includes a mass flow sensor configured to measure a flow rate entering or exiting a vaporizer chamber, a gas pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure of a mixed gas provided from the vaporizer chamber, a gas temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the mixed gas provided from the vaporizer chamber, and an agent time module executable on a processor. The agent time module is configured to calculate a remaining agent time based on at least the gas flow rate, the pressure of the mixed gas, the temperature of the mixed gas, and an anesthetic concentration in the mixed gas. The remaining agent time is then provided for display on a display device.

System and method for tracking anesthetic agent in a vaporizer reservoir

An anesthesia vaporizer system includes a vaporizer reservoir forming a sump chamber containing a liquid anesthetic agent, a piston that forms a first chamber on a first side of the piston. The vaporizer reservoir has a fill port configured to receive a refill container containing liquid anesthetic agent and to permit flow into the first chamber. A motor moves the piston between a first position and a second position, wherein the volume of the first chamber increases as the piston moves from the first position towards the second position. The liquid anesthetic agent is thereby drawn from the refill container into the first chamber. A transfer valve is configured to permit the liquid anesthetic agent to flow from the first chamber into the sump chamber. An outlet port delivers the liquid anesthetic agent from the sump chamber into a vaporizing system that vaporizes it for delivery to a patient.

Liquid accumulators and methods for reducing pulsations of a liquid flow are disclosed. A liquid delivery system comprises a pump configured to drive liquid to a pipe. The pipe is configured to transmit a liquid flow. A liquid accumulator is fluidically connected to the pipe. The liquid accumulator comprises a chamber containing the liquid and a vapor column and a power source configured to input energy to the chamber to generate vapor from the liquid to form the vapor column. The vapor column constitutes a gas spring to reduce pulsations of the liquid flow in the pipe. The spring rate of the gas spring can be adjusted by changing the input energy level from the power source to the chamber.

Vapor column liquid accumulator

Growing community of inventors

Cambridge, WI, United States of America

Joseph James Lacey