Generally, in an extracorporeal circulation apparatus such as the artificial heart-lung machine described in JP-A-2006-325750, a status value related to blood flowing inside a circulation circuit is obtained and monitored. Furthermore, a device in the apparatus, such as the pump provided in the circulation circuit of the machine described in JP-A-2006-325750, is controlled based on the result thereof.
In utilizing such an extracorporeal circulation apparatus, the pump can be operated by setting a flow rate (volume of flowing blood per unit time) in which a physique and the like of a patient are considered. In addition, a flow rate sensor provided on the circulation circuit detects the actual flow rate, and threshold values (an upper limit value and a lower limit value) for determining whether the flow rate is appropriate are also set. Furthermore, the apparatus can have a feature in which, when the flow rate detected by the sensor falls below the set lower limit value, an appropriate automated function such as issuance of an alarm is triggered.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds