[54] URINE MEASUREMENT APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF THE DENSITY OF URINE
[75] Inventors: Detlef Westphal, Oberursel; Klaus Metzner; Giinther Grimm, both of Bad Homburg; Uwe Lapp, Hohenahr-Mudersbach; Andreas Wild, Friedberg; Franz-Wilhelm Koerdt, Frankfurt, all of Germany
[73] Assignee: Fresenius AG, Bad Homburg, Germany [21] Appl. No.: 481,473 [22] PCT Filed: Nov. 8, 1994 [86] PCT No.: PCT/EP94/03671
§ 371 Date: Oct. 19, 1995
§ 102(e) Date: Oct. 19, 1995 [87] PCT Pub. No.: W095/13524
PCT Pub. Date: May 18, 1995
[30] Foreign Application Priority Data
Dec. 11, 1993 [DE] Germany 43 38 687.3
[51] Int. C I. A61B 5/00
[52] U.S. CI 128/760; 604/317
[58] Field of Search 128/771, 760,
128/767, 768; 604/317, 318, 327, 329, 331, 343, 345
[56] References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
3,859,854 1/1975 Dye et al 73/215
4,619,648 10/1986 Rath et al 604/326
4,712,567 12/1987 Gille et al 128/771
4,955,879 9/1990 Mervine 604/327
A body fluid measurement apparatus for continually monitoring the body fluids produced by a catheterized patient is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a discharge hose in fluid communication with the patient, a housing that supports the discharge hose, a dripping chamber for temporarily holding the body fluid while temperature and electrical conductivity measurements are made, a force transducer for producing a signal representing the weight of the body fluid mass collected, a container for collecting the body fluid that is suspended from the force transducer, a storage cell power source, and a computer for processing a signal generated by the force transducer, for generating a timing signal, and for computing the patient's body fluid volume flow in a certain time interval. All computed measurements are sent to a display also located on the apparatus. Additionally, two angle sensors, located in two planes orthogonal to one another, provide a signal to the computer for the compensation of the inclined position of the housing and for the compensation of an erroneous measurement of the weight of the body fluids collected. In addition, a method for the automatic monitoring and recording of the corrected volume flow of body fluids produced by a catheterized patient is also disclosed.
11 Claims, 6 Drawing Sheets
