JP2019045446A - Automatic analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an automatic analyzer having a graphical display that can figure out an appropriate exchange time in advance to prevent shortages of a reagent being measured and consumable supplies from the operation history.SOLUTION: An automatic analyzer 1, which is for measuring a sample with a plurality of reagents 7 or consumable supplies 6 and 12, includes: a storage unit 11 for storing the measurement history 13; and a prediction operation unit 14 for predicting the operation situation of the day based on the measurement history and setting an exchange recommended time zone to exchange a plurality of reagents or consumable supplies based on the predicted operation situation of the day and the respective amounts of the remaining reagents or consumable supplies. The analyzer displays the operation situation of the day and the set exchange recommended time zone in a band graph 15 on a screen 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer that performs qualitative and quantitative analysis of biological samples such as blood and urine, and more particularly to an automatic analyzer that predicts and displays maintenance time for replacing reagents and consumables from past usage history.

  In the conventional automatic analyzer, as described in Patent Document 1, a method of displaying the remaining amount of reagents and consumables on the screen and changing the color of the remaining amount display according to the remaining amount, and storing in time series Based on the information on the consumed amount of reagent or the number of times of reagent consumption and the remaining amount of reagent, predict the time when the reagent needs to be replaced, accumulate the consumed amount of reagent for each time of each item, and change the replacement time A method of calculating and displaying a list is described.

  In Patent Document 2, the replenishment amount is grasped by superimposing the residual amount of the reagent registered in the device and the amount of the reagent calculated from the past analysis information on the bar graph as well as characters, In order to grasp the excess and deficiency of consumables, it is described that the current remaining amount of reagent and the predicted consumption amount predicted from the past reagent use history are superimposed on a bar graph.

JP, 2008-209329, A JP 2012-237734 A

  In the analyzer disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is described that the work time can be improved by displaying the replacement time or the time required for the replacement on the screen or arranging the list in order of the replacement time. However, just displaying the time for each reagent requires the user to individually manage the reagent replacement time, and it is difficult to grasp the whole before the start of the operation.

  In the analyzer disclosed in Patent Document 2, the remaining amount of reagent, the number of predicted analyzes, and the number of excess / deficit are overlapped and displayed by a bar graph, and the reagent necessary for measurement according to the usage prediction before the start of use is displayed. Although it can be prepared in advance, it requires a structure in which a plurality of reagent containers can be installed.

  Both methods increase the size of the device because it is necessary to provide a mechanism for switching and adding reagents during operation. Small automatic analyzers can not provide such a mechanism due to space constraints. Therefore, when there is a shortage of reagents, the apparatus outputs an alarm to interrupt the dispensing of the sample. Since the reagent can not be replaced until the analysis under measurement is completed, the user waits for the completion of the reagent under analysis and becomes ready for reagent replacement, and then refills new reagents and consumables. After replacing the reagent and consumables, a standby operation for a while occurs because a preparation operation such as washing is required. Thus, when the exchange of reagents and consumables occurs during operation, useless waiting time occurs before the start of the next measurement.

  For this reason, the user is aware of the remaining amount of the reagent and exchanges it based on experience, even if the reagent remains, so that the user does not have to exchange the reagent and consumables during the operation. However, the user can only judge according to the remaining amount of reagents and consumables at present and his / her experience, and information is presented to the user in an easy-to-understand manner so that the user can decide the appropriate replacement time of reagents and consumables. It was not.

  In an automatic analyzer that performs sample measurement using a plurality of reagents or consumables, a storage unit that stores a past measurement history, and an operation status of the day predicted by predicting the operation status of the day based on the past measurement history and A forecasting operation unit that sets a recommended replacement time zone for replacing a plurality of reagents or consumables based on the remaining amount of each of a plurality of reagents or consumables The time zone is displayed on the screen as a band graph.

  The recommended replacement time zone for the reagent or consumable item is not displayed, but the recommended replacement time zone for the reagent or consumable item is displayed by being embedded in the predicted operating condition of the automatic analyzer. It is possible to carry out replacement of reagents and consumables intentionally and properly.

It is the schematic of an automatic analyzer. It is an example of transition by the time zone of sample analysis. It is a processing flow which sets up a exchange recommendation time zone based on operation prediction. It is an example of a screen display of a band graph. It is a recommended example of the exchange recommended time zone by the prediction operation unit 14. It is an example which integrates the exchange recommendation time zone of a plurality of automatic analyzers.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an automatic analyzer. The sample container 2 including the sample and the control is set in the sample rack 3 and the automatic analyzer 1 requests measurement. The sample rack 3 is transported to the dispensing position by the transport path 4, and the dispensing mechanism 5 dispenses the sample from the transported sample container 2 into the reaction container 6. The reaction vessel 6 is mixed with the reagent 7 and stirred, and the detector 8 measures the absorbance and luminescence amount of the reaction solution, the measurement result calculation unit 9 determines the concentration value etc. to be detected as the measurement result, and finally measures The request content and the measurement result are displayed on the screen 10. Further, the measurement result is stored in the hard disk 11 (storage unit) together with the information on the dispensing time of the sample and the measurement item. The reaction container 6 used for the measurement is washed with the detergent 12 and then reused in order to prevent disposal or contamination. In addition, as a reaction container used by this apparatus, a disposable reaction container may be sufficient. As the reaction container 6b, a state where a plurality of disposable assay cups are arranged on a tray is shown.

  The prediction calculation unit 14 predicts the operation rate of the automatic analyzer 1 from the past measurement history information 13 stored in the hard disk 11. The prediction result is displayed as a band graph 15 on the screen 10, for example, color-coded so that the operation rate for each time zone can be easily viewed. For example, since the user can grasp the time zone in which the automatic analyzer 1 is not performing the analysis operation from the band graph 15, it is possible to easily recognize the maintenance available time based on the operation prediction information.

  The example of transition by the time zone of the sample analysis which the automatic analyzer 1 performs in FIG. 2 is shown. The horizontal axis indicates time, and the lower half of the figure ((b) sample number) indicates the sample number to be carried out and the time zone in which sample analysis is performed for each sample number, the upper half of the figure ((a) simultaneous analysis sample The number indicates the number of samples for which simultaneous analysis is performed at each time when sample analysis is performed as shown in the lower half of the figure. It also shows the idle time zone 21 in which the analysis is not performed.

  Generally, in each hospital or laboratory where the automatic analyzer 1 is used, there is an inherent tendency for busyness of sample measurement in one day. For example, in the case of an automatic analyzer installed in a hospital, there is a sample measurement request of a hospitalized patient in the morning, followed by outpatients, sporadic afternoon outpatient examinations, periodic monitoring, interruption of emergency examinations, and the like. For this reason, while the operation status of the apparatus in one day changes greatly depending on the time zone, such a change is not a change that occurs randomly but is a change that is approximately predictable. For example, the number of hospitalized patients does not greatly fluctuate depending on the number of beds in the hospital, and there are also many examinations periodically performed as a routine.

  Therefore, the prediction calculation unit 14 quantitatively predicts the operation status of the current day from the past measurement history information 13. In the prediction operation, information that is considered to affect the operation status of the device in a day by the user is used as basic information of prediction. As basic information of prediction, for example, information such as month, day, day of the week, distinction between standard sample and emergency sample, request item, measurement time, doctor in charge, number of hospitalized patients, weather etc. can be used. Furthermore, the frequency of the urgent samples on the day can also be taken into consideration in order to cope with the situation that changes from moment to moment.

  As an example of a prediction method, mathematical basic class 1 or nearest neighbor method is used to find basic information that is particularly correlated with the measurement history in the past (this is referred to as a “main factor”), and these major factors Use to calculate the operating status of the day. The prediction method is not limited to this, and other methods such as deep learning can also be used.

  The user can set in advance the maintenance time necessary for replacing consumables such as the reagent 7 and the reaction container 6 from among the predicted free time based on the operation status prediction of the current day obtained by the prediction calculation unit 14 . When the user logs in, based on the login information, the automatic analysis apparatus 1 calls the time and replacement method necessary for exchanging work schedules and reagents and consumables on the day registered in advance, and displays the optimum maintenance time zone.

  FIG. 3 is a processing flow for setting the recommended replacement time zone in which the prediction operation unit 14 exchanges reagents and consumables based on the operation prediction. First, the number of test requests for the current day is predicted based on the ranking (step 31). When the forecasting operation unit 14 performs the operation status on the day, there are various basic information that affect the operation status. For this reason, as mentioned above, using methods such as mathematicalization class 1, the major factors (such as the day of the week, date, number of hospitalized patients, etc.) affecting the operation rate are ranked in advance from past measurement history information. In addition, the number of test requests for the current day is predicted based on the highly ranked factor, and furthermore, the operation rate and idle time zone for each time zone as shown in FIG. 2 are predicted based on the prediction (step 32) . For example, since it is possible to predict from the operation of the user's device that the test request based on the factor “number of hospitalized patients” is concentrated in the morning, for example, not only the number of test requests on the day Free time zones are also predictable. The operation rate is displayed as a band graph 15 on the screen 10 based on the predicted operation rate calculated in step 32.

  On the other hand, the remaining amount of reagents and consumables is updated to the latest state (step 41), and the remaining amount of reagents and consumables for the current day is calculated based on the predicted operation rate obtained in step 32. Insufficient time Ts is calculated (step 42).

  For each of the reagents and consumables (collectively referred to as "consumables i"), the apparatus idle time zone TWi is obtained at a time prior to the shortage time Ts_i calculated in step 42 (step 34). In the vacant time zone TWi, it is judged whether or not the consumable item i is less than the recommended replacement amount (step 35). If it is less than the recommended replacement amount, the vacant time period TWi is the replacement recommended time period for the consumable item i. (Step 36), and a mark indicating exchange of reagents and consumables is displayed at the position of the vacant time zone TWi on the band graph 15 (step 37). Displaying the mark is an example, and it is only necessary for the user to recognize the recommended replacement time zone (maintenance time zone) of the reagent or the consumable with good visibility by changing the color or the pattern and displaying it.

  In step 35, in the case where the recommended replacement amount is exceeded, the user is presented with an option for setting a recommended replacement time zone. The options include at least one of setting the time zone as recommended, notifying again, searching for a short free time, and giving priority to the remaining amount. The recommended operation rate can be secured by setting the time zone as recommended, but there is a possibility of wasting consumables. The re-notification can be expected to make a more reliable decision by judging again the situation of actual operation later. In searching for a short idle time, the idle time zone TWi is usually searched on the assumption that the time required to replace the consumable item, but the time is shortened to extend the search range. If priority is given to the remaining amount, priority is given to using up to the recommended replacement amount even if the operation rate may be reduced for consumables replacement.

  As an additional step, when the cursor of the screen 10 is on the band graph 15, a pop-up displays which reagent or consumable needs to be replaced. If another consumable item is generated within Th, it may be displayed to replace the other consumable item during the free time TWi (step 38).

  FIG. 4 shows an example of the screen display of the band graph 15. As shown in the legend, the operating status, the recommended replacement time zone, and the current time are displayed. In the figure, “in operation” information is displayed so as to be distinguishable according to the number of samples. When the cursor 51 is taken during the exchange recommended time zone of the band graph 15, a pop-up 52 showing details of exchange of reagents or consumables is displayed (step 38 in FIG. 3).

  The pop-up 52 indicates, for each module of the automatic analyzer 1, predicted residual amounts of reagents and consumables in the exchange recommended time zone. In the example of FIG. 4, the remaining amount of the acid detergent and the alkaline detergent is displayed for the module for biochemical analysis, and the remaining amount of the reaction container, the detergent, and the buffer solution is displayed for the module for immunoanalysis. In this example, consumables and the like to be replaced are indicated by hatching so as to be distinguished from consumables not to be replaced and displayed together with a recommended replacement amount. In the example of FIG. 4A, the two consumables are below the recommended replacement amount, and replacement is scheduled during the recommended replacement time period. On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 4 (b), although the remaining amount of the reaction container is larger than the recommended amount for replacement, when such replacement is selected at the timing of replacing other consumables, such a setting is (See step 38 of FIG. 3).

  If the user selects the current time 53 with the cursor, it is possible to confirm the remaining amount of reagents and consumables at the present time.

  An example of the recommended method is shown in FIG. First, after the apparatus is started, the exchange recommended time zone of the day is displayed based on the flow of FIG. 3 (FIG. 5 (a)). FIG. 5 (b) and FIG. 5 (c) show a state around noon. It is desirable that the prediction calculation unit 14 update the prediction based on the actual operation state of the automatic analyzer 1 and the examination schedule on the day when it is determined. In the example of FIG. 5, the past information portion is shown by masking the predicted operation status, but the actual operation value may be displayed instead of the predicted operation status.

  The example of FIG. 5B shows an example in which replacement of the consumable item 2 is also required due to a predicted update from the actual value, in addition to the consumable item 1 as the replacement schedule from the beginning, for example. If the recommended replacement time zone 62 for consumable item 1 and the recommended replacement time zone 63 for consumable item 2 are within a predetermined time (Th), for example, within 1.5 hours, replacement of both consumable items 1 and 2 is recommended It is also recommended to integrate into the time zone 62 and exchange them together (see step 38 in FIG. 3).

  The example shown in FIG. 5 (c) is an example in which the automatic analyzer 1 can not be stopped due to a reason such as emergency surgery because the time zone initially set as the recommended replacement time zone can not replace the consumables. . In such a case, the prediction calculation unit 14 recommends the recommended replacement time period 65 although the predicted remaining amount> the recommended replacement amount.

  As described above, when making the user select a replacement schedule or when it is necessary to change the replacement schedule, it is desirable to issue an alarm to the user and display it on the screen 10 along with the reason for recommendation to prevent the user's oversight .

  In addition, an automatic analyzer may have a plurality of automatic analyzers connected to one system. In such a case, since the operation status differs for each analyzer, the time period recommended for maintenance differs. If any analyzer can be masked and maintenance can be performed individually, a band graph 15 indicating the predicted operation status is displayed for each of the automatic analyzers connected to the system on one screen, and each exchange is recommended The time may be displayed.

  On the other hand, when a plurality of automatic analyzers are connected to one system, it is often efficient to simultaneously perform maintenance of the respective automatic analyzers as simultaneously as possible. In that case, it is possible to efficiently carry out exchange of reagents and consumables by accumulating operation information of the respective analyzers and putting them into one band graph. FIG. 6 shows an example of integrating the exchange recommended time zones of a plurality of automatic analyzers.

  FIG. 6A shows that in the automatic analyzer A, a recommended replacement time zone 71 for the consumable item 1 and a recommended replacement time zone 72 for the consumable item 2 are set. Similarly, in FIG. 6B, in the automatic analyzer B, a recommended replacement time zone 73 for consumables 3, a recommended replacement time zone 74 for consumables 4, and a recommended replacement time zone 75 for consumables 5 are set. Show that. The exchange recommended time zone set for the automatic analyzer A and the exchange recommended time zone set for the automatic analyzer B are combined as much as possible. For example, if it is not possible to secure a common replacement recommendation time in each of the previously set times, the most efficient replacement time can be obtained by setting a shorter replacement time (see step 43 in FIG. 3). Display band recommended. FIG. 6 (c) is an example in which the recommended replacement time zone is integrated in two automatic analyzers, and replacement of consumables 1 of automatic analyzer A and consumable 3 of automatic analyzer B in recommended replacement time zone 76 It is recommended to replace the consumable item 4 of the automatic analyzer B in the replacement recommendation time zone 77 and replace the consumable item 2 of the automatic analyzer A and the consumable item 5 of the automatic analyzer B in the replacement recommendation time zone 78.

1: Automatic analyzer, 2: Sample container, 3: Sample rack, 4: Transport path, 5: Dispense mechanism, 6, 6b: Reaction container, 7: Reagent, 8: Detector, 9: Measurement result calculation unit, 10: Screen 11: Hard disk 12: Detergent 13: Past measurement history information 14: Predictive operation unit 15: Band graph.

Claims (9)

In an automatic analyzer that performs sample measurement using a plurality of reagents or consumables,
A storage unit for storing past measurement history;
The exchange of replacing the plurality of reagents or consumables on the basis of the forecasted operation status of the current day based on the past measurement history and the predicted remaining status of the plurality of reagents or consumables on the current day And a prediction calculation unit for setting a recommended time zone,
An automatic analyzer which displays the predicted operating status of the current day and the set recommended replacement time zone as a band graph on a screen. In claim 1,
The prediction calculation unit obtains basic information with high correlation with respect to the past measurement history, and predicts an operation situation for each time zone in the current day based on the basic information with high correlation in the current day,
An automatic analyzer including, as the basic information, at least one of month, day, day of the week, distinction between standard sample and emergency sample, request item, measurement time, doctor in charge, number of hospitalized patients, and weather. In claim 1,
A recommended replacement amount is set for each of the plurality of reagents or consumables,
The prediction calculation unit is a free time in which any one of the plurality of reagents or consumables has become equal to or less than the recommended replacement amount among free times in which sample analysis is not performed based on the predicted operation status of the day The automatic analyzer which sets as the said exchange recommended time zone. In claim 3,
The prediction calculation unit is integrated and set in one exchange recommendation time zone when the exchange recommendation time zones of some of the plurality of reagents or consumables are close within a predetermined time. Automatic analyzer. In claim 3,
The automatic analysis device updates the prediction of the operation status of the current day and the setting of the recommended exchange time zone based on the actual operation information of the current day. In claim 3,
The prediction calculation unit presents a plurality of options when a vacant time which is less than or equal to the recommended replacement amount is not obtained before any of the plurality of reagents or consumables runs short.
As the plurality of options, select an idle time that is not less than the recommended replacement amount, notify again, search for an idle time that is shorter than a predetermined time but less than the recommended replacement amount, or Automatic analyzer including at least one of the preferred. In claim 1,
The automatic analyzer according to any one of the plurality of reagents or consumables can be identified so as to identify which one of the plurality of reagents or consumables is to be replaced by designating the recommended replacement time zone displayed on the band graph. A plurality of automatic analyzers according to any one of claims 1 to 7 are connected to constitute one system.
An automatic analyzer that displays the band graph of each of a plurality of automatic analyzers on one screen. In claim 8,
An automatic analyzer which integrates and sets the exchange recommended time zone in the band graph of the plurality of automatic analyzers into one exchange recommended time zone.

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