Patent ID: 7190275

Claim:
An apparatus for monitoring the drip rate of an infusion fluid being administered by an intravenous infusion set, said apparatus comprising: a housing attachable to a drip chamber; a drop sensor positioned in said housing to detect drops of the infusion fluid being administered by the intravenous infusion set; an alarm; and a processor for determining a first amount of time required for said drop sensor to detect a first set of drops of infusion fluid having a predetermined number of drops, for determining a second amount of time required for said drop sensor to detect a second set of drops of infusion fluid having the predetermined number of drops, for comparing said second amount of time to a range of time having a minimum that is less than the first amount of time and a maximum that is greater than the first amount of time, and for activating said alarm if said second period of time is not within said range of time.