Automated dialysis system including touch screen controlled mechanically and pneumatically actuated pumping

A peritoneal dialysis system comprising:

• a hardware unit including a piston having a contact surface, a pneumatic source for supplying a negative pressure, a stepper motor configured to move the piston, a controller including at least one processor and memory device programmed to control the pneumatic source and the stepper motor, and a video monitor operating with a touch screen to enable a user to send and receive information to and from the controller;
• and
• a disposable unit received by the hardware unit, the disposable unit including a moveable membrane operable with the contact surface of the piston, the controller programmed to (a) operate the stepper motor so as to move the piston towards and away from the disposable unit and (b) cause the pneumatic source to apply the negative pressure to the moveable membrane of the disposable unit, wherein (i) the negative pressure causes the moveable membrane to conform to a shape of the contact surface,
• (ii) the shape-conformed membrane follows the piston as the piston is moved away from the disposable unit by the stepper motor, and
• (iii) the shape-conformed membrane moves with the piston as the piston is moved into the disposable unit by the stepper motor.

A peritoneal dialysis system comprising:

• a hardware unit including (a) a piston having a piston head, (b) at least one vacuum source, (c) a controller including at least one processor and memory device programmed to control the vacuum source, and (d) a video monitor operating with a touch screen to enable a user to send and receive information to and from the controller;
• a door connected to the hardware unit, the door including a cavity;
• a disposable unit received by the hardware unit, the disposable unit including (i) a flexible membrane defining a portion of a pump chamber, the pump chamber received by the door cavity and (ii) a dialysis fluid opening enabling dialysis fluid to be pulled into the pump chamber that includes the portion of the flexible membrane;
• and
• wherein the controller is programmed to receive information from the user via the video monitor and the touch screen and process the information using the at least one processor and memory device, such that when the pump chamber of the disposable unit is received by the cavity, the at least one vacuum source is controlled to apply a vacuum to the membrane of the disposable unit at the pump chamber to draw the membrane to the piston head.