# US 2014/0190887 A1 · System and method to efficiently clean a blood filter > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0190887 A1 - Document ID: US20140190887A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/736,602 - Filed: 2013-01-08 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-08 - Assignees: Baxter Healthcare S.A.; Baxter International Inc. - Applicants: Baxter International Inc.; Baxter Healthcare S.A. - Inventors: Justin Rohde; Derek Wiebenson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140190887A1 ## CPC - A61M 1/168: {Sterilisation or cleaning before or after use} - A61M 1/1682: {both machine and membrane module, i.e. also the module blood side} - A61M 1/1686: {by heat} - A61M 1/1688: {with recirculation of the sterilising fluid} - A61M 1/169: {using chemical substances} - B01D 65/02: Membrane cleaning or sterilisation {; Membrane regeneration} - B01D 65/022: {Membrane sterilisation} - B01D 2321/02: Forward flushing - B01D 2321/04: Backflushing - B01D 2321/18: Use of gases - B01D 2321/2066: Pulsated flow - B01D 2321/2083: By reversing the flow - B01D 2321/40: Automatic control of cleaning processes - A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)} - B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28) ## Abstract A method for cleaning a blood filter includes: (i) pumping a physiologically safe fluid back and fourth through the insides and/or the outsides of a plurality of hollow fiber membranes of the blood filter to remove or loosen blood residuals, such as blood clots, proteins and/or biological fluid; (ii) injecting air into the physiologically safe fluid to form an air/fluid mixture; (iii) pumping the air fluid mixture through the insides and/or outsides of the plurality of the hollow fiber membranes of the blood filter to further or remove or loosen blood residuals therefrom; and (iv) removing the air/physiologically safe fluid mixture along with the removed or loosened blood residuals to drain. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for cleaning a blood filter comprising: pumping a physiologically safe fluid back and fourth through the insides and/or the outsides of a plurality of hollow fiber membranes of the blood filter to remove or loosen blood residuals, such as blood clots, proteins and/or biological fluid; injecting air into the physiologically safe fluid to form an air/fluid mixture; pumping the air fluid mixture through the insides and/or outsides of the plurality of the hollow fiber membranes of the blood filter to further or remove or loosen blood residuals therefrom; and removing the air/physiologically safe fluid mixture along with the removed or loosened blood residuals to drain. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein pumping the air/physiologically safe fluid mixture through the insides and/or outsides of the membranes includes breaking the air into microbubbles. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein pumping the air/physiologically safe fluid mixture through the insides and/or outsides of the membranes includes pumping the mixture from a bottom of the blood filter to a top of the blood filter. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein pumping the air/physiologically safe fluid mixture through the insides and/or outsides of the membranes includes pumping the air/physiologically safe fluid mixture back and forth across the membranes. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein pumping the air/physiologically safe fluid mixture through the insides and/or outsides of the membranes includes circulating the air/physiological safe fluid across the membranes a plurality of times. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein removing the air/physiologically safe fluid mixture to drain includes injecting air to push the mixture to drain. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, which further includes priming or disinfecting the blood filter after removing the air/physiologically safe fluid mixture to drain. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein injecting air includes filtering the air. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein injecting air includes pumping air into the blood filter via a blood pump. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein pumping the physiologically safe fluid back and forth includes reversing a blood pump. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein pumping the physiologically safe fluid back and forth includes sequencing a plurality of valves. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, which includes transferring the physiologically safe fluid from outside of the hollow fiber membranes, through walls of the membranes, and into the insides of the membranes to pump the treatment fluid back and forth. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the physiologically safe fluid used for pumping back and forth through the insides of the membranes is provided via a rinseback of blood to the patient, leaving physiologically compatible fluid inside of the membranes. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the physiologically safe fluid is selected from the group consisting of: dialysate, replacement fluid and saline. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, which is used with renal therapy equipment. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the blood filter is a dialyzer. ### Claim 17 A renal therapy system comprising: a blood filter including a plurality of hollow fiber membranes; arterial and venous lines in fluid communication with the blood filter; a blood pump for pumping blood through the arterial and venous lines and the blood filter; a treatment fluid pump in fluid communication with (a) a treatment fluid side of the blood filter or (b) the arterial or venous line; and a control unit controlling the blood pump and the treatment fluid pump during treatment and at least one of the blood pump and the treatment pump during a filter cleaning sequence in which (i) a physiologically safe fluid is transferred back and forth across the insides and/or outsides of the plurality of hollow fiber membranes, (ii) the physiologically safe fluid mixed with air is transferred across the insides and/or outsides of the plurality of hollow fiber membranes at least one time, and (iii) the physiologically safe fluid mixed with air and blood residuals loosened or removed from the hollow fiber membranes is transformed to drain. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The renal therapy system of claim 17, which includes a filtered air access in fluid communication with the blood pump, and a valve, the control unit controlling the valve to selectively allow in the air to be mixed in (ii). ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The renal therapy system of claim 17, wherein the treatment fluid pump is a replacement fluid pump, the treatment fluid being replacement fluid. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The renal therapy system of claim 19, wherein the control unit controls the replacement fluid pump to perform at least one of (i), (ii) or (iii). ### Claim 21 (depends on 17) The renal therapy system of claim 17, wherein the treatment fluid pump is a fresh dialysate fluid pump, and wherein the treatment fluid is dialysate. ### Claim 22 (depends on 17) The renal therapy system of claim 17, which includes a saline supply in fluid communication with the arterial or venous line, the treatment fluid pump being a saline pump, and the physiologically safe fluid being saline. ### Claim 23 (depends on 17) The renal therapy system of claim 17, wherein the control unit is configured to cause the blood pump to perform (i) to (iii) and the treatment fluid pump to be operated during at least one of (i) and (ii) on the outsides of the hollow fiber membranes to attempt to equalize pressures across the hollow fiber membranes. ### Claim 24 (depends on 17) The renal therapy system of claim 17, wherein the control unit is configured to cause the blood pump only to perform (i), (ii) and (iii). ### Claim 25 (depends on 17) The renal therapy system of claim 17, wherein the control unit is configured to cause the blood pump and the treatment fluid pump to perform (i) and (ii) and the blood pump only to perform (iii).