System and method for dialyzer evaluation
AssigneeFresnius Medical Care Holdings, Inc.
InventorsLouis LeeGrande Barrett, Chih-Hu Ho, Eric Stroup
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method for evaluating dialyzers used in different medical applications (e.g., hemodialysis). Red blood cell volume lost in a dialyzer is monitored by obtaining blood flowrate measurements and hematocrit measurements at input ports and output ports of the dialyzer. The flowrate and hematocrit measurements are used to determine an accumulation of red cell blood volume in the dialyzer. The measurements may be obtained in a lab environment with an in-vitro blood source or may be obtained in a clinical setting with an in-vivo blood source from a patient.
Claims20
A system for evaluating a dialyzer, the system comprising:
- a blood source;
- a first portion of tubing, configured to connect the blood source to an input of the dialyzer;
- a second portion of tubing, configured to connect to an output of the dialyzer;
- a pump, configured to pump blood from the blood source through the first portion of tubing into the dialyzer, and out of the dialyzer into the second portion of tubing;
- and
- a first blood chamber or port, disposed along the first portion of tubing, and a second blood chamber or port, disposed along the second portion of tubing, wherein the first blood chamber or port and the second blood chamber or port are configured to facilitate hematocrit measurement.
A method for evaluating a dialyzer using a dialyzer test system connected to a dialyzer, the method comprising:
- circulating, using a pump of the dialyzer test system, blood from a blood source through the dialyzer;
- and
- determining, using the dialyzer test system, a red blood volume loss corresponding to the dialyzer, wherein determining the red blood volume loss includes:
- (a) determining a blood flowrate corresponding to an input side of the dialyzer via a calibrated pumping rate of the pump or an input flowmeter of the dialyzer test system;
- (b) determining a hematocrit corresponding to the input side of the dialyzer via a first sensor assembly of the dialyzer test system attached to a first blood chamber of the dialyzer test system, wherein the first sensor clip assembly and the first blood chamber are disposed on the input side of the dialyzer;
- (c) determining a blood flowrate corresponding to an output side of the dialyzer via an ultrafiltration rate and the blood flowrate corresponding to an input side of the dialyzer;
- and
- (d) determining a hematocrit corresponding to the output side of the dialyzer via a second sensor clip assembly of the dialyzer test system attached to a second blood chamber of the dialyzer test system, wherein the second sensor clip assembly and the second blood chamber are disposed on the output side of the dialyzer.
A method for evaluating a dialyzer using a dialyzer test system connected to a dialyzer, the method comprising:
- circulating, using a pump of the dialyzer test system, blood from a blood source through the dialyzer;
- and
- determining, using the dialyzer test system, a red blood volume loss corresponding to the dialyzer, wherein determining the red blood volume loss includes:
- (a) determining a blood flowrate corresponding to an input side of the dialyzer by via a calibrated pumping rate of the pump or an input flowmeter of the dialyzer test system;
- (b) determining a hematocrit corresponding to the input side of the dialyzer based on blood drawn from a first port of the dialyzer test system, wherein the first port is on the input side of the dialyzer;
- (c) determining a blood flowrate corresponding to an output side of the dialyzer via an ultrafiltration rate and the blood flowrate corresponding to an input side of the dialyzer;
- and
- (d) determining a hematocrit corresponding to the output side of the dialyzer based on blood drawn from a second port of the dialyzer test system, wherein the second port is on the input side of the dialyzer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.