Apparatus for kidney dialysis

A kidney dialysis machine comprising:

• (a) means for circulating dialysate at a dialysate conductivity through a dialysate circuit including a dialysate compartment for a dialyzer;
• (b) means for circulating blood from a dialysis patient through an extracorporeal blood circuit including a blood compartment of the dialyzer;
• and
• (c) control means operable to determine an expected conductivity reading of the dialysate and to automatically set conductivity alarm limits around the expected conductivity reading, wherein said control means comprises means for receiving a response from a machine operator indicating that the actual conductivity value for a dialysate is correct and, if the actual conductivity is different from the corresponding calculated conductivity value, to determine a ratio of the actual conductivity value over the calculated conductivity value, and to apply said ratio to setting the conductivity alarm limits.

A kidney dialysis machine comprising:

• (a) means for circulating dialysate through a dialysate circuit including a dialysate compartment of a dialyzer;
• (b) means for circulating blood from a dialysis patient through an extracorporeal blood circuit including a blood compartment of the dialyzer;
• and
• (c) a memory, the machine being operable to periodically save in said memory parameters associated with operation of the machine, the machine including means for automatically recalling from the memory, after a preselected duration of a power-off condition, the parameters according to which the machine was operating at the onset of the power-off condition.

A kidney dialysis machine comprising:

• (a) means for circulating dialysate through a dialysate circuit including a dialysate compartment of a dialyzer;
• (b) means for circulating blood from a dialysis patient through an extracorporeal blood circuit including a blood compartment of the dialyzer;
• and
• (c) a memory for storing data including a value representing a net cumulative volume of liquid passed from the blood compartment to the dialysate compartment during a dialysis treatment performed using the machine, the machine being operable to automatically preserve in the memory, during a preselected duration of a power-off condition, said value and to restore machine operation according to said value when power is restored to the machine.