Extracorporeal circuits for performing hemofiltration employing pressure sensing without an air interface
AssigneeNxStage Medical, Inc.
InventorsJeffrey H. Burbank, James M Brugger, Dennis M. Treu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An extracorporeal fluid circuit for performing hemofiltration defines within a flexible panel a flow channel that is free of an air interface. The flexible panel includes an in-line sensor region through which fluid pressure in the flow channel can be measured by an external sensor. The systems and methods enable sensing fluid pressure through the in-line sensor region using the external sensor. The flow channel can convey, e.g., waste from the hemofilter or replacement fluid for return to the individual.
Claims15
A hemofiltration system, comprising:
- a hemofilter;
- a first panel comprising first and second sheets of material sealed to form a first fluid pathway and a first chamber, the first fluid pathway passing a volume of a waste fluid to the first chamber, the first fluid pathway and first chamber free of an air interface;
- a second panel comprising first and second sheets of material sealed to form a second fluid pathway and a second chamber, the second fluid pathway passing a volume of a replacement fluid to the second chamber, the second fluid pathway and second chamber free of an air interface, wherein the first and second panels are arranged in overlapping fashion and aligned so that the first chamber overlays the second chamber to form a structure so that the first fluid from the first chamber is displaced as the second fluid fills the second chamber;
- a sensor operatively associated with at least one of the first or second panels to measure fluid pressure in the first or second fluid pathway;
- and
- an extracorporeal circuit for circulating blood from an individual through the hemofilter to remove waste and to return blood and replacement fluid to the individual after removal of waste while the first and second panels operate to balance the volume of removed waste fluid with the volume of replacement fluid.
A method for hemofiltration of a patient's blood, comprising the steps of:
- providing an extracorporeal fluid circuit comprising a hemofilter, a first panel comprising first and second sheets of material sealed to form a first fluid pathway and a first chamber, the first fluid pathway and first chamber free of an air interface, and a second panel comprising first and second sheets of material sealed to form a second fluid pathway and a second chamber, the second fluid pathway and second chamber free of an air interface, wherein the first and second panels are arranged in overlapping fashion and aligned so that the first chamber overlays the second chamber;
- attaching the patient to the extracorporeal fluid circuit to access the patient's blood;
- circulating blood from the patient through the hemofilter to remove waste and to return blood and replacement fluid to the patient after removal of waste while the first and second panels operate to balance the volume of removed waste fluid with the volume of replacement fluid;
- and
- measuring fluid pressure in the first or second fluid pathway using a sensor operatively associated with at least one of the first or second panels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.