Method and device for removal of radiocontrast media from blood

A method for infusing a supplemental fluid into a patient and removing filtrate from the patient using an extracorporeal blood circuit, the method comprising:

• withdrawing blood from the patient and into the extracorporeal blood circuit;
• pumping the withdrawn blood through the extracorporeal blood circuit at a pumping rate which determines a blood withdrawal rate from the patient;
• filtering the withdrawn blood in the extracorporeal blood circuit to remove filtrate from the blood;
• measuring a weight of filtrate removed from the blood, wherein the measured weight of filtrate represents a total weight of all filtrate removed from the blood in the blood circuit;
• adding a supplemental fluid to the withdrawn blood at an infusion rate;
• controlling at least one of a filtrate removal rate of the filtrate being removed from the blood throughout the extracorporeal blood circuit and the infusion rate of the supplemental fluid so that the total weight of the removed filtrate is commensurate with a weight of the supplemental fluid infused into the withdrawn blood, and
• infusing into the patient the filtered withdrawn blood and the supplemental fluid added to the withdrawn blood, while blood is being withdrawn to the extracorporeal blood circuit.

An extracorporeal blood circuit comprising:

• a withdrawal conduit connectable to a coronary withdrawal catheter positionable in or proximate to a chamber of a heart of a patient;
• a withdrawal pump connectable to the withdrawal conduit, wherein a pumping rate of the withdrawal pump determines a blood withdrawal rate from the coronary withdrawal catheter;
• a filter having an input connected to the withdrawal conduit and a blood output connected to an infusion conduit and a filtrate output connected to a filtrate conduit;
• a filtrate measurement device to determine a weight of a total amount of filtrate removed from the blood in the filter and by the blood circuit;
• a replacement fluid conduit providing a replacement fluid to at least one of the withdrawal conduit, the filter and the infusion conduit;
• a filtrate pump connectable to the filtrate conduit, wherein a pumping rate of the filtrate pump determines a rate at which the filtrate is withdrawn from the blood flowing through the blood circuit;
• a controller programmed to regulate the pumping rate of the filtrate pump such that the rate at which filtrate is withdrawn provides an amount of filtrate having a filtrate weight as measured by the filtrate measurement device which corresponds to a weight of the replacement fluid infused into the withdrawn blood throughout the extracorporeal blood circuit, and
• the infusion conduit connectable to a catheter insertable into the patient to infuse filtered blood and the replacement fluid while blood is being withdrawn into the withdrawal conduit.