Peritoneal dialysis machine

• US 10,117,986 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2014
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baxter Healthcare SA (Baxter International Inc.), Baxter International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Baxter Healthcare SA (Baxter International Inc.), Baxter International Inc.
• Inventors: Childers, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiest, Philip R
• Application Number:
  US14/553,104
• Publication Number:
  US 20150082867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 604 401- 616
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02042 Determining blood loss or bleeding, e.g. during a surgical procedure
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1522 the interface being evacuated interfaces to enhance contact
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1524 the interface providing means for actuating on functional elements of the cassette, e.g. plungers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/154 with sensing means or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/155 with treatment-fluid pumping means or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1561 at least one cassette surface or portion thereof being flexible, e.g. the cassette having a rigid base portion with preformed channels and being covered with a foil
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1565 Details of valves
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/159 specially adapted for peritoneal dialysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/28 Peritoneal dialysis ; Other peritoneal treatment, e.g. oxygenation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/281 Instillation other than by gravity
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/284 Continuous flow peritoneal dialysis [CFPD]
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/288 Priming priming in extracorporeal blood circuits A61M1/3643
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3621 Extra-corporeal blood circuits single-needle circuits A61M1/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3639 Blood pressure control, pressure transducers specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3641 Pressure isolators
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3643 Priming, rinsing before or after use
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3644 Mode of operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3652 using gas, e.g. air
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/122 using evacuated interfaces to enhance contact
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/128 with incorporated valves
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/70 : with testing or calibration facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 7/00 : Measuring the steady or quasi-steady pressure of a fluid or a fluent solid material by mechanical or fluid pressure-sensitive elements G01L11/004 takes precedence; transmitting or indicating the displacement of mechanical pressure-sensitive elements by electric , e.g., photoelectric or magnetic means G01L9/00; measuring differences of two or more pressure values G01L13/00; measuring two or more pressure values simultaneously G01L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/04 : by detecting the presence of fluid at the leakage point

Abstract

A method for operating a dialysis cassette including a flexible membrane that covers a pump chamber includes allowing a source of fluid to fluidly communicate with the pump chamber of the dialysis cassette, filling the pump chamber with the fluid from the source, mechanically extending the flexible membrane into the pump chamber with a piston head to expel the fluid from the pump chamber through a flow path, and directly sensing a pressure of the fluid flowing through the flow path at a location of the dialysis cassette adjacent to the pump chamber and using the sensed pressure to perform a test prior to delivering fluid to a patient.

Claims

1. A method for operating a dialysis cassette including a flexible membrane that covers a pump chamber, the method comprising:

allowing a source of fluid to fluidly communicate with the pump chamber of the dialysis cassette;

filling the pump chamber with the fluid from the source;

mechanically extending the flexible membrane into the pump chamber with a piston head to expel the fluid from the pump chamber through a flow path; and

directly sensing a pressure of the fluid flowing through the flow path at a location of the dialysis cassette adjacent to the pump chamber and using the sensed pressure to perform a test prior to delivering fluid to a patient.

2. The dialysis cassette operating method of claim 1, wherein the test includes determining that a line occlusion has occurred based on the sensed pressure.

3. The dialysis cassette operating method of claim 1, which includes pulling a vacuum on the flexible membrane, opening the membrane within the pump chamber to fill the pump chamber with the fluid.

4. The dialysis cassette operating method of claim 1, wherein directly sensing the pressure includes directly sensing the pressure of the fluid flowing through the flow path at a location of the dialysis cassette between the pump chamber and a valve actuation position of the flow path.

5. The dialysis cassette operating method of claim 1, wherein directly sensing the pressure includes contacting the flexible membrane with a pressure sensor.

6. A method for operating a dialysis cassette including a flexible membrane that covers a pump chamber, the method comprising:

allowing a source of fluid to fluidly communicate with the pump chamber of the dialysis cassette;

filling the pump chamber with the fluid from the source;

pushing the flexible membrane into the pump chamber to expel the fluid from the pump chamber through a flow path;

directly sensing a pressure of the fluid flowing through the flow path at a location of the dialysis cassette adjacent to the pump chamber; and

determining that a line occlusion has occurred based on the sensed pressure.

7. The dialysis cassette operating method of claim 6, which includes determining that the line occlusion has occurred if the sensed pressure increases when pushing the flexible membrane into the pump chamber.

8. The dialysis cassette operating method of claim 6, which includes determining that the line occlusion has occurred if the sensed pressure fails to meet an expected pressure drop when pushing the flexible membrane into the pump chamber.

9. The dialysis cassette operating method of claim 6, which includes determining that the line occlusion has occurred during a priming sequence.

10. The dialysis cassette operating method of claim 6, which includes pulling a vacuum on the flexible membrane, opening the membrane within the pump chamber to fill the pump chamber with the fluid.

11. The dialysis cassette operating method of claim 6, wherein directly sensing the pressure includes contacting the flexible membrane with a pressure sensor.

12. A dialysis machine comprising:

a housing;

a mechanically actuated piston head extending from a pump actuator housed by the housing, the mechanically actuated piston head positioned to extend towards and away from a fluid pumping cassette, the fluid pumping cassette coupled operably to the housing such that a flexible membrane of the fluid pumping cassette faces the piston head so that the piston head can push the flexible membrane into a pump chamber of the fluid pumping cassette to expel a fluid from the pump chamber;

a pressure sensor located adjacent to the mechanically actuated piston head so as to sense a pressure of the fluid moved by the mechanically actuated piston head within the fluid pumping cassette; and

a controller programmed to use the sensed pressure to perform a test prior to delivering fluid to a patient.

13. The dialysis machine of claim 12, wherein the test determines whether a line occlusion has occurred.

14. The dialysis machine of claim 12, which includes a vacuum chamber configured to pull a vacuum on the flexible membrane to open the membrane within the pump chamber to fill the pump chamber with the fluid.

15. The dialysis machine of claim 12, wherein the pressure sensor directly senses the pressure of the fluid flowing through a flow path at a location of the fluid pumping cassette between the pump chamber and a flow path valve.

16. The dialysis machine of claim 12, wherein the pressure sensor contacts the flexible membrane.

17. A dialysis machine comprising:

a housing;

a mechanically actuated piston head extending from a pump actuator housed by the housing, the mechanically actuated piston head positioned to extend towards and away from a fluid pumping cassette, the fluid pumping cassette coupled operably to the housing such that a flexible membrane of the fluid pumping cassette faces the piston head so that the piston head can push the flexible membrane into a pump chamber of the fluid pumping cassette to expel a fluid from the pump chamber;

a pressure sensor located adjacent to the mechanically actuated piston head so as to sense a pressure of the fluid moved by the mechanically actuated piston head within the fluid pumping cassette; and

a controller programmed to use the sensed pressure to determine whether a line occlusion has occurred.

18. The dialysis machine of claim 17, wherein the line occlusion is determined by the controller if the sensed pressure increases when extending the flexible membrane into the pump chamber.

19. The dialysis machine of claim 17, wherein the line occlusion is determined by the controller if the sensed pressure fails to meet an expected pressure drop when extending the flexible membrane into the pump chamber.

20. The dialysis machine of claim 17, wherein the line occlusion is determined by the controller during a priming sequence.

21. The dialysis machine of claim 17, which includes a vacuum chamber configured to pull a vacuum on the flexible membrane to open the membrane within the pump chamber to fill the pump chamber with the fluid.

22. The dialysis machine of claim 17, wherein the pressure sensor contacts the flexible membrane.