Method and system for colloid exchange therapy

• US 20060163138A1
• Filed: 03/23/2006
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immunocept Medical Products, LLC (LMF Acquisition Opportunities, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Immunocept LLC
• Inventors: Matson, James R., Lee, Patrice A., Radunsky, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,520,992 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 210/321.600
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3413 Diafiltration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3437 downstream of the filter, e.g. post-dilution with filtrate
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3472 with treatment of the filtrate
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3486 Biological, chemical treatment, e.g. chemical precipitation; treatment by absorbents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/46 Apparatus therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/48 having one or more compartments filled with ion-exchange material , e.g. electrodeionisation
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/50 Stacks of the plate-and-frame type
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/52 Accessories; Auxiliary operation
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/54 Controlling or regulating
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 69/00 Semi-permeable membranes for separation processes or apparatus characterised by their form, structure or properties; Manufacturing processes specially adapted therefor

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and system for using a hemofilter to treat IMRD, hepatic failure, exogenous intoxication and other conditions associated with toxins in a patient'"'"'s blood. One treatment includes the use of a very large pore hemofilter to remove target complex molecules and/or target molecules from a patient'"'"'s blood and to infuse a replacement fluid into the patient'"'"'s blood to maintain a prescribed albumin concentration in the patient'"'"'s blood.

Claims

1. A very large pore hemofiltration system for removing target molecules and target complex molecules from a patient'"'"'s blood, comprising:

a blood flow circuit operable to remove and return a portion of the patient'"'"'s blood;

a very large pore hemofilter operably coupled with the blood flow circuit to allow the portion of the patient'"'"'s blood to flow therethrough;

the very large pore hemofilter operable to form a filtered blood stream and an ultrafiltrate stream containing the target molecules and the target complex molecules removed from the portion of the patient'"'"'s blood flowing therethrough;

a fluid source operable to supply plasma colloid replacement fluid to the filtered blood stream exiting the very large pore hemofilter;

the replacement fluid operable to provide clean albumin and clean target receptor molecules to attract additional inflammatory mediators and toxins from tissue spaces and tissue binding sites in the patient; and

the replacement fluid operable to provide sufficient clean albumin to maintain adequate plasma oncotic pressure.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the replacement fluid comprises a pharmaceutical grade balanced salt solution with a concentration of albumin greater than approximately 0.5 grams per one hundred milliliters.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the replacement fluid comprises a pharmaceutical grade balanced salt solution with a concentration of albumin less than approximately twenty grams per one hundred milliliters.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the replacement fluid comprises a pharmaceutical grade balanced salt solution with a plurality of clean target receptor molecules corresponding with a plurality of target receptor molecules contaminated with more than one toxin removed from the patient'"'"'s blood by the very large pore hemofilter.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a replacement fluid kit attached to the extracorporeal blood circuit during hemofiltration;

the replacement fluid kit having a reservoir with the replacement fluid disposed therein;

the reservoir having at least one port operable to communicate the replacement fluid from the reservoir;

a coupling operable to allow flow of the replacement fluid from the port to the extracorporeal blood circuit;

the replacement fluid including a pharmaceutical grade balanced salt solution suitable for infusion into the patient'"'"'s blood circulatory system; and

the replacement fluid having a concentration of albumin at least sufficient to maintain a prescribed albumin concentration in the patient'"'"'s blood circulatory system.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising the very large pore hemofilter operable to sieve target complex molecules from the patient'"'"'s blood to form a filtered blood stream and an ultrafiltrate stream containing target complex molecules.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the very large pore hemofilter further comprises a nominal molecular weight cutoff sufficiently large to sieve more than a nominal amount of target complex molecules during hemofiltration and the nominal molecular weight cutoff less than approximately one million Daltons.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the very large pore hemofilter further comprises a nominal molecular weight cutoff sufficiently large to sieve more than a nominal amount of target complex molecules during hemofiltration and the nominal molecular weight cutoff less than approximately five million Daltons.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the very large pore hemofilter further comprises a nominal molecular weight cutoff greater than approximately 150,000 Daltons to sieve target molecules and target complex molecules from the bloodstream and the nominal molecular weight cutoff selected to avoid removal of significant amounts of immunoglobulins to prevent increasing the risk of opportunistic infection.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the very large pore hemofilter further comprises a nominal molecular weight cutoff greater than approximately 150,000 Daltons to sieve target molecules and target complex molecules from the bloodstream and the nominal molecular weight cutoff less than approximately 1,000,000 Daltons to avoid removal of significant amounts of immunoglobulins to prevent increasing the risk of opportunistic infection.

11. An extracorporeal blood circuit for the filtration of a patient'"'"'s blood comprising:

the blood circuit operable to remove and to return a portion of the patient'"'"'s blood;

a blood filter operably coupled with the blood circuit to allow the portion of the patient'"'"'s blood to flow therethrough;

the blood filter having an effective molecular weight cutoff sufficiently large to sieve more than a nominal amount of target complex molecules from the portion of the patient'"'"'s blood;

the effective molecular weight cutoff less than approximately five million Daltons; and

a source for infusing albumin and corresponding clean target receptor molecules into a filtered blood stream exiting from the blood filter to maintain a serum albumin sufficient to preserve adequate plasma oncotic pressure for the patient.

12. An extracorporeal blood circuit for the filtration of a patient'"'"'s blood to remove target molecules and target complex molecules, comprising:

the circuit operable to remove and to return a portion of the patient'"'"'s blood;

a blood filter operably coupled with the circuit to allow the portion of the patient'"'"'s blood to flow therethrough;

the blood filter having a nominal molecular weight cutoff greater than 150,000 Daltons to sieve more than a nominal amount of the target complex molecules from the portion of the patient'"'"'s blood;

the blood filter having a nominal molecular weight cutoff less than approximately 5,000,000 Daltons to avoid removal of undesired amounts of immunoglobulins to prevent increasing the risk of opportunistic infection;

a fluid source having a fluid reservoir containing a replacement fluid for replacing target receptor molecules contaminated with at least one inflammatory mediator removed from the portion of the patient'"'"'s blood during hemofiltration;

the replacement fluid containing clean target receptor molecules to attract additional inflammatory mediators and toxins from tissue spaces and tissue binding sites in the patient; and

the fluid source operable to provide sufficient clean albumin to maintain adequate plasma oncotic pressure.

13. The circuit of claim 12 wherein the replacement fluid further comprises a concentration of albumin greater than approximately 0.5 grams per one hundred milliliters.

14. The circuit of claim 12 wherein the replacement fluid further comprises a concentration of albumin less than approximately twenty grams per one hundred milliliters.

15. The circuit of claim 12 further comprising the plurality of clean target receptor molecules corresponding with a plurality of target receptor molecules contaminated with more than one inflammatory mediator removed from the patient'"'"'s blood by the blood filter.