FLUID AND AIR HANDLING IN BLOOD AND DIALYSIS CIRCUITS

• US 20090088675A1
• Filed: 09/24/2008
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2007
• 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: Bernardo, Angelito A., Minkus, Marc S., Childers, Robert W., Hogard, Michael E., Rohde, Justin B., Maliekkal, Shincy J., Burns, William P., Muller, Matthew R., Kelly, Thomas D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,444,587 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/4.10
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/16 with membranes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1601 Control or regulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/282 Operational modes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/288 Priming priming in extracorporeal blood circuits A61M1/3643
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3624 Level detectors; Level control
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3627 Degassing devices; Buffer reservoirs; Drip chambers; Blood filters
• 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 1/3649 using dialysate as priming or rinsing liquid
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/02 Gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2202/0413 Blood
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/10 with powered movement mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3382 Upper level detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3386 Low level detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/75 with filters
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0402 Cleaning, repairing, or assembling

Abstract

An air purging method includes: (a) detecting a low fluid level in a blood circuit indicating a high amount of air in the blood circuit; (b) stopping a blood pump; (c) closing a venous patient line; (d) opening a blood circuit air vent valve and a drain valve; and (e) running the blood pump to meter air through the air vent valve and the drain valve to a drain.

Claims

1. An air purging method comprising:

(a) detecting a low fluid level in a blood circuit indicating a high amount of air in the blood circuit;

(b) stopping a blood pump;

(c) closing a venous patient line;

(d) opening a blood circuit air vent valve and a drain valve; and

(e) running the blood pump to meter air through the air vent valve and the drain valve to a drain.

2. The air purging method of claim 1, which further includes:

(f) detecting a high fluid level;

(g) stopping the blood pump;

(h) closing the air vent valve and the drain valve;

(i) opening the venous patient line; and

(j) running the blood pump to lower the fluid level.

3. The air purging method of claim 1, which further includes stopping a dialysate solution pump upon detecting the low fluid level.

4. The air purging method of claim 1, which includes detecting the low fluid level at an air trap.

5. The air purging method of claim 1, which further includes:

(f) detecting a low fluid level in a dialysate circuit, indicating a high amount of air in the dialysate circuit;

(g) stopping a dialysate pump;

(h) opening a dialysate circuit air vent valve; and

(i) running the dialysate pump to meter air through the air vent valve and the drain valve to a drain.

6. A blood priming method comprising:

(a) running a dialysate pump to pull blood from a patient into an extracorporeal blood circuit in a first direction and displacing a priming liquid to a drain until or after blood is detected in the blood circuit; and

(b) running a blood pump to pull blood from the patient into the extracorporeal blood circuit in a second direction and displacing the priming liquid to the drain until or after blood reaches an air trap in the blood circuit.

7. The blood priming method of claim 6, which includes pulling blood through a venous access in step (a) and pulling blood through an arterial access in step (b).

8. The blood priming method of claim 6, which includes opening an air vent valve to drain to allow the priming liquid to run from an air trap to drain.

9. The blood priming method of claim 6, which includes at least one of:

(i) detecting blood in step (a) via a blood presence detector;

(ii) communicating the dialysate pump with the extracorporeal blood circuit via an air vent line;

(iii) running the dialysate pump for a number of cycles or for a given time after blood is detected in the blood circuit; and

(iv) running the blood pump for a number of cycles or for a given time after blood reaches the air trap.

10. A blood priming method comprising:

(a) running a dialysate pump to pull blood from a patient into an extracorporeal blood circuit in a first direction and displacing a priming liquid to a drain for a number of pump cycles or for a given time; and

(b) running a blood pump to pull blood from the patient into the extracorporeal blood circuit in a second direction and displacing the priming liquid to the drain for a number of pump cycles or for a given time.

11. The blood priming method of claim 10, which includes at least one of:

(i) verifying (a) by detecting blood reaching a blood presence detector;

(ii) attempting to pump blood to an air trap in (b); and

communicating the dialysate pump with the extracorporeal blood circuit via an air vent line.

12. An air purging method comprising:

(a) detecting a low fluid level in a blood circuit indicating a high amount of air in the blood circuit;

(b) stopping a blood pump;

(c) closing a venous patient line;

(d) opening at least one blood circuit air vent valve to atmosphere; and

(e) running the blood pump to meter air through the at least one air vent valve to atmosphere.

13. The air purging method of claim 12, which further includes:

(f) detecting a high fluid level;

(g) stopping the blood pump;

(h) closing the at least one air vent valve;

(i) opening the venous patient line; and

(j) running the blood pump to lower the fluid level.

14. The air purging method of claim 12, which further includes stopping a dialysate solution pump upon detecting the low fluid level.

15. The air purging method of claim 12, which includes detecting the low fluid level at an air trap.

16. The air purging method of claim 12, which further includes:

(f) detecting a low fluid level in a dialysate circuit, indicating a high amount of air in the dialysate circuit;

(g) stopping a dialysate pump;

(h) opening at least one dialysate circuit air vent valve; and

(i) running the dialysate pump to meter air through the at least one air vent valve to atmosphere.

17. A blood priming method comprising:

(a) running a dialysate pump to pull blood from a patient into an extracorporeal blood circuit in a first direction and displacing a priming liquid to a dialysate circuit for the dialysate pump until or after blood is detected in the blood circuit; and

(b) running a blood pump to pull blood from the patient into the extracorporeal blood circuit in a second direction and displacing the priming liquid to the dialysate circuit until or after blood reaches an air trap in the blood circuit.

18. The blood priming method of claim 17, which includes pulling blood through a venous access in step (a) and pulling blood through an arterial access in step (b).

19. The blood priming method of claim 17, which includes opening an air vent valve in each of the blood and dialysate circuits to allow the priming liquid to run from the air trap in the blood circuit to an air trap in the dialysate circuit.

20. The blood priming method of claim 17, which includes at least one of:

(i) detecting blood in step (a) via a blood presence detector;

(ii) communicating the dialysate pump with the extracorporeal blood circuit via an air vent line;

(iii) running the dialysate pump for a number of cycles or for a given time after blood is detected in the blood circuit; and

(iv) running the blood pump for a number of cycles or for a given time after blood reaches the air trap.

21. A blood priming method comprising:

(a) running a dialysate pump to pull blood from a patient into an extracorporeal blood circuit in a first direction and displacing a priming liquid to a dialysate circuit for the dialysate pump for a number of pump cycles or for a given time; and

(b) running a blood pump to pull blood from the patient into the extracorporeal blood circuit in a second direction and displacing the priming liquid to the dialysate circuit for a number of pump cycles or for a given time.

22. The blood priming method of claim 21, which includes at least one of:

(i) verifying (a) by detecting blood reaching a blood presence detector; and

(ii) attempting to pump blood to an air trap in (b).

23. An air purging method comprising:

(a) detecting a low fluid level in a blood circuit indicating a high amount of air in the blood circuit;

(b) stopping a blood pump;

(c) closing a venous patient line;

(d) opening a blood circuit air vent valve leading to a container; and

(e) running the blood pump to meter air through the air vent valve to the container.

24. The air purging method of claim 23, which further includes:

(f) detecting a high fluid level;

(g) stopping the blood pump;

(h) closing the air vent valve;

(i) opening the venous patient line; and

(j) running the blood pump to lower the fluid level.

25. The air purging method of claim 23, which further includes stopping a dialysate solution pump upon detecting the low fluid level.

26. The air purging method of claim 23, which includes detecting the low fluid level at an air trap.

27. The air purging method of claim 23, the container a priming fluid container.

28. A blood priming method comprising:

(a) running a blood pump in a first direction to pull blood from a patient into an extracorporeal blood circuit and displacing a priming liquid to a container until or after blood is detected in the blood circuit; and

(b) running the blood pump in a second direction to pull blood from the patient into the extracorporeal blood circuit and displacing the priming liquid to the container until or after blood reaches an air trap in the blood circuit.

29. The blood priming method of claim 28, which includes pulling blood through a venous access in step (a) and pulling blood through an arterial access in step (b).

30. The blood priming method of claim 28, which includes opening an air vent valve to the container to allow the priming liquid to run from an air trap to the container.

31. The blood priming method of claim 28, which includes at least one of:

(i) detecting blood in step (a) via a blood presence detector;

(ii) running the blood pump for a number of cycles or for a given time in the first direction after blood is detected in the blood circuit; and

(ii) running the blood pump for a number of cycles or for a given time in the second direction after blood reaches the air trap.

32. A blood priming method comprising:

(a) running a blood pump in a first direction to pull blood from a patient into an extracorporeal blood circuit and displacing a priming liquid to a container for a number of pump cycles or for a given time; and

(b) running the blood pump in a second direction to pull blood from the patient into the extracorporeal blood circuit and displacing the priming liquid to the container for a number of pump cycles or for a given time.

33. The blood priming method of claim 32, which includes at least one of:

(i) verifying (a) by detecting blood reaching a blood presence detector; and

(ii) attempting to pump blood to an air trap in (b).