DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MONITORING AN EXTRACORPOREAL BLOOD TREATMENT

• US 20120330214A1
• Filed: 12/27/2010
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Deutschland GmbH (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Original Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Deutschland GmbH (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Inventors: Peters, Arne, Wiktor, Christoph
• Granted Patent: US 10,022,485 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/6.11
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1603 Regulation parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3656 Monitoring patency or flow at connection sites; Detecting disconnections
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3663 Flow rate transducers; Flow integrators
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/18 with alarm
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3375 Acoustical, e.g. ultrasonic, measuring means

Abstract

A device and method for monitoring an access to a patient, an extracorporeal blood circuit and/or a dialysing fluid system includes a centrifugal pump for conveying blood or dialysing fluid instead of an occluding pump. Centrifugal pumps bring about a large change in flow rate by even a small change in pressure difference across the pump. The device includes a measuring unit for measuring the flow rate of blood or dialysing fluid conveyed by the centrifugal pump, and a control and computing unit configured to determine an incorrect vascular access or malfunction if a change in measured flow rate Q is more than a predetermined amount. For example, a small drop in pressure in the venous blood line leads to a marked increase in the flow rate of the centrifugal pump, which is used as a basis for the detection of an incorrect vascular access.

Claims

1. A device for monitoring an extracorporeal blood treatment apparatus with an extracorporeal blood circuit having an arterial blood line with an arterial patient connection and a venous blood line with a venous patient connection, and a dialysing fluid system, wherein a centrifugal pump for conveying blood in the extracorporeal blood circuit is disposed in one of the arterial blood line or the venous blood line of the extracorporeal blood circuit, the device comprising:

a measuring unit for measuring flow rate Q of the blood conveyed by the centrifugal pump in the extracorporeal blood circuit, and

a control and computing unit configured such that, in the event of a change in the measured flow rate of more than a predetermined amount, at least one of an incorrect vascular access and a malfunction in the extracorporeal blood circuit is determined.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the control and computing unit comprises a comparison unit for comparing the measured flow rate with a preset flow rate and a signal generation unit for generating a control signal when a difference between the measured flow rate and the preset flow rate is greater than a specific threshold value.

4. The device according to claim 3, further comprising an alarm unit, which emits at least one of an acoustic, optical and tactile alarm when the control and computing unit generates the control signal.

5. The device according to claim 1, the measuring unit for measuring the flow rate of the blood conveyed by the centrifugal pump in the extracorporeal blood circuit comprises a flow sensor for non-invasive measurement of the flow rate of the blood in the one of the arterial blood line or the venous blood line.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the flow sensor for the non-invasive measurement of the flow rate of the blood is an ultrasound flow sensor.

7. The device according to claim 1, further comprising an input unit for inputting data records, wherein the control and computing unit comprises a memory, in which specific threshold values are assigned to individual data records.

8. An apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment with an extracorporeal blood circuit comprising:

an arterial blood line with an arterial patient connection and a venous blood line with a venous patient connection, wherein a centrifugal pump for conveying blood in the extracorporeal blood circuit is disposed in one of the arterial blood line or the venous blood line, and

the monitoring device according to claim 1.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a central control unit configured such that the control unit intervenes in the machine control when the control and computing unit of the monitoring device generates a control signal.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the control unit of the blood treatment apparatus is configured such that the centrifugal pump disposed in the extracorporeal blood circuit is stopped as an intervention into the machine control.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the control unit of the blood treatment apparatus is configured such that a shut-off element disposed in or on the venous blood line is closed as an intervention in the machine control.

13. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the centrifugal pump is disposed in the arterial blood line.

2. A device for monitoring an extracorporeal blood treatment apparatus with an extracorporeal blood circuit, and a dialysing fluid system having a dialysing fluid supply line and a dialysing fluid discharge line, wherein a centrifugal pump for conveying dialysing fluid is disposed in one of the dialysing fluid supply line or the dialysing fluid discharge line of the dialysing fluid system, the device comprising:

a measuring unit for measuring flow rate Q of the dialysing fluid conveyed by the centrifugal pump in the dialysing fluid system, and

a control and computing unit configured such that, in the event of a change in the measured flow rate of more than a predetermined amount, a malfunction in the dialysing fluid system is determined.

9. An apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment with an extracorporeal blood circuit and a dialysing fluid system comprising:

a dialysing fluid supply line and a dialysing fluid discharge line, wherein a centrifugal pump for conveying dialysing fluid is disposed in one of the dialysing fluid supply line or the dialysing fluid discharge line of the dialysing fluid system, and

the monitoring device according to claim 2.

14. A method for monitoring an extracorporeal blood treatment apparatus with an extracorporeal blood circuit having an arterial blood line with an arterial patient connection and a venous blood line with a venous patient connection, and a dialysing fluid system, wherein a centrifugal pump for conveying blood in the extracorporeal blood circuit is disposed in one of the arterial blood line or the venous blood line, the method comprising:

measuring flow rate Q of the blood conveyed by the centrifugal pump in the extracorporeal blood circuit, and

determining at least one of an incorrect vascular access and a malfunction in the extracorporeal blood circuit in the event of a change in measured flow rate Q of more than a predetermined amount.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

comparing the measured flow rate with a preset flow rate, and

determining the at least one of an incorrect vascular access and a malfunction in the extracorporeal blood circuit if a difference between the measured flow rate and the preset flow rate is greater than a specific threshold value.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the flow rate of the blood conveyed by the centrifugal pump in the extracorporeal blood circuit is measured non-invasively.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the flow rate of the blood is measured with an ultrasound flow sensor.

19. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

emitting at least one of an acoustic, optical and tactile alarm is when the at least one of an incorrect vascular access and a malfunction in the extracorporeal blood circuit is determined.

20. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

carrying out an intervention in the machine control of the extracorporeal blood treatment apparatus after the at least one of an incorrect vascular access and a malfunction in the extracorporeal blood circuit is determined.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the centrifugal pump disposed in the extracorporeal blood circuit is stopped as the intervention in the machine control.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein a shut-off element disposed in or on the venous blood line is closed as the intervention in the machine control.

23. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

comparing data records inputted on an input unit are compared with stored data records to which specific threshold values are assigned, a threshold value being selected that corresponds to an inputted data record.

15. A method for monitoring an extracorporeal blood treatment apparatus with an extracorporeal blood circuit having an arterial blood line with an arterial patient connection and a venous blood line with a venous patient connection, and a dialysing fluid system having a dialysing fluid supply line and a dialysing fluid discharge line, wherein a centrifugal pump for conveying dialysing fluid is disposed in one of the dialysing fluid supply line or the dialysing fluid discharge line of the dialysing fluid system, the method comprising:

measuring flow rate Q of the dialysing fluid conveyed by the centrifugal pump in the dialysing fluid system, and

determining a malfunction in the dialysing fluid system in the event of a change in measured flow rate Q of more than a predetermined amount.