Anticoagulant-Free Dialysis Systems And Methods

• US 20130035663A1
• Filed: 04/14/2011
• Published: 02/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Incorporated (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Original Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Incorporated (Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA)
• Inventors: Ho, Chih-Hu
• Granted Patent: US 9,138,529 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/500
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 31/722 Chitin, chitosan
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 31/734 Alginic acid
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/16 with membranes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/34 Filtering material out of the blood by passing it through a membrane, i.e. hemofiltration or diafiltration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/341 by measuring the filtrate rate or volume
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3437 downstream of the filter, e.g. post-dilution with filtrate
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3455 Substitution fluids
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3458 having electrolytes not present in the dialysate
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/36 Other treatment of blood in a by-pass of the natural circulatory system, e.g. temperature adaptation, irradiation ; Extra-corporeal blood circuits
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3672 Means preventing coagulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3673 Anticoagulant coating, e.g. Heparin coating
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3675 Deactivation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3679 by absorption A61M1/3675 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2323/04 Hydrophobization
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2323/30 Cross-linking
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2325/38 Hydrophobic membranes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/28 Apparatus therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/0093 Chemical modification
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/68 Polysulfones; Polyethersulfones
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/76 Macromolecular material not specifically provided for in a single one of groups B01D71/08 - B01D71/74 rubbers in general B01D71/24
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/44 : by dialysis, osmosis or reverse osmosis general membrane separation processes B01D61/00, membrane modules B01D63/00, electrodialysis C02F1/4693, combination of membrane modules and bioreactors C02F3/1268

Abstract

An extracorporeal blood treatment system includes means for withdrawing blood from a patient, and means for transporting the blood through a calcium trap. The calcium trap includes a substrate having an immobilized species, the species being adapted to reduce the calcium concentration in the blood to a concentration that prevents blood clotting in the extracorporeal blood treatment system, thereby producing calcium-depleted blood. The extracorporeal blood treatment system also includes means for treating the calcium-depleted blood downstream of the calcium trap by an extracorporeal blood treatment device, thereby producing treated calcium-depleted blood, means for infusing calcium into the treated calcium-depleted blood downstream of the extracorporeal blood treatment device to add calcium to the treated calcium-depleted blood, and means for returning treated blood back to the patient.

Claims

1. An extracorporeal blood treatment system comprising:

means for withdrawing blood from a patient;

means for transporting the blood through a calcium trap, the calcium trap including a substrate having an immobilized species, the species being adapted to reduce the calcium concentration in the blood to a concentration that prevents blood clotting in the extracorporeal blood treatment system, thereby producing calcium-depleted blood;

means for treating the calcium-depleted blood downstream of the calcium trap by an extracorporeal blood treatment device, thereby producing treated calcium-depleted blood;

means for infusing calcium into the treated calcium-depleted blood downstream of the extracorporeal blood treatment device to add calcium to the treated calcium-depleted blood; and

means for returning treated blood back to the patient.

2. The extracorporeal blood treatment system of claim 1, wherein the substrate in the calcium trap is selected from the group consisting of polysulfone hollow fiber membranes, silica beads, polystyrene beads, hydrogel beads, or any combination thereof.

3. The extracorporeal blood treatment system of claim 1, wherein the substrate in the calcium trap comprises polystyrene beads.

4. The extracorporeal blood treatment system of claim 3, wherein the polystyrene beads are crosslinked polystyrene beads.

5. The extracorporeal blood treatment system of claim 1, wherein the substrate in the calcium trap comprises hydrogel beads.

6. The extracorporeal blood treatment system of claim 5, wherein the hydrogel beads include one of chitosan, crosslinked chitosan, positively charged chitosan, or any combination thereof.

7. The extracorporeal blood treatment system of claim 1, wherein the immobilized species is selected from the group consisting of EDTA, citrate, alginate, or calcium-binding protein.

8. The extracorporeal blood treatment system of claim 1, wherein the immobilized species comprises alginate.

9. The extracorporeal blood treatment system of claim 1, wherein the extracorporeal blood treatment device includes dialysis, adsorption, and filtration.

10. The extracorporeal blood treatment system of claim 1, further including a dialyzer, the dialyzer including a hydrophobic membrane wherein at least one copolymer is attached to the hydrophobic membrane, and wherein each copolymer is comprised of at least one hydrophobic segment and at least one hydrophilic segment.

11. The extracorporeal blood treatment system of claim 1, wherein calcium is added to the calcium-depleted blood to adjust the patient'"'"'s intradialytic calcium mass balance to desired levels relative to the patient'"'"'s interdialytic intakes of calcium and liquid.

12. In a system for dialyzing blood of a patient having an inlet for introducing blood of the patient, a dialyzer for dialyzing blood, a calcium infusion device downstream of the dialyzer to add calcium to the calcium-depleted blood, and an outlet for discharging dialyzed blood back to the patient, the improvement comprising providing a calcium trap upstream of the dialyzer including a substrate having an immobilized species, the species being adapted to reduce the calcium concentration in the blood to a concentration that prevents blood clotting in the system.

13. The improvement of claim 12, wherein the substrate is selected from the group consisting of polysulfone hollow fiber membranes, silica beads, polystyrene beads, hydrogel beads, or any combination thereof.

14. The improvement of claim 12, wherein the substrate in the calcium trap comprises polystyrene beads.

15. The improvement of claim 14, wherein the polystyrene beads are crosslinked polystyrene beads.

16. The improvement of claim 12, wherein the substrate in the calcium trap comprises hydrogel beads.

17. The improvement of claim 16, wherein the hydrogel beads include one of chitosan, crosslinked chitosan, positively charged chitosan, or any combination thereof.

18. The improvement of claim 12, wherein the immobilized species is selected from the group consisting of ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid, citrate, alginate, or calcium-binding protein.

19. The improvement of claim 12, wherein the immobilized species comprises alginate.

20. The improvement of claim 12, wherein the dialyzer includes a hydrophobic membrane with at least one copolymer attached to the hydrophobic membrane, and wherein each copolymer is comprised of at least one hydrophobic segment and at least one hydrophilic segment.

21. The improvement of claim 12, wherein the calcium infusion device is adapted to adjust the patient'"'"'s intradialytic calcium mass balance to desired levels relative to the patient'"'"'s interdialytic intakes of calcium and liquid.

22. A method of dialyzing blood comprising:

a) directing blood into a dialysis system including a dialyzer;

b) directing the blood through a calcium trap located upstream of the dialyzer, the calcium trap including a substrate having an immobilized species, the species being adapted to reduce the calcium concentration in the blood to a concentration that prevents blood clotting in the dialysis system, thereby producing calcium-depleted blood;

c) directing the calcium-depleted blood through the dialyzer, thereby removing deleterious substances and aqueous fluid from the blood; and

d) infusing a calcium containing solution into the calcium-depleted blood.

23. The method of dialyzing blood of claim 22, wherein the substrate is selected from the group consisting of polysulfone hollow fiber membranes, silica beads, polystyrene beads, hydrogel beads, or any combination thereof.

24. The, method of dialyzing blood of claim 22, wherein the substrate in the calcium trap comprises polystyrene beads.

25. The method of dialyzing blood of claim 24, wherein the polystyrene beads are crosslinked polystyrene beads.

26. The method of dialyzing blood of claim 22, wherein the substrate in the calcium trap comprises hydrogel beads.

27. The method of dialyzing blood of claim 26, wherein the hydrogel beads include one of chitosan, crosslinked chitosan, positively charged chitosan, or any combination thereof.

28. The method of dialyzing blood of claim 22, wherein the immobilized species is selected from the group consisting of ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid, citrate, alginate, or calcium-binding protein.

29. The method of dialyzing blood of claim 22, wherein the immobilized species comprises alginate.

30. The method of dialyzing blood of claim 22, wherein the dialyzer includes a hydrophobic membrane with at least one copolymer attached to the hydrophobic membrane, and wherein each copolymer is comprised of at least one hydrophobic segment and at least one hydrophilic segment.