DYNAMIC WEIGHT BALANCING OF FLOW IN KIDNEY FAILURE TREATMENT SYSTEMS

• US 20130228517A1
• Filed: 04/17/2013
• Published: 09/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baxter International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Baxter Healthcare SA (Baxter International Inc.), Baxter International Inc.
• Inventors: Roger, Rodolfo G., Hogard, Michael E., Kelly, Thomas D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,562,822 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 210/646
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/14 Dialysis systems; Artificial kidneys; Blood oxygenators semi-permeable membranes characterised by the material, manufacturing processes therefor B01D71/00; Reciprocating systems for treatment of body fluids, e.g. single needle systems for hemofiltration or pheresis
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/16 with membranes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1605 Physical characteristics of the dialysate fluid
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1613 Profiling or modelling of patient or predicted treatment evolution or outcome
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/28 Peritoneal dialysis ; Other peritoneal treatment, e.g. oxygenation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/284 Continuous flow peritoneal dialysis [CFPD]
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/341 by measuring the filtrate rate or volume
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3334 Measuring or controlling the flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3393 by weighing the reservoir

Abstract

A kidney failure treatment system includes: (i) a dialysate supply; (ii) a weighing device; a control container coupled operably to the weighing device; (iii) a diffusion membrane; (iv) a drain; first and second pumps; (v) a first fluid conduit coupled fluidly to the dialysate supply and the diffusion membrane, the first fluid conduit coupled operably to the first pump; (vi) a second fluid conduit coupled fluidly to the control container and the drain, the second fluid conduit coupled operably to the first pump; and (vii) a third fluid conduit coupled fluidly to the diffusion membrane and the control conduit, the third fluid conduit coupled operably to the second pump.

Claims

1. A kidney failure treatment system comprising:

a dialysate supply;

a weighing device;

a control container coupled operably to the weighing device;

a membrane filter;

a drain;

a pump;

a first fluid conduit coupled fluidly to the dialysate supply and the membrane filter, the first conduit coupled operably to the pump;

a second fluid conduit coupled fluidly to the control container and the drain, the second conduit coupled operably to the pump; and

a bypass conduit coupled fluidly to the first fluid conduit and the control container, the bypass conduit configured to enable a difference between dialysate flow through the first fluid conduit and dialysate flow through the second fluid conduit to be sensed.

2. The kidney failure treatment system of claim 1, which includes a third fluid conduit coupled fluidly to the membrane filter and the control conduit, the pump being a first pump, and the third fluid conduit coupled operably to a second pump.

3. The kidney failure treatment system of claim 2, wherein the bypass conduit is coupled fluidly to the first fluid conduit and the third fluid conduit.

4. The kidney failure treatment system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the first pump and the second pump is of a type selected from the group consisting of:

a peristaltic pump and a membrane pump.

5. The kidney failure treatment system of claim 2, which includes (i) a first valve coupled operably with the bypass conduit, and (ii) a second valve coupled operably with the third fluid conduit, the second valve coupled between the second pump and the control container.

6. The kidney failure treatment system of claim 5, wherein the first fluid conduit is coupled operably to at least one of:

a third valve and a pressure regulator.

7. The kidney failure treatment system of claim 1, which includes a logic implementor coupled operably to the weighing device, the logic implementor configured to cause the second pump to compensate for a sensed difference in flow through the first fluid conduit and the second fluid conduit.

8. The kidney failure treatment system of claim 7, wherein the logic implementor is configured to cause the second pump to:

(i) increase in speed if the weight of fluid in the control container decreases when fluid is allowed to flow through the bypass conduit; and

(ii) decrease in speed if the weight of fluid in the control container increases when fluid is allowed to flow through the bypass conduit.

9. The kidney failure treatment system of claim 1, wherein the membrane filter is selected form the group consisting of:

a dialyzer, a hemofilter and a patient'"'"'s peritoneum.

10. The kidney failure treatment system of claim 1, which includes a logic implementor operable with the weighing device, the weighing device outputting a signal to the logic implementer for sensing the dialysate flow difference.

11. A kidney failure treatment system comprising:

a dialysate supply;

a weighing device;

a control container coupled operably to the weighing device;

a membrane filter;

a drain;

a pump;

a first fluid conduit coupled fluidly to the dialysate supply and the membrane filter, the first conduit coupled operably to the pump;

a second fluid conduit coupled fluidly to the control container and the drain, the second conduit coupled operably to the pump; and

a flow compensation apparatus configured to (i) sense dialysate flow through the first fluid conduit and dialysate flow through the second fluid conduit, and (ii) if the sensed dialysate flow through the first fluid conduit and dialysate flow through the second fluid conduit is different, compensate for the difference between dialysate flow through the first fluid conduit and dialysate flow through the second fluid conduit.

12. The kidney failure treatment system of claim 11, wherein the flow compensation apparatus includes a logic implementor coupled operably to the weighing device, the logic implementor configured to cause a second pump to compensate for the sensed difference between dialysate flow through the first fluid conduit and dialysate flow through the second fluid conduit.

13. The kidney failure treatment system of claim 12, wherein the flow compensation apparatus includes a bypass conduit coupled fluidly to the first fluid conduit and the control container, the bypass conduit configured so as to enable the dialysate flow through the first fluid conduit and the dialysate flow through the second fluid conduit to be sensed.

14. The kidney failure treatment system of claim 13, wherein the logic implementor is configured to cause the second pump to:

(i) increase in speed if the weight of fluid in the control container decreases when fluid flows through the bypass conduit; and

(ii) decrease in speed if the weight of fluid in the control container increases when fluid flows through the bypass conduit.

15. The kidney failure treatment system of claim 13, wherein the flow compensation apparatus includes a first valve positioned in the bypass conduit, and a second valve positioned in a third fluid conduit fluidly coupling the membrane filter to the control container.

16. The kidney failure treatment system of claim 11, wherein the weighing device outputs a signal to the flow compensation apparatus indicative of the weight to sense the difference between dialysate flow through the first fluid conduit and the second fluid conduit.

17. A kidney failure treatment method comprising:

fluidly coupling a first fluid conduit to a dialysate supply and to a membrane filter;

operably coupling the first fluid conduit to a pump;

fluidly coupling a second fluid conduit to (i) a control container and (ii) a drain;

operably coupling the control container to a weighing device;

operably coupling the second fluid conduit to the pump; and

enabling the first fluid conduit to be fluidly coupled to the second fluid conduit so as to allow a difference between dialysate flow through the first fluid conduit and dialysate flow through the second fluid conduit to be sensed.

18. The kidney failure treatment method of claim 17, which includes enabling the flow difference sensing by fluidly coupling the first fluid conduit to the second fluid conduit via a bypass conduit.

19. The kidney failure treatment method of claim 17, wherein the pump is a first pump, and which includes fluidly coupling a third fluid conduit to the membrane filter and the control container, and operably coupling the third fluid conduit to a second pump.

20. The kidney failure treatment method of claim 19, which includes opening a first valve coupled operably with the bypass conduit and closing a second valve coupled operably with the third fluid conduit to fluidly couple the first fluid conduit to the second fluid conduit.

21. The kidney failure treatment method of claim 19, which includes causing the second pump to compensate for a sensed difference in flow through the first fluid conduit and the second fluid conduit.

22. The kidney failure treatment method claim 19, which includes increasing the speed of the second pump if a weight of fluid in the control container decreases, and (ii) decreasing the seed of the second pump if the weight of fluid in the control container increases.

23. The kidney failure treatment method of claim 17, which includes weighing the control container via the weighing device so as to sense the difference between dialysate flow through the first fluid conduit and dialysate flow through the second fluid conduit.