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Hemodialysis apparatus with degassing means for the dialysis solution

  • US 4,770,769 A
  • Filed: 07/16/1985
  • Issued: 09/13/1988
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/02/1978
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A hemodialysis apparatus, comprising dialyzer means (4, 5), fresh dialysis solution supply means (50, 51, 52, 53, 54) and used dialysis solution discharge means (57, 85), said dialyzer means (4, 5) including a dialyzer housing (4) and a semi-permeable membrane (5) dividing said dialyzer housing into a dialyzing chamber means and into blood chamber means connectable to a patient, said dialyzing chamber means having an inlet and an outlet, first conduit means connected at one end thereof to said blood chamber means and connectable at another end thereof to a patient, second conduit means connected to said inlet and outlet of dialyzing chamber means, to said fresh dialysis solution supply means, and to said used dialysis solution discharge means for providing a flow circuit therebetween, said fresh dialysis solution supply means comprising two balancing chambers (22, 23), a movable element (24, 25) in each of said two balancing chambers (22, 23) for dividing each of said balancing chambers into two balancing spaces (22a, 22b and 23a, 23b) thereby providing a total of four balancing spaces, a first set of controllable valve means (14, 17, 18, 21) in said second conduit means for alternately connecting one balancing space (22a or 23a) of a first group of two (22a, 23a) of said four balancing spaces to said inIet of said dialying chamber means and to said fresh dialysis solution supply means to alternately supply fresh dialysis solution into said dialyzing chamber means from said fresh dialysis solution supply means through said first group of two balancing spaces, a second set of controllable valve means (15, 16, 19, 20) in said second conduit means for alternately connecting one balancing space (22b or 23b) of a second group of two (22b, 23b) of said four balancing spaces to said outlet of said dialyzing chamber means and to said used dialysis solution discharge means to alternately discharge used dialysis solution from said dialyzing chamber means into said used dialysis solution discharge means through said second group of two balancing spaces, said second conduit means forming a closed dialysis solution circulating circuit between said dialyzing chamber means and the respective one of said balancing chambers, means connected to said closed dialysis solution circuilating circuit for removing a determined quantity of ultrafiltrate from said closed dialysis solution circulating circuit, first degassing means (56) connected to said fresh dialysis solution supply means and to said first group of two balancing spaces for supplying degassed fresh dialysis solution into said first group of two balancing spaces, second degassing means connected to said outlet of said dialyzing chamber means and to said second group of two balancing spaces for supplying degassed used dialysis solution into said second group of two balancing spaces, whereby always fresh degassed dialysis solution is balanced against used degassed dialysis solution, pump means operatively connected to said second conduit means for crculating dialysis solution in said closed dialysis solution circulating circuit, and control means operatively connected to said first and second sets of controllable valve means for operating said first and second sets of controllable valve means so that one balancing space of said first group of balancing spaces reoeives fesh dialysis solution while the other balancing space of said first group of balancing spaces supplies fresh dialysis solution into said dialyzing chamber means, and so that one balancing space of said second group of balancing spaces discharges used dialysis solution while the other balancing space receives used dialysis solution, whereby one balancing chamber is being filled with fresh dialysis solution, thereby discharging used dialysis solution while the other balancing chamber is being filled with used dialysis solution from said dialyzing chamber means, thereby discharging fresh dialysis solution into said dialyzing chamber means and vice versa, wherein said pump means include a variable capacity pump and a pump motor for driving said variable capacity pump, and wherein said control means for said first and second sets of controllable valve means operate said first and second sets of controllable valve means so that the charging of fresh dialysis solution into one balancing chamber presently disconnected from said inlet of said dialyzing chamber means, is already completed when a supply of fresh dialysis solution from the other balancing chamber into the dializing chamber means becomes exhausted.

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