Extracorporeal blood circulator

• US 5,931,802 A
• Filed: 07/24/1997
• Issued: 08/03/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kaneka Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kaneka Corporation
• Inventors: Yoshida, Eiichi, Nakayama, Takehisa, Tachibana, Hiroshi, Hamanishi, Yasufumi, Takao, Yoshizumi, Narisada, Masataka
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): O YONG, KI
• Application Number:
  US08/899,568
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: 604/4-6, 422/44-48
• US Class Current: 604/6.11
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3486 Biological, chemical treatment, e.g. chemical precipitation; treatment by absorbents
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3496 Plasmapheresis; Leucopheresis; Lymphopheresis A61M1/3472 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/7554 with means for unclogging or regenerating filters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/7581 with means for switching over to a fresh filter on clogging or saturation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/07 Construction of measuring vessels; Electrodes therefor

Abstract

An extracorporeal blood circulator introducing blood collected from a body using a blood pump, subjecting a harmful substance contained in the collected blood to a predetermined treatment, and returning the thus-treated blood to the body, wherein electrodes of a conductivity meter used for monitoring the treatment are arranged on an outer surface of the extracorporeal blood circulator so as to be replaceable. The electrodes can be attached and detached with ease and disinfecting time and the number of process steps can be curtailed by arranging the electrode portion of the conductivity meter on an outer surface of the circulator.

Claims

1. An extracorporeal blood circulator introducing blood collected from a body using a blood pump, subjecting a harmful substance contained in the blood to a predetermined treatment, and returning the thus treated blood to the body, comprising:

a conductivity meter used for monitoring the treatment comprising electrodes, an electrodes holder holding said electrodes, and an extracorporeal circuit comprising tubing, the tubing having an inside surface and an outside surface, wherein said electrodes are attached directly to an inside surface of the tubing so as to be replaceable from said electrodes holder.

2. The circulator according to claim 1, wherein each of said electrodes has a cylindrical configuration inside of which solution to be checked can flow.

3. The circulator according to claim 2, wherein a cylindrical insulative member is interposed between said electrodes.

4. The circulator according to claim 1, wherein said electrodes are removably mounted between two tubes so that a solution to be checked flows from one of said two tubes through said electrodes to the other of said two tubes.