Blood tubing set integrity tests for extracorporeal circuits
First Claim
1. A method for testing the integrity of a blood tubing set for an extracorporeal circuit, said blood tubing set comprising an arterial line with an arterial clamp and a venous line with a venous clamp, the method performed in situ in a machine containing said blood tubing set and having arterial and venous manifold ports for receiving said arterial and venous lines, said ports connected to hydraulic circuitry in said machine by one or more valves,the method comprising the steps of:
- a) connecting said arterial and venous lines to said arterial and venous manifold ports;
b) evacuating fluid which may be present in said blood tubing set, comprising the steps of opening said arterial and venous clamps and introducing air into said arterial and venous lines to push said fluid out of said extracorporeal circuit;
c) isolating said blood tubing set from said hydraulic circuitry in said machine by closing said one or more valves;
d) forcing air into said blood tubing set so as to raise the pressure in said blood tubing set substantially above ambient atmospheric pressure;
e) measuring the pressure in said blood tubing set with a pressure sensor; and
f) measuring the pressure decay in said blood tubing set by making a second pressure measurement after a dwell period, the magnitude of said pressure decay indicative of the condition of said blood tubing set; and
wherein said arterial and venous manifold ports receiving said arterial and venous lines are in fluid communication with a dialysate preparation system and wherein said one or more valves, when closed, isolate said ports from said dialysate preparation system.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Several tests are described for verifying the integrity of the extracorporeal circuit of a medical instrument, such as a dialysis machine. One test verifies the condition of the blood tubing set. Another test verifies that the clamps in the arterial and venous lines adequately occlude the arterial and venous lines. Another test confirms that the arterial and venous lines are properly installed on their respective ports for receiving the lines after the treatment session has ended. In this last test, a fluid such as heated water is then introduced into one of the arterial or venous lines and sent out of the line through its respective port, where it is detected with suitable fluid detection equipment such as a thermistor. The heated fluid and thermistor verify that the arterial line is connected to its arterial port and the venous line is connected to its venous port and that there is an unobstructed fluid path in the blood tubing set. If the lines are installed on the wrong port, the user is prompted to correctly install the arterial and venous lines on their respective ports.
197 Citations
34 Claims
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1. A method for testing the integrity of a blood tubing set for an extracorporeal circuit, said blood tubing set comprising an arterial line with an arterial clamp and a venous line with a venous clamp, the method performed in situ in a machine containing said blood tubing set and having arterial and venous manifold ports for receiving said arterial and venous lines, said ports connected to hydraulic circuitry in said machine by one or more valves,
the method comprising the steps of: -
a) connecting said arterial and venous lines to said arterial and venous manifold ports; b) evacuating fluid which may be present in said blood tubing set, comprising the steps of opening said arterial and venous clamps and introducing air into said arterial and venous lines to push said fluid out of said extracorporeal circuit; c) isolating said blood tubing set from said hydraulic circuitry in said machine by closing said one or more valves; d) forcing air into said blood tubing set so as to raise the pressure in said blood tubing set substantially above ambient atmospheric pressure; e) measuring the pressure in said blood tubing set with a pressure sensor; and f) measuring the pressure decay in said blood tubing set by making a second pressure measurement after a dwell period, the magnitude of said pressure decay indicative of the condition of said blood tubing set; and wherein said arterial and venous manifold ports receiving said arterial and venous lines are in fluid communication with a dialysate preparation system and wherein said one or more valves, when closed, isolate said ports from said dialysate preparation system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 12)
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5. A method for testing the integrity of an arterial line clamp and a venous line clamp of a machine having a blood tubing set, said blood tubing set comprising an arterial line threaded through said arterial line clamp, a venous line threaded through said venous line clamp, and a vent line incorporating an air pump capable of forcing air into or removing air from a first portion of said blood tubing set extending between said arterial line clamp and said venous line clamp;
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the method performed in situ in a machine containing said blood tubing set, the machine comprising arterial and venous manifold ports for receiving said arterial and venous lines, said ports connected to hydraulic circuitry in said machine by one or more valves, the method comprising the steps of; a) closing said arterial and venous clamps; b) pressurizing said first portion of said blood tubing set between said arterial clamp and said venous clamp to a pressure substantially above atmospheric pressure; c) venting a portion of said arterial line between said arterial clamp and said arterial manifold port to ambient pressure; d) venting a portion of said venous line between said venous clamp and said venous manifold port to atmospheric pressure; e) measuring the pressure in said first portion of said blood tubing set after said step of venting; and f) determining from said measurements of pressure the condition of said arterial and venous clamps. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14)
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15. In a medical instrument having an extracorporeal blood circuit comprising an arterial line with an arterial clamp and a venous line with a venous clamp, said machine having arterial and venous manifold ports for receiving said arterial and venous lines after a treatment session, said ports connected to hydraulic circuitry in said machine by one or more valves,
a method for verifying the proper connection of said arterial and venous lines to said arterial and venous manifold ports, comprising the steps of: -
closing said one or more valves to isolate said arterial and venous lines from said hydraulic circuitry; removing air from said arterial and venous lines and detecting a reduction in pressure with a pressure sensor in said extracorporeal circuit, said reduction in pressure indicating that said arterial and venous lines were installed on said arterial and venous ports and said arterial and venous clamps are in an off condition; and pumping air into said arterial and venous lines to pressurize said blood tubing set to a predetermined value and measuring the pressure decay of said blood tubing set, the absence of a substantial pressure decay indicative that said arterial and venous lines have been securely received by said arterial and venous manifold ports. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. In a medical instrument having an extracorporeal blood circuit comprising an arterial line and a venous line, said machine having arterial and venous manifold ports for receiving said arterial and venous lines after a treatment session, said machine further comprising a fluid detection means downstream of at least one of said arterial port and said venous port,
a method for verifying the proper connection of said arterial and venous lines to said arterial and venous manifold ports, comprising the steps of: -
introducing a fluid into one of said arterial and venous lines of said blood tubing set and directing said fluid out of the arterial or venous manifold port that said one of said arterial and venous lines is connected to, and detecting the presence or absence of said fluid with said fluid detection means. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method of testing the integrity of a clamp for closing off a blood line of an extracorporeal circuit, said blood line having a first portion upstream of said clamp and a second portion downstream of said clamp terminating in a free end adapted to be connected to a patient, comprising the steps of:
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placing said clamp in a closed condition, pressurizing said first portion of said blood line to a pressure substantially above the pressure of said second portion of said blood line; measuring the pressure within said first portion of said blood line with a pressure sensor; and determining from said measuring of pressure the condition of said clamp. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31)
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32. In a machine having an extracorporeal circuit comprising an occlusive blood pump and arterial and venous lines terminating in arterial and venous line connectors, said arterial and venous line connectors received in a disinfection manifold port comprising arterial and venous ports for receiving said arterial and venous line connectors, respectively, said arterial and venous ports connected to a hydraulic system via first and second valves normally associated with said arterial and venous ports and arterial and venous lines, respectively,
a method of determining whether said arterial and venous lines are correctly installed on said arterial and venous ports and not vice versa, comprising the steps of: -
installing said arterial and venous lines on said disinfection manifold ports; isolating said arterial and venous lines from said hydraulic system connected to arterial and venous manifold ports by closing said first and second valves linking said arterial and venous manifold ports to said hydraulic system; creating a pressure differential between said arterial and venous lines and said hydraulic system; opening one of said first and second valves to thereby bring said hydraulic system and the arterial or venous line connected to the port associated with said first or second valve into equilibrium; and detecting a change in pressure in either said first arterial line or said venous line; whereby the detection of a change in pressure in the line associated with the valve that is opened indicates that the arterial and venous lines are correctly installed on said arterial and venous manifold ports. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34)
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Specification