Thermally enhanced dialysis/diafiltration system
First Claim
1. A blood cleansing system comprising:
- a source of dialysate fluid;
a heating control module which receives dialysate fluid from said source and produces heated dialysate fluid;
a first dialyzer including a first semi-permeable membrane that defines a first blood compartment and a first dialysate compartment, the first blood compartment having a first blood inlet which receives blood to be cleaned and a first blood outlet which expels partially cleansed blood, the first dialysate compartment having a first dialysate inlet and a first dialysate outlet, said first dialysate inlet for receiving said heated dialysate; and
a second dialyzer including a second semi-permeable membrane defining a second blood compartment and a second dialysate compartment, the second blood compartment having a second blood inlet which receives a fluid including at least said partially cleansed blood and a second blood outlet which expels cleaned blood, the second dialysate compartment having a second dialysate inlet and a second dialysate outlet, said second dialysate inlet for receiving dialysate from said source at a temperature lower than a temperature of said heated dialysate that is delivered to the first dialysate inlet.
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Abstract
The present invention provides a hemodialysis or hemodiafiltration system and method using two dialyzer stages (122, 138), wherein the temperature of a dialysate fluid stream of the first cartridge (122) is increased such that the blood in the first cartridge (122) is dialyzed or diafiltered at an elevated temperature, while blood in the second cartridge (138) is dialyzed or diafiltered against a dialysate stream at normal blood temperature. This results in an increased solute diffusivity and a corresponding increase in removal of blood substances by diffusion. When diafiltration is performed, an additional removal of substances occurs by convection as a larger portion of plasma water from a blood compartment (142) can be filtered across a semi-permeable membrance (140) at the same transmembrane pressure due to the reduced viscosity of the heated blood and plasma water.
86 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A blood cleansing system comprising:
- a source of dialysate fluid;
a heating control module which receives dialysate fluid from said source and produces heated dialysate fluid;
a first dialyzer including a first semi-permeable membrane that defines a first blood compartment and a first dialysate compartment, the first blood compartment having a first blood inlet which receives blood to be cleaned and a first blood outlet which expels partially cleansed blood, the first dialysate compartment having a first dialysate inlet and a first dialysate outlet, said first dialysate inlet for receiving said heated dialysate; and
a second dialyzer including a second semi-permeable membrane defining a second blood compartment and a second dialysate compartment, the second blood compartment having a second blood inlet which receives a fluid including at least said partially cleansed blood and a second blood outlet which expels cleaned blood, the second dialysate compartment having a second dialysate inlet and a second dialysate outlet, said second dialysate inlet for receiving dialysate from said source at a temperature lower than a temperature of said heated dialysate that is delivered to the first dialysate inlet. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
- a source of dialysate fluid;
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11. A blood cleansing system comprising:
- a source of dialysate fluid;
a heating control module for producing heated dialysate fluid;
a first dialyzer including a first semi-permeable membrane defining a first blood compartment and a first dialystate compartment, the first blood compartment having a first blood inlet which receives blood to be cleaned and a first blood outlet which expels partially cleansed blood, the first dialysate compartment having a first dialysate inlet and a first dialysate outlet, said dialysate inlet for receiving said heated dialysate;
a second dialyzer including a second semi-permeable membrane defining a second blood compartment and a second dialystate compartment, the second blood compartment having a second blood inlet which receives a fluid including at least said partially cleansed blood and a second blood outlet which expels cleaned blood, the second dialysate compartment having a second dialysate inlet and a second dialysate outlet, said second dialysate inlet for receiving dialysate at a temperature lower than a temperature of said heated dialysate; and
wherein said source of dialysate fluid is connected to said second dialysate inlet for delivering said dialysate thereto, said heating control module being connected to said second dialysate outlet and said first dialysate inlet so that said dialysate flows from said second dialysate outlet to said heating control module where it is heated to form said heated dialysate which is then delivered to said first dialysate inlet.
- a source of dialysate fluid;
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12. A method of cleaning blood, the method comprising:
- providing a source of dialysate fluid;
providing a first dialyzer including a first semi-permeable membrane defining a first blood compartment and a first dialysate compartment, the first blood compartment having a first blood inlet and a first blood outlet, the first dialysate compartment having a first dialysate inlet and a first dialysate outlet;
providing a second dialyzer including a second semi-permeable membrane defining a second blood compartment and a second dialysate compartment, the second blood compartment having a second blood inlet and a second blood outlet, the second dialysate compartment having a second dialysate inlet and a second dialysate outlet;
heating at least a portion of said dialysate from said source to produce heated dialysate which is delivered to said first dialysate inlet;
delivering dialysate from said source to said second dialysate inlet at a temperature lower than a temperature of said heated dialysate;
providing a blood inflow to said first blood inlet;
dialyzing said blood inflow in said first dialyzer to provide partially cleaned blood which is delivered to said second blood inlet of said second dialyzer;
dialyzing said partially cleansed blood in said second dialyzer to produce cleaned blood;
said partially cleansed blood entering said second dialyzer through said second blood inlet, said cleaned blood exiting said second dialyzer through said second dialysate outlet. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
- providing a source of dialysate fluid;
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23. A method of cleansing blood, the method comprising:
- supplying a source of dialysate fluid and a blood inflow;
diafiltering said blood inflow in a first dialyzer to provide partially diafiltered blood, said first dialyzer including a first semi-permeable membrane defining a first blood compartment and a first dialysate compartment, the first blood compartment having a first blood inlet receiving said blood inflow and a first blood outlet, the first dialysate compartment having a first dialysate inlet and a first dialysate outlet, said dialysate in said first dialysate compartment having a first elevated temperature so that said blood inflow is diafiltered at an elevated temperature; and
diafiltering said partially diafiltered blood in a second dialyzer to provide cleansed blood, said second dialyzer including a second semi-permeable membrane defining a second blood compartment and a second dialysate compartment, the second blood compartment having a second blood inlet receiving said partially diafiltered blood and a second blood outlet, the second dialysate compartment having a second dialysate inlet and a second dialysate outlet, said dialysate in said second dialysate compartment having a second temperature less than said first temperature, said cleansed blood having a temperature which is less than said elevated temperature of said partially diafiltered blood. - View Dependent Claims (24)
- supplying a source of dialysate fluid and a blood inflow;
Specification