Fluid separation devices, systems and methods
First Claim
1. A method for treating chronic renal disease of a patient comprising:
- (a) for a duration of at least 4 hours, performing an ultrafiltration process by using a portable treatment device having a membraneless microfluidic channel, said performing including;
(a1) passing blood at a flow rate into the membraneless microfluidic channel having dimensions such that, at the blood flow rate, a fraction depleted of cytoplasmic bodies from the blood is generated;
(a2) removing a portion of the fraction depleted of cytoplasmic bodies from the membraneless microfluidic channel;
(a3) extracting at least water from the removed portion of the fraction depleted of cytoplasmic bodies using a first membrane; and
(a4) returning the removed portion of the fraction depleted of cytoplasmic bodies, minus some water, back to the patient;
an ultrafiltration rate of the ultrafiltration process resulting in a rate of production of ultrafiltrate of less than 0.4 l/hr;
(b) repeating the performing an ultrafiltration process at least daily, the ultrafiltration process requiring no continuous consumption of exogenous fluid; and
(c) at a frequency that is less than daily, using another treatment device to perform a renal replacement therapy in which blood components are exchanged between blood and a sorbent or between blood and a substantial supply of exogenous fluid across a second membrane, the blood contacting the second membrane or the sorbent of the another treatment device;
the repeating either being done on days in which the performing a renal replacement therapy is done or being skipped on the days in which the performing a renal replacement therapy is done.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A membraneless separation device can be applied to a variety of treatments, such as the ultrafiltration of blood for a patient with end stage renal disease. An ultrafiltration device can include a membraneless separation device, which separates an incoming blood flow into a substantially cytoplasmic body-free plasma flow and remaining fraction, and a dialysate-free second stage, which selectively removes excess fluid, toxins and other substances from the plasma flow and returns the processed plasma to the membraneless separation device. A treatment protocol can include ultrafiltering blood of a patient using the ultrafiltration device and performing a secondary treatment on the blood of the patient at a reduced frequency compared to the ultrafiltering. The membraneless separation device can also be applied to treatment, analysis, and/or exchange of plasma from blood, or combined with conventional dialyzers to perform dialysis on a cytoplasmic body-free plasma fraction.
253 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A method for treating chronic renal disease of a patient comprising:
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(a) for a duration of at least 4 hours, performing an ultrafiltration process by using a portable treatment device having a membraneless microfluidic channel, said performing including; (a1) passing blood at a flow rate into the membraneless microfluidic channel having dimensions such that, at the blood flow rate, a fraction depleted of cytoplasmic bodies from the blood is generated; (a2) removing a portion of the fraction depleted of cytoplasmic bodies from the membraneless microfluidic channel; (a3) extracting at least water from the removed portion of the fraction depleted of cytoplasmic bodies using a first membrane; and (a4) returning the removed portion of the fraction depleted of cytoplasmic bodies, minus some water, back to the patient; an ultrafiltration rate of the ultrafiltration process resulting in a rate of production of ultrafiltrate of less than 0.4 l/hr; (b) repeating the performing an ultrafiltration process at least daily, the ultrafiltration process requiring no continuous consumption of exogenous fluid; and (c) at a frequency that is less than daily, using another treatment device to perform a renal replacement therapy in which blood components are exchanged between blood and a sorbent or between blood and a substantial supply of exogenous fluid across a second membrane, the blood contacting the second membrane or the sorbent of the another treatment device; the repeating either being done on days in which the performing a renal replacement therapy is done or being skipped on the days in which the performing a renal replacement therapy is done. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification