Enclosure for a portable hemodialysis system

• US 9,539,379 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2013
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deka Products Limited Partnership
• Original Assignee: Deka Products Limited Partnership
• Inventors: Grant, Kevin L., Demers, Jason A., Dale, James D., Chawan, Arun D., Collins, David E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mellon, David C
• Application Number:
  US13/790,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20130284648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,404 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/14 Dialysis systems; Artificial kidneys; Blood oxygenators semi-permeable membranes characterised by the material, manufacturing processes therefor B01D71/00; Reciprocating systems for treatment of body fluids, e.g. single needle systems for hemofiltration or pheresis
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/16 with membranes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1601 Control or regulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1639 linked by membranes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1692 Detection of blood traces in dialysate
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/34 Filtering material out of the blood by passing it through a membrane, i.e. hemofiltration or diafiltration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3403 Regulation parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3406 Physical characteristics of the filtrate, e.g. urea
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/341 by measuring the filtrate rate or volume
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/362227 the interface providing means for actuating on functional elements of the cassette, e.g. plungers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/36225 with blood pumping means or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/362263 Details of incorporated filters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/362265 Details of valves
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/362266 Means for adding solutions or substances to the blood
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/12 with interchangeable cassettes forming partially or totally the fluid circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/15 Detection of leaks
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3331 Pressure; Flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3368 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2209/08 Supports for equipment

Abstract

An enclosure for containing a portable hemodialysis unit includes a housing suitable to support components for performing hemodialysis including a dialyzer, one or more pumps to circulate blood through the dialyzer, a source of dialysate, and one or more pumps to circulate the dialysate through the dialyzer. The housing may have a front panel at which blood circuit connections and dialysate fluidic connections are located, e.g., blood line connections for patient blood access, connections for a reagent supply, dialyzer connections for both blood flow and dialysate, etc. The enclosure may also include a pair of vertical, side-by-side doors hingedly mounted to the housing. With the doors in the closed position, access to the patient access and dialysate fluidic connections may be blocked, and the doors may allow for the retention of heat in the housing suitable for disinfection during a disinfection cycle.

Claims

1. An enclosure for a portable hemodialysis apparatus comprising:

a housing having a dialysate circuit section separated from a blood circuit section by a front panel,

a blood circuit side of the front panel including pneumatic connections for one or more pneumatically actuated blood pumps and fluidic connections for a dialyzer, the front panel configured to allow a dialyzer and one or more blood pumps to be mounted thereon;

the dialysate circuit section including a source of dialysate, one or more pneumatically actuated dialysate pumps, and electronic and pneumatic controls for operating the blood and dialysate pumps;

the apparatus further comprising a power unit separable from the housing and having a compressor, a positive pressure supply tank and a negative pressure supply tank arranged to provide positive or negative pneumatic pressure to the pumps;

wherein the power unit includes a handle configured to connect the power unit to the housing and the housing includes a connector to provide a disengageable pneumatic connection between the power unit and the housing to provide positive and negative pneumatic pressure to the pneumatic controls of the hemodialysis apparatus.

2. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the blood circuit side of the front panel further comprises a reagent connector configured to connect one or more dialysate reagent containers for the production of dialysate solution, the reagent connector fluidly communicating with one or more dialysate pumps in the dialysate circuit section of the enclosure.

3. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the blood circuit side of the front panel further comprises a blood tubing occluder configured to allow a pair of flexible blood-carrying tubes to be mounted on the occluder, and configured to be controlled by an electronic controller positioned within the dialysate circuit section.

4. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the dialysate circuit section includes a heater fluidly connected to fluid flow paths associated with the one or more blood pumps and the one or more dialysate pumps.

5. The enclosure of claim 4, wherein the dialysate circuit section comprises a dialysate production and circulation section separated from an electronic and pneumatic controls section by a wall, the wall configured to thermally insulate the electronic and pneumatic controls section from the dialysate production and circulation section.

6. The enclosure of claim 4, further comprising a pair of vertical side-by-side doors hingedly mounted to the housing at opposite sides of the front panel, the doors being movable between open and closed positions, the open position allowing access to the connections on the blood circuit side of the front panel, and the closed position being suitable to block access to the connections and to retain heat in the housing for heat disinfection of blood and liquid carrying components of the hemodialysis apparatus.

7. A portable hemodialysis apparatus comprising:

a housing having a dialysate circuit section separated from a blood circuit section by a front panel,

a blood circuit side of the front panel including pneumatic connections for one or more pneumatically actuated blood pumps and fluidic connections for a dialyzer, the front panel configured to allow a dialyzer and the one or more blood pumps to be mounted thereon;

the dialysate circuit section including a source of dialysate, one or more pneumatically actuated dialysate pumps, and electronic and pneumatic controls for operating the blood and dialysate pumps;

the apparatus further comprising a power unit separable from the housing and having a compressor, a positive pressure supply tank and a negative pressure supply tank arranged to provide positive or negative pneumatic pressure to the pumps;

wherein the housing includes one or more connectors configured to allow the power unit to be mounted to the housing and to provide a disengageable pneumatic connection with the power unit to provide positive and negative pneumatic pressure to the pneumatic controls of the hemodialysis apparatus.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the blood circuit side of the front panel further comprises a reagent connector configured to connect one or more dialysate reagent containers for the production of dialysate solution, the reagent connector fluidly communicating with one or more dialysate pumps in the dialysate circuit section of the enclosure.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the blood circuit side of the front panel further comprises a blood tubing occluder configured to allow a pair of flexible blood-carrying tubes to be mounted on the occluder, and configured to be controlled by an electronic controller positioned within the dialysate circuit section.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the dialysate circuit section includes a heater fluidly connected to fluid flow paths associated with the one or more blood pumps and the one or more dialysate pumps.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the dialysate circuit section comprises a dialysate production and circulation section separated from an electronic and pneumatic controls section by a wall, the wall configured to thermally insulate the electronic and pneumatic controls section from the dialysate production and circulation section.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a pair of vertical side-by-side doors hingedly mounted to the housing at opposite sides of the front panel, the doors being movable between open and closed positions, the open position allowing access to the connections on the blood circuit side of the front panel, and the closed position being suitable to block access to the connections and to retain heat in the housing for heat disinfection of blood and liquid carrying components of the hemodialysis apparatus.