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System and method for controlling venous air recovery in a portable dialysis system

  • US 9,889,244 B2
  • Filed: 12/17/2015
  • Issued: 02/13/2018
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2015
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A portable dialysis system for conducting hemodialysis on a patient, the system comprising:

  • a dialyzer;

    an arterial blood line for carrying blood from the patient;

    a blood pump for drawing blood from said arterial line and pumping it to the dialyzer;

    a venous blood line for carrying purified blood from said dialyzer to said patient;

    a pinch clamp to prevent air in said venous line from being returned to the patient;

    an air bubble detector positioned in said venous blood line for detecting an air bubble arising in said venous blood line, wherein the air bubble detector is positioned within a range of 10 to 20 cm upstream of said pinch clamp and within a range of 20 to 40 cm downstream of said dialyzer;

    an extraction port located within a range of 10 to 20 cm upstream of said air bubble detector and within a range of 10 to 20 cm downstream of said dialyzer in the venous blood line, said extraction port being adapted to remove the said air bubble; and

    a controller in communication with said air bubble detector and said blood pump, said controller configured to cause said blood pump to run in a reverse direction back toward said dialyzer when an air bubble is detected, such that the air bubble is moved upstream towards the extraction port.

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