BLOOD PURIFICATION APPARATUS

• US 20180228961A1
• Filed: 04/13/2018
• Published: 08/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikkiso Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nikkiso Company Limited
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Satoshi, Tsuji, Kazuya
• Granted Patent: US 10,653,827 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1656 Apparatus for preparing dialysates
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1657 with centralised supply of dialysate or constituent thereof for more than one dialysis unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/267 used for pumping
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/342 Adding solutions to the blood, e.g. substitution solutions for preventing coagulation A61M1/3672
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3638 with a vapour trap
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3639 Blood pressure control, pressure transducers specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3656 Monitoring patency or flow at connection sites; Detecting disconnections
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/15 Detection of leaks
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3317 Electromagnetic, inductive or dielectric measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3337 Controlling, regulating pressure or flow by means of a valve by-passing a pump
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/702 automatically during use
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 37/0041 for measuring valve parameters F16K37/0033 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/2853 for pipe joints or seals G01M3/30 takes precedence

Abstract

The present teachings relate to a blood purification apparatus in which the connection of a substitution line to a collecting port can be checked accurately and instantly and even during blood purification treatment. A blood purification apparatus includes a blood circuit, a dialyzer, a dialysate introduction line, a dialysate drain line, a substitution line one end of which is connected to a collecting port provided at a predetermined position of the dialysate introduction line and an other end of which is connected to the blood circuit, a substitution pump configured to form a pressure-increasing portion that includes the collecting port, and a pressure-measuring device capable of measuring a pressure in the pressure-increasing portion. The blood purification apparatus performs a testing process by increasing a liquid pressure in the pressure-increasing portion by utilizing a liquid-feeding pressure applied from a liquid-feeding device and measuring the pressure with the pressure-measuring device.

Claims

1. A blood purification apparatus comprising:

a blood circuit including an arterial blood circuit and a venous blood circuit and through which blood of a patient is allowed to extracorporeally circulate;

a blood purifier connected to the blood circuit that is capable of purifying the blood extracorporeally while circulating through the blood circuit;

a dialysate introduction line supplied with a predetermined liquid from a liquid-feeding device and through which a dialysate is introduced into the blood purifier, the liquid-feeding device being capable of feeding the liquid at a constant pressure;

a dialysate drain line through which waste water is discharged from the blood purifier;

a substitution line one end of which is connected to a collecting port provided at a predetermined position of the dialysate introduction line and an other end of which is connected to the arterial blood circuit or the venous blood circuit;

a closing device provided to the substitution line and that is capable of arbitrarily closing a flow route provided by the substitution line, the closing device being configured to form, in a state where the flow route is closed, a pressure-increasing portion that includes the collecting port; and

a pressure-measuring device capable of measuring a pressure in the pressure-increasing portion,

the blood purification apparatus performing a testing process in which connection of the substitution line to the collecting port is checked by increasing a liquid pressure in the pressure-increasing portion and measuring the pressure with the pressure-measuring device,

wherein the testing process is performed by increasing the liquid pressure in the pressure-increasing portion by utilizing a liquid-feeding pressure applied from the liquid-feeding device.

2. The blood purification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid-feeding pressure applied from the liquid-feeding device is generated with activation of a non-displacement-type pump or with a level difference.

3. The blood purification apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the non-displacement-type pump is a turbo-type pump such as a centrifugal pump, an axial-flow pump, or a mixed-flow pump.

4. The blood purification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the testing process includes:

a first checking step of increasing the liquid pressure in the pressure-increasing portion and checking whether or not a pressure higher than or equal to a predetermined value is measured by the pressure-measuring device within a predetermined period of time; and

a second checking step of checking whether or not the pressure measured by the pressure-measuring device is retained for a predetermined period of time after the increase of the liquid pressure in the pressure-increasing portion is stopped.

5. The blood purification apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the venous blood circuit is provided with a venous-pressure sensor that is capable of detecting, during blood purification treatment, a venous pressure of the blood that is under extracorporeal circulation, and wherein the testing process further includes a third checking step in which if it is determined in the first checking step that the pressure higher than or equal to the predetermined value is not measured within the predetermined period of time, whether or not there is an increase in the pressure detected by the venous-pressure sensor is checked.

6. The blood purification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dialysate introduction line is supplied with clean water from the liquid-feeding device and with undiluted dialysate, the clean water and the undiluted dialysate being mixed together into the dialysate that is to be introduced into the blood purifier, wherein the dialysate introduction line is provided with an electrical-continuity sensor that is capable of identifying which of the clean water and the dialysate is present by checking whether or not there is electrical continuity at an application of a voltage, and wherein if what is identified is the clean water, a washing process in which the dialysate introduction line is washed with the clean water is performed.

7. The blood purification apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the electrical-continuity sensor is provided to a valve device that is capable of opening and closing the flow route of the liquid, and the electrical-continuity sensor is capable of detecting an open or closed state of the valve device by checking whether or not there is electrical continuity at the application of the voltage.