Artificial kidney
First Claim
1. A portable artificial kidney comprising a flexible hollow retentate chamber for the passage of blood formed by at least one dialysis membrane, and a flexible dialysate chamber formed by a jacket displaced outwardly and surrounding said at least one dialysis membrane, the volume of said retentate chamber being about 3 to 50 cm3 and the volume of said dialysate chamber being about 300 to 5,000 cm3 with the proviso that the volume of the dialysate chamber is at least about 40 times the volume of the retentate chamber, said dialysate chamber having at least one closable opening for filling or discharging a dialysate liquid and said retentate chamber having blood feed and outlet lines passed through said jacket in fluid-tight relationship, the combined dialysate and retentate chambers being sufficiently flexible to be conformed to a part of the human body and said dialysate chamber being only partially filled with dialysate liquid to provide a gas bubble which is sufficiently large to ensure liquid flow along the dialysis membrane with each natural movement of the body.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A flexible artificial kidney, capable of being worn directly on the body of the patient, and characterized by a flexible hollow retentate chamber of about 3 to 50 cm3 in volume surrounded by a jacketed flexible dialysate chamber of about 300 to 5,000 cm3 in volume, preferably such that the dialysate chamber is at least about 100 times larger than the retentate chamber. Blood inlet and outlet lines to and from the retentate chamber are passed in fluid tight relationship through the jacketed wall of the dialysate chamber which in turn has a closable opening for filling and discharging the dialysate liquid. This artificial kidney is especially effective when adsorbent materials are added to the liquid in the dialysate chamber.
316 Citations
17 Claims
- 1. A portable artificial kidney comprising a flexible hollow retentate chamber for the passage of blood formed by at least one dialysis membrane, and a flexible dialysate chamber formed by a jacket displaced outwardly and surrounding said at least one dialysis membrane, the volume of said retentate chamber being about 3 to 50 cm3 and the volume of said dialysate chamber being about 300 to 5,000 cm3 with the proviso that the volume of the dialysate chamber is at least about 40 times the volume of the retentate chamber, said dialysate chamber having at least one closable opening for filling or discharging a dialysate liquid and said retentate chamber having blood feed and outlet lines passed through said jacket in fluid-tight relationship, the combined dialysate and retentate chambers being sufficiently flexible to be conformed to a part of the human body and said dialysate chamber being only partially filled with dialysate liquid to provide a gas bubble which is sufficiently large to ensure liquid flow along the dialysis membrane with each natural movement of the body.
Specification