Dialysate regeneration system for portable human dialysis

• US 8,911,629 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2011
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chemical Technologies, Inc. (Newpark Resources Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Chemical Technologies, Inc. (Newpark Resources Incorporated)
• Inventors: Tsukamoto, Takuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Menon, Krishnan S
• Application Number:
  US13/195,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20120018377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,233 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 210/646
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1696 with dialysate regeneration
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2311/06 Specific process operations in the permeate stream
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2311/2623 Ion-Exchange
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2311/2626 Absorption or adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2311/2649 Filtration
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/243 Dialysis
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/244 comprising multiple dialysis steps
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/30 Accessories; Auxiliary operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49 Method of mechanical manufacture

Abstract

A dialysate regeneration chamber is provided. In one embodiment, the dialysate regeneration chamber may include a toxin trap configured to selectively trap toxins and repel select cations. In another embodiment, generating a toxin trap may include oxidizing an activated carbon fiber and attaching a fatty acid to the oxidized activated carbon fiber to generate an ion-selective barrier, wherein the fatty acid extends away from the activated carbon fiber.

Claims

1. A method of generating a toxin trap, the method comprising:

heating a precursor fiber to form an activated carbon fiber and acid-treating the activated carbon fiber to form a surface-modified activated carbon fiber;

immobilizing an enzyme on the surface-modified activated carbon fiber;

providing an ion exchange resin coupled to the activated carbon fiber; and

attaching a fatty acid to the surface-modified activated carbon fiber by reacting the surface-modified activated carbon fiber with the fatty acid in the presence of an acid scavenger to generate an ion-selective barrier, wherein the fatty acid extends away from a body of a fabric including the activated carbon fiber, where the fatty acid attached to the activated carbon fiber forms a physical barrier to cations excluding the cations from trapping while selectively trapping toxins.

2. A regeneration cartridge made in accordance with the method of claim 1.

3. The method of claim 1, further providing immobilizing a urease on the activated carbon fiber.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the fabric is a dialysate regeneration fabric and the toxins are prevented from passing into refreshed dialysate.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising positioning the fabric in a regeneration chamber, providing an inflow configured to admit a toxin-laden fluid into the regeneration chamber and providing an elimination port configured to release toxins from the regeneration chamber.

6. The method of claim 4, further providing an ion exchange resin coupled to the activated carbon fiber wherein the ion exchange resin is negatively charged.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing immobilized urease on the activated carbon fiber.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing an outflow to release non-toxin-laden fluid.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising in addition to the fabric, a hydrophobic semi-permeable membrane, both within a dialysate regeneration chamber, the semi-permeable membrane positioned within the dialysate regeneration chamber such that spent dialysate entering the chamber flows across the semi-permeable membrane to engage the fabric.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing hydrophilic pores within the dialysate regeneration fabric.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising routing blood through a blood compartment of a dialysis chamber, the blood compartment separated from a dialysate chamber by a semi-permeable membrane;

and

routing dialysate from the dialysate chamber through a dialysate regeneration chamber, the dialysate regeneration chamber comprising the fabric, wherein the dialysate regeneration chamber is coupled to the dialysis chamber via a conduit.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein routing dialysate from the dialysate chamber through the dialysate regeneration chamber further comprises removing toxins in the dialysate by the fabric to form refreshed dialysate.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising retaining essential cations in the refreshed dialysate.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the essential cations include Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺, or Na⁺.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising releasing the toxins removed by the dialysate regeneration fabric via an elimination port.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the fatty acid has a carbon chain length from 4 to 25.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the fatty acid has a carbon chain length of 14 to 17.