Device for identifying the direction of liquid flow through a dialyser

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10639411-B2
Application number	US-201515328691-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 20, 2015
Priority date	Aug 1, 2014
Publication date	May 5, 2020
Grant date	May 5, 2020

Abstract

The invention relates to a device and a method for detecting the direction of fluid flow through a dialyser 1 which comprises a blood chamber 4 , through which blood flows, and a dialysate chamber 3 , through which dialysate flows, which are separated from one another by a semi-permeable membrane 2 . In addition, the invention relates to an extracorporeal blood treatment device comprising a device for detecting the flow direction. A first aspect of the invention is to measure the clearance in order to detect the flow direction and to compare the measured clearance with a specified limit value, a flow direction in countercurrent flow being concluded if the clearance is greater than the specified limit value. This aspect is based on the finding that in the case of blood treatment in practice with operation of the dialyser in co-current flow, clearance values above a certain limit value can no longer be achieved. A second aspect of the invention is to measure the clearance to detect the flow direction and to change the flow rate of the dialysate. Checking the flow direction according to the second aspect is based on the comparison of the measured change in clearance with a calculated expected value of the change in clearance for operation of the dialyser in both countercurrent flow and co-current flow. The invention according to the second aspect is based on the finding that the amount of the relative change in clearance in the event of a change in dialysate rate is always greater in the case of operation in co-current flow than in countercurrent flow.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for detecting the direction of fluid flow through a dialyzer, the device comprising
a dialyzer that comprises a blood chamber, through which blood flows at blood flow rate Q bw , and a dialysate chamber, through which dialysate flows at an initial dialysate flow rate Q d,0 , the blood chamber and the dialysate chamber being separated from one another by a semi-permeable membrane,
a control unit for changing the flow rate of the dialysate through the dialysate chamber of the dialyzer from the initial dialysate flow rate to a second dialysate flow rate, Q d,0 +ΔQ d , selected by a user while maintaining the blood flow rate Q bw unchanged,
a measuring unit that measures clearance at any dialysate flow rate, the measuring unit comprising: i) at least one conductivity sensor in a dialysate flow path upstream of the dialyzer, which measures a first conductivity of the dialysate, the dialysate having a first concentration of a substance, the first conductivity measured before the dialysate enters the dialyzer, and ii) at least one conductivity sensor in a dialysate flow path downstream of the dialyzer, which measures a second conductivity of the dialysate, the dialysate downstream of the dialyzer having a second concentration of the substance, the device being configured to measure the second conductivity after the dialysate leaves the dialyzer, the measuring unit being configured to calculate: i) a first clearance value, K diff,1 , based on a difference between the first conductivity and the second conductivity measured at the initial dialysate flow rate Q d,0 ; and ii) a second clearance value K diff,2 , based on a difference between the first conductivity and the second conductivity measured at the second dialysate flow rate Q d,0 +ΔQ d , and
an arithmetic and evaluation unit, comprising a microprocessor and a memory, the arithmetic and evaluation unit: i) calculating a change in clearance values, ΔK diff1 , by subtracting the first clearance value K diff,1 from the second clearance value K diff,2 ; ii) calculating a countercurrent mass transfer coefficient, k o A ↑↓ based on K diff,1 , Q d,0 , and Q bw ; iii) calculating a co-current mass transfer coefficient, k o A ↑↑ based on K diff,1 , Q d,0 , and Q bw ; iv) calculating a first expected change in a clearance value, Δ{acute over (K)} diff1 , when the dialysate and blood flow are in countercurrent flow; v) calculating a second expected change in clearance value, Δ{acute over (K)} diff2 , when the dialysate and blood flow are in co-current flow; and vi) comparing ΔK diff1 to each of Δ{acute over (K)} diff1 and Δ{acute over (K)} diff2 , where if ΔK diff1 is Closer to Δ{acute over (K)} diff1 than Δ{acute over (K)} diff2 , the arithmetic and evaluation unit determines that the dialysate flow and blood flow are in countercurrent flow, but if ΔK diff1 is closer to Δ{acute over (K)} diff2 than Δ{acute over (K)} diff1 , the arithmetic and evaluation unit determines that the dialysate flow and blood flow are in co-current flow,
wherein arithmetic and evaluation unit is configured to generate a control signal indicating co-current flow or countercurrent flow, and
wherein the device further comprises a display unit, the display unit being configured to receive the control signal and, based on the control signal, display whether the operation of the dialyzer is in co-current flow or countercurrent flow.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the arithmetic and evaluation unit is configured to calculate the countercurrent mass transfer coefficient k 0 A ↑↓ based on K diff,1 , Q d,0 , and Q bw , by using a first equation, the first equation being

k
0

⁢

A

↓
↑

=

Q
bw

⁢

Q

d
,
0

Q

d
,
0

-

Q
b

⁢

ln
⁡

(

K

diff
,
1

Q

d
,
0

-
1

K

diff
,
1

Q
bw

-
1

)

.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the arithmetic and evaluation unit is configured to calculate the co-current mass transfer coefficient k 0 A ↑↑ based on K diff,1 , Q d,0 , and Q bw , by using a second equation, the second equation being

(

k
0

⁢
A

)

↑
↑

=

-

Q
bw

⁢

Q

d
,
0

Q

d
,
0

+

Assignees

• Fresenius Medical Care Deutschland Gmbh

Inventors

• Maierhofer Andreas

Classifications

• A61M1/1615 Primary

  using measurements made at different flow rates · CPC title

• A61M1/1617

  using measurements made during a temporary variation of a characteristic of the fresh dialysis fluid · CPC title

• A61M1/1609 Primary

  after use, i.e. downstream of dialyser · CPC title