Blood treatment systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12285553-B2
Application number	US-202017093102-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2020
Priority date	Nov 12, 2019
Publication date	Apr 29, 2025
Grant date	Apr 29, 2025

Abstract

Dialyzer systems can consolidate multiple technologies and functionalities of blood treatment systems in a significantly integrated fashion. For example, this disclosure describes dialyzer systems that include a magnetically driven and magnetically levitating pump rotor integrated into the dialyzer. Such a dialyzer can be used with treatment modules that include a magnetic field-generating pump drive unit. In some embodiments, the dialyzers include pressure sensor chambers with flexible membranes with which corresponding pressure transducers of the treatment modules can interface to detect arterial and/or venous pressures.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A centrifugal pump comprising:
a housing defining a central longitudinal axis and comprising an outlet end;
a support plate within the housing and attached to circumferential portions of an inner wall surface of the housing, the support plate defining multiple openings;
a supply tube passing through a wall of the housing and extending within the housing, the supply tube defining an incoming fluid flow path having: (i) a first portion that is transverse to the central longitudinal axis and (ii) a second portion defining an outlet that extends through the support plate along the central longitudinal axis; and
an impeller within the housing, the impeller configured to rotate relative to the housing about the central longitudinal axis and comprising:
a first end portion to which one or more magnets are attached; and
a second end portion opposite of the first end portion and comprising a plurality of impeller blades,
wherein the first end portion is diametrically smaller than the plurality of impeller blades,

wherein the housing defines an open space concentrically around the second end portion of the impeller, wherein an end of the open space that is opposite of the outlet end is defined by an annular groove with a concave wall surface of the housing that circumferentially surrounds an entire circumference of the impeller, wherein the concave wall surface is configured to redirect fluid radially exiting from the impeller blades to flow through the multiple openings parallel to the longitudinal axis toward the outlet end,
wherein the impeller defines a central lumen that is open and that extends through an entire length of the impeller along the central longitudinal axis of the housing,
wherein the multiple openings are arranged symmetrically about the longitudinal axis, and
wherein the outlet of the supply tube is concentric with the central lumen of the impeller.

2. The centrifugal pump of claim 1 , wherein liquid to be pumped enters the central lumen of the impeller through a central aperture at the second end portion of the impeller.

3. The centrifugal pump of claim 2 , wherein the central aperture of the impeller is centered on the central longitudinal axis of the housing.

4. The centrifugal pump of claim 3 , wherein the impeller is centrifugal such that the liquid exits the impeller transverse to the central longitudinal axis of the housing.

5. The centrifugal pump of claim 4 , wherein the housing redirects the liquid exiting the impeller transverse to the central longitudinal axis to flow parallel to the central longitudinal axis away from the impeller.

6. The centrifugal pump of claim 1 , wherein the open space concentrically around the second end portion of the impeller comprises a toroidal space around the impeller.

7. The centrifugal pump of claim 6 , wherein the annular concave wall surface of the housing defines a portion of the toroidal space.

8. The centrifugal pump of claim 1 , wherein the central lumen extends along a central axis of the impeller and the central longitudinal axis of the housing.

9. The centrifugal pump of claim 1 , wherein the second end portion comprises an annular plate attached to the plurality of impeller blades.

10. The centrifugal pump of claim 1 , wherein an outer edge of each of the impeller blades extends along an acute angle relative to a central axis of the impeller.

11. The centrifugal pump of claim 10 , wherein the acute angle is in a range of 5° to 40°.

12. The centrifugal pump of claim 1 , wherein the centrifugal pump comprises a centrifugal blood pump.

13. The centrifugal pump of claim 12 , wherein the centrifugal blood pump comprises a portion of a blood dialyzer.

14. A dialysis treatment machine comprising a centrifugal blood pump comprising:
a housing defining an outlet end;
a support plate within the housing and attached to circumferential portions of an inner wall surface of the housing, the support plate defining multiple openings;
a supply tube passing through a wall of the housing and extending within the housing, the supply tube defining an incoming fluid flow path having: (i) a first portion that is transverse to a central longitudinal axis defined by the housing and (ii) a second portion defining an outlet that extends through the support plate along the central longitudinal axis; and
an impeller within the housing, the impeller configured to rotate relative to the housing in a bearing-free arrangement and comprising:
a first end portion to which one or more magnets are attached; and
a second end portion opposite of the first end portion and comprising a plurality of impeller blades,
wherein the first end portion is diametrically smaller than the plurality of impeller blades,

wherein the housing defines an open space concentrically around the second end portion of the impeller, and wherein an end of the open space that is opposite of the outlet end is defined by an annular groove with a concave wall surface of the housing that circumferentially surrounds an entire circumference of the impeller, wherein the concave wall surface is configured to redirect fluid radially exiting from the impeller blades to through the multiple openings parallel to the longitudinal axis toward the outlet end, wherein the multiple openings are arranged symmetrically about the longitudinal, and wherein the outlet of the supply tube is concentric with a central lumen defined by the impeller.

15. The dialysis treatment machine of claim 14 , wherein an inlet to the central lumen defined by the impeller is via a central aperture defined by the second end portion of the impeller.

16. The dialysis treatment machine of claim 14 , wherein the impeller is configured to be magnetically levitating while rotating.

17. The dialysis treatment machine of claim 14 , wherein the centrifugal blood pump comprises a portion of a blood dialyzer.

18. The dialysis treatment machine of claim 17 , further comprising a pump drive unit configured to generate dynamic magnetic fields to levitate and rotate the impeller.

19. The dialysis treatment machine of claim 18 , wherein the blood dialyzer is readily couplable with the pump drive unit and separable from the pump drive unit.

20. The dialysis treatment machine of claim 18 , further comprising a control system configured to detect whether the blood dialyzer is coupled in an operable position relative to the pump drive unit.

Assignees

• Fresenius Medical Care Deutschland Gmbh

Inventors

• Heide Alexander
• Peters Arne
• Nikolic Dejan

Classifications

• B01D63/034

  Lumen open in more than two directions · CPC title

• A61M60/419

  the force acting on the blood contacting member being permanent magnetic, e.g. from a rotating magnetic coupling between driving and driven magnets · CPC title

• A61M60/113

  in other functional devices, e.g. dialysers or heart-lung machines · CPC title

• F04D29/4293

  Details of fluid inlet or outlet · CPC title

• F04D29/22

  specially for centrifugal pumps · CPC title