Ambulatory ultrafiltration device with control unit programmed to control a drive fluid pump to perform ultrafiltration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9636445-B2
Application number	US-201113808770-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 16, 2011
Priority date	Jul 5, 2010
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

An ambulatory ultrafiltration device includes a blood filter that has a blood side or fluid communication with the vascular system of the subject, an ultrafiltrate side, and a semipermeable membrane disposed between the blood side and the ultrafiltrate side. The ambulatory ultrafiltration also includes a buffer vessel in fluid communication with the blood side of the blood filter, and a blood pump. The blood pump is controlled to alternate between a withdrawal phase and a return phase. In the withdrawal phase, blood is withdrawn on a blood path from the subject via the blood filter to the buffer vessel. In the return phase, blood is returned from the buffer vessel to the subject on the blood path. The blood filter is arranged to remove ultrafiltrate from the blood during at least one of the withdrawal and return phases.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ambulatory ultrafiltration device for connection to the vascular system of a subject, comprising:
a blood filter having a blood side configured for fluid communication with the vascular system of the subject, an ultrafiltrate side configured for fluid communication with a receptacle for receiving ultrafiltrate, and a semipermeable membrane disposed between the blood side and the ultrafiltrate side;
a blood pump including a membrane chamber which defines a blood side and a drive fluid side separated by a flexible membrane, the blood side of the membrane chamber connected in fluid communication with the blood side of the blood filter, the blood pump operable to alternate between a withdrawal phase and a return phase, wherein the withdrawal phase comprises blood being withdrawn along a blood path in fluid communication with the subject and the blood filter to the blood side of the membrane chamber, and the return phase comprises blood being returned from the blood side of the membrane chamber to the subject on said blood path;
a drive fluid pump in fluid communication with the drive fluid side of the membrane chamber and the receptacle, the drive fluid pump operable to pump liquid from the receptacle out of and into the drive fluid side of the membrane chamber during the withdrawal and return phases; and
a control unit programmed to cause the blood filter to perform ultrafiltration, such that the blood filter separates ultrafiltrate from plasma in the blood without changing a plasma concentration of small solutes in the blood, during at least one of the withdrawal and return phases.

2. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 1 , further comprising a source of anticoagulant to be supplied to the blood path.

3. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 2 , wherein said source of anticoagulant supplies the anticoagulant through the semipermeable membrane.

4. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 1 , further comprising means for intermittently supplying a displacement liquid to the blood path during the return phase or intermediate the return phase and the withdrawal phase.

5. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 4 , wherein said means for intermittently supplying a displacement liquid is operable to supply the displacement liquid through the semipermeable membrane.

6. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 4 , wherein said displacement liquid comprises an anticoagulant.

7. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 4 , wherein said displacement liquid comprises said ultrafiltrate.

8. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 1 , further comprising a source of priming liquid configured to supply priming liquid to the blood path.

9. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 8 , wherein said source of priming liquid supplies the priming liquid to the blood path through the semipermeable membrane.

10. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 1 , wherein the drive fluid side of the membrane chamber is connected to the drive fluid pump on a first fluid path, wherein the ultrafiltrate side of the blood filter is configured for connection to the receptacle via a second fluid path that connects to the first fluid path and comprises a one-way valve that opens towards the first fluid path, whereby ultrafiltration is caused by the drive fluid pump being operated to pump the ultrafiltrate into the receptacle, and wherein at least one of the first and second fluid paths comprises a flow controller which is operable to control the rate of the ultrafiltration.

11. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 10 , wherein the ultrafiltrate side of the blood filter is further connected in fluid communication with the first fluid path on a third fluid path, which comprises a one-way valve that opens towards the ultrafiltrate side of the blood filter, wherein flow controllers are arranged in the first and third fluid paths and operable to enable transport of the drive fluid into the blood path through the semipermeable membrane.

12. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 1 , wherein the ultrafiltrate side of the blood filter is connected to an ultrafiltrate path for fluid communication with the receptacle for receiving the ultrafiltrate, the ultrafiltrate path comprising a one-way valve configured to open towards the receptacle.

13. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 1 , wherein the ultrafiltrate side of the blood filter is connected to an ultrafiltrate path for fluid communication with the receptacle for receiving the ultrafiltrate, the ultrafiltrate path comprising an ultrafiltrate pump operable to draw ultrafiltrate from the blood side of the blood filter through the semipermeable membrane.

14. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 13 , wherein the ultrafiltrate pump is further operable to pump at least one of a priming liquid, a displacement liquid and an anticoagulant into the blood path through the semipermeable membrane.

15. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 14 , wherein said at least one of a priming liquid, a displacement liquid and an anticoagulant is pumped from the receptacle.

16. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 14 , wherein the receptacle is pre-loaded with a supply of said at least one of a priming liquid, a displacement liquid and an anticoagulant when connected to the ultrafiltrate path.

17. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 14 , wherein the ultrafiltrate path is arranged for selective communication with a supplemental reservoir containing said at least one of a priming liquid, a displacement liquid and an anticoagulant.

18. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 1 , wherein the blood side of the blood filter is in fluid communication with an access device for connection to the vascular system of the subject.

19. A system for ultrafiltration of blood, comprising the ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 1 and a disposable container defining a receptacle for receiving the ultrafiltrate.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the disposable container contains a supply of at least one of a priming liquid, a displacement liquid and an anticoagulant.

21. The system of claim 19 , wherein said supply is contained in the receptacle.

22. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 1 , further comprising: a chassis configured to be worn by and move with the subject, and an assembly detachably mounted to the chassis, the assembly comprising at least the blood filter.

23. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 22 , wherein the assembly is a disposable component.

24. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 22 , wherein the assembly further comprises the membrane chamber.

25. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 22 , wherein the drive fluid pump is integrated in said chassis and configured for engagement with a drive fluid tubing segment included in the assembly.

26. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 25 , wherein the chassis comprises an ultrafiltrate pump operable to remove from the ultrafiltrate side of the blood filter ultrafiltrate passing through the semipermeable membrane from the blood in the blood side, the ultrafiltrate pump being configured for engagement with an ultrafiltrate tubing segment included in the assembly.

27. The ambulatory ultrafiltration device of claim 25 , wherein the receptac

Assignees

• Jonsson Lennart
• Sternby Jan
• Wieslander Anders
• Gambro Lundia Ab

Inventors

• Jonsson Lennart
• Sternby Jan
• Wieslander Anders

Classifications

• A61M1/365

  through membranes, e.g. by inverted trans-membrane pressure [TMP] · CPC title

• A61M1/303

  having a reservoir for treated blood to be returned · CPC title

• A61M1/3604

  in opposite directions · CPC title

• A61M1/3427

  back through the membrane, e.g. by inverted trans-membrane pressure [TMP] · CPC title

• A61M1/302

  having a reservoir for withdrawn untreated blood · CPC title