Balancing unit, external medical functional unit, treatment apparatus and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9919090-B2
Application number	US-201013515566-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2010
Priority date	Dec 16, 2009
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

A balancing unit for medical fluids includes at least one balancing chamber and at least one conveying unit for filling the balancing chamber, in which the conveying unit is a pressure controlled conveying unit and/or is designed and provided for being operated in at least one operating state as a constant-pressure source. An external medical functional unit, a treatment apparatus and methods are also described.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A balancing unit for medical fluids, the balancing unit comprising:
a balancing chamber comprising a first compartment and a second compartment that are separated from each other by a fluid-tight membrane;
a first conveying unit positioned along a first side of the balancing chamber, the first conveying unit configured to operate in a first direction toward the balancing chamber and to convey fluid in the first direction into the first compartment;
a first valve positioned between the first conveying unit and the first compartment;
a second conveying unit positioned along the first side or along a second side of the balancing chamber that is opposite to the first side, the second conveying unit configured to operate in a second direction opposite to the first direction and to convey fluid in the first direction past the second conveying unit and out of the second compartment while the second conveying unit operates in the second direction;
a second valve positioned along the second side of the balancing chamber and adjacent the second compartment;
a first control unit programmed to open the first valve during a first cycle in which the second valve is closed to allow fluid to flow in the first direction from the first conveying unit into the first compartment; and
a second control unit programmed to open the second valve during a second cycle in which the first valve is closed to allow fluid to flow in the first direction and out of the second compartment;
wherein each of the first and second conveying units is a centrifugal pump configured to control a filling pressure in the balancing chamber.

2. The balancing unit according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit comprises at least one rotational section supported magnetically.

3. The balancing unit according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit comprises at least one rotational section provided and designed for being actuated magnetically by an electromagnetic field.

4. An external medical functional unit comprising at least one balancing unit according to claim 1 .

5. The external medical functional unit according to claim 4 , wherein the external medical functional unit is configured as an external or extracorporeal blood circuit or blood cassette.

6. The external medical functional unit according to claim 4 , configured as a disposable or single use article for insertion in a blood treatment apparatus.

7. A treatment apparatus for treating medical fluids, wherein the treatment apparatus is at least one of: (a) configured for operating at least one balancing unit according to claim 1 , and (b) comprising at least one balancing unit according to claim 1 .

8. The treatment apparatus according to claim 7 , comprising an actuator provided and configured for actuating at least one of the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit of the balancing unit via a magnetic actuation interface.

9. The treatment apparatus according to claim 7 , functionally connected with at least one of:
the balancing unit, and an external medical functional unit comprising the balancing unit.

10. The treatment apparatus according to claim 7 , configured as at least one of: a blood treatment apparatus and a hemodialysis machine.

11. A method for balancing a medical fluid using a balancing chamber that comprises first and second compartments that are separated from each other by a fluid-tight membrane, the method comprising the steps of:
operating a first conveying unit positioned along a first side of the balancing chamber in a first direction toward the balancing chamber to convey the medical fluid in the first direction into the first compartment;
controlling a first valve positioned between the first conveying unit and the first compartment to open during a first cycle to allow the medical fluid to flow in the first direction from the first conveying unit into the first compartment;
operating a second conveying unit positioned along the first side or along a second side of the balancing chamber that is opposite to the first side in a second direction opposite to the first direction in a manner such that fluid is conveyed in the first direction past the second conveying unit and out of the second compartment; and
controlling a second valve positioned along the second side of the balancing chamber and adjacent the second compartment to open during a second cycle to allow the medical fluid to flow in the first direction and out of the second compartment;
wherein each of the first and second conveying units is a centrifugal pump configured to control a filling pressure in the balancing chamber.

12. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising the step of: setting a maximum filling pressure of the balancing chamber.

13. The balancing unit according to claim 1 , wherein the first conveying unit is positioned along the first side of the balancing chamber at which fluid can flow into the first compartment, such that the first conveying unit is located upstream of the balancing chamber.

14. The balancing unit according to claim 13 , wherein the second conveying unit is positioned along the second side of the balancing chamber in a manner such that the second conveying unit is arranged to receive fluid flowing out of the second compartment, such that the second conveying unit is located downstream of the balancing chamber.

15. The balancing unit according to claim 13 , wherein the second conveying unit is positioned along the first side of the balancing chamber at which fluid can flow into the second compartment, such that the second conveying unit is located upstream of the balancing chamber.

16. The balancing unit according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second conveying units are configured to operate as constant pressure sources.

17. The external medical functional unit according to claim 5 , wherein the second conveying unit acts as a pressure reducer to a portion of the external or extracorporeal blood circuit or blood cassette positioned downstream of the second conveying unit.

18. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the first conveying unit is positioned along the first side of the balancing chamber at which fluid can flow into the first compartment, such that the first conveying unit is located upstream of the balancing chamber.

19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the second conveying unit is arranged to receive fluid flowing out of the second compartment, such that the second conveying unit is located downstream of the balancing chamber.

20. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the second conveying unit is positioned along the first side of the balancing chamber at which fluid can flow into the second compartment, such that the second conveying unit is located upstream of the balancing chamber.

21. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising operating the first and second conveying units as constant pressure sources.

22. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising operating the second conveying unit to reduce a pressure in a portion of an external or extracorporeal blood circuit or blood cassette positioned downstream of the second conveying unit.

Assignees

• Peters Arne
• Heide Alexander
• Fresenius Medical Care Deutschland Gmbh

Inventors

• Peters Arne
• Heide Alexander

Classifications

• A61M2205/12

  with interchangeable cassettes forming partially or totally the fluid circuit · CPC title

• A61M1/1639 Primary

  linked by membranes · CPC title

• A61M1/16 Primary

  with membranes · CPC title

• A61M1/1031

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61M1/1006

  Human Necessities · mapped topic