Gambro Lundia Ab

Hospal Ag

Gambro Dasco S.p.a.

Gambro Hospal Ag

Massimo Fava

Mauro Suffritti

Carlo Alberto Lodi

Francesco Paolini

Anna Puppini

Alessandro Scaglione

Silvio Cavalcanti

Annalisa Delnevo

Giovanni Paolo Cavicchioli

Andrea Rossi

Enrico Canini

Salvatore Rinaldi

Giovanni Cavicchioli

A method and apparatus for priming an extracorporeal blood circuit, in which the patient end of an arterial line () is connected to a first discharge port (), and the patient end of a venous line () is connected to a second discharge port (). The two discharge ports are connected to a used dialysate line which connects a dialyzer () to a drain. The arterial and venous lines are filled with a priming fluid, while the air contained in the arterial and venous lines is evacuated partly through the first discharge port and partly through the second discharge port. Two check valves () prevent flow from the used dialysate line towards the two discharge ports. The invention reduces the risk of errors on the part of an operator readying the priming configuration, as well as the risk of contamination of the extracorporeal circuit during the priming phase.

Method and apparatus for priming an extracorporeal blood circuit

An apparatus () for extracorporeal blood treatment comprising a blood treatment device () having a semipermeable membrane () which separates a blood chamber () from a fluid chamber (). A used fluid line () connects the fluid chamber to a used fluid discharge. A first pump () controls the ultrafiltration through the semipermeable membrane. A second pump () arranged in the used fluid line downstream of the first pump keeps pressure between the first and the second pump at a constant predetermined value. The invention provides a protection system against any possible pressure change in the used fluid discharge in a hemodialysis or hemo(dia)filtration apparatus.

Apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment

A method and apparatus for priming an extracorporeal blood circuit, in which the patient end of an arterial line () is connected to a first discharge port (), and the patient end of a venous line () is connected to a second discharge port (). The two discharge ports are connected to a used dialysate line which connects a dialyser () to a drain. The arterial and venous lines are filled with a priming fluid, while the air contained in the arterial and venous lines is evacuated partly through the first discharge port and partly through the second discharge port. Two check valves () prevent flow from the used dialysate line towards the two discharge ports. The invention reduces the risk of errors on the part of an operator readying the priming configuration, as well as the risk of contamination of the extracorporeal circuit during the priming phase.

A connecting device comprises a buffer chamber (), a first connecting line () between a liquid source () and an inlet () of the buffer chamber, a second connecting line () between an outlet () of the buffer chamber and the medical treatment apparatus (), two valves () arranged in series on the first connecting line, a pump () on the second connecting line, two liquid level sensors () operating in the buffer chamber, a vent valve () connected to the buffer chamber. The liquid source is a centralized distribution plant of dialysate, while the medical treatment apparatus is a dialysis apparatus. The invention prevents back-contamination of the centralized plant with disinfectant sourced from the dialysis apparatus.

Device for connecting to a liquid source

In the apparatus and method for monitoring a vascular access () of an extracorporeal circuit () of a patient, a control and calculation unit () varies a flow rate of a blood pump () predisposed to cause blood to circulate in the extracorporeal circuit. The control and calculation unit receives the pressure values in the blood withdrawal line () and the blood return line () from two pressure sensors (); the pressure values are a series of different values of the blood flow rate. The control and calculation unit processes the data gathered by means of a mathematical model which describes the variation of pressure in the vascular access as a function of the flow rate, in order to determine the blood flow rate in the vascular access. The invention detects the presence and location of a stenosis at the vascular access of a patient subjected to a hemodialysis treatment.

Apparatus and method of monitoring a vascular access of a patient subjected to an extracorporeal blood treatment

A method of detecting the detachment of the venous needle from a patient during an extracorporeal blood treatment in a dialysis machine having an extracorporeal blood circuit provided with an arterial branch and a venous branch. The arterial pressure (Pa) is measured in the arterial branch and the venous pressure (Pv) is measured in the venous branch, and the determination is made of whether or not decreases of the arterial pressures (Pa) and venous pressures (Pv) are occurring during the dialysis treatment in normal conditions.

Method and device for detecting the detachment of the venous needle from a patient during dialysis

Apparatus and method for monitoring a vascular access of a patient subjected to an extracorporeal blood treatment

A method for measuring the hemoglobin concentration in the blood in a circuit of a dialysis machine includes directing electromagnetic waves against one section of the circuit, measuring values of the electromagnetic waves transmitted through the section, and determining values of absorption of electromagnetic waves by the blood along the section from the measured values of transmitted electromagnetic waves. The values of absorption are correlated with the values of the hemoglobin concentration. The method also includes measuring the values of at least one physical quantity of the blood, wherein the at least one physical quantity is selected from blood pressure and blood temperature, and calculating the values of hemoglobin concentration as a function of the values of absorption and the at least one physical quantity.

Method for measuring hemoglobin concentration (HGB) in the blood in a circuit of a dialysis machine, measuring device and circuit for the application of the method

In an extracorporeal blood treatment system, non-treated blood may be withdrawn from a patient through an arterial line connected to a first compartment of a blood treatment apparatus. The blood treatment apparatus also includes a second compartment separated from the first component by a semi-permeable membrane. Treated blood may be returned to the patient through a venous line connected to the second compartment. In order to determine blood recirculation, i.e., a mixture of treated blood and non-treated blood in the arterial line, the ultrafiltration rate of plasma water through the semi permeable membrane of the treatment apparatus may be temporarily increased or decreased, and the resulting variation of the blood concentration, i.e., of the ratio of the volume of the plasma volume to the blood volume, is determined. The extent of the mixture of the treated blood and the non-treated blood in the arterial line may then be calculated as a function of the blood flow rate in the treatment apparatus, of the amplitude of the variation of the ultrafiltration rate, and of at least two values of the blood concentration, determined before and during the variation of the ultrafiltration flow rate, respectively.

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Mirandola, Italy

Massimo Fava