Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc.

Fresenius Usa, Inc.

Fresenius Medical Care North America

Thomas Irvin Folden

Martin Joseph Crnkovich

Lynn E Jensen

Colin Weaver

Kulwinder S Plahey

Fei Wang

Ross Jones

Frank Hedmann

Michael Emmanuel Kotsos

Christian Schlaeper

Stephan Klatte

Melvin D Jensen

Mohsen Reihanifam

Frank A Gotch

Shashikant Dattatraya Kalaskar

Arnold Gross

Jules Jay Morris

Olli Tuominen

John Oliver

Hans D Polaschegg

David A Gavin

Mel Jensen

Harald Peter

Lynn Jensen

Ross Peter Jones

This disclosure relates to medical fluid sensors and related systems and methods. In certain aspects, a method includes using a medical fluid pump of a medical fluid pumping machine, such as a hemodialysis machine, to deliver medical fluid to a first portion of a cartridge that is positioned within a magnetic field, exciting atoms in the medical fluid in the first portion of the cartridge by applying radio frequency energy to the medical fluid in the first portion of the cartridge, receiving radio frequency energy generated by the excited atoms in the medical fluid in the first portion of the cartridge, and determining a concentration of a substance in the medical fluid based on the received radio frequency energy generated by the excited atoms in the medical fluid in the first portion of the cartridge.

Dialysis system with radio frequency device within a magnet assembly for medical fluid sensing and concentration determination

Medical fluid sensing and concentration determination using radio frequency energy and a magnetic field

A medical fluid delivery cassette configured for use with a medical fluid pumping system. The cassette includes a base, a membrane attached to the base, and an adhesive disposed on a portion of the membrane overlying a fluid pump chamber of the cassette. The portion of the membrane overlying the fluid pump chamber is moveable such that the volume of the fluid pump chamber can be changed.

Medical fluid pump systems and related components and methods

A dialysis fluid cassette that includes a rigid body and a flexible backing covering a recessed portion of the rigid body to at least partially form a gas release chamber.

Extracorporeal fluid circuit

Peritoneal dialysis systems and related methods are disclosed. The methods can include combining a first solution having a first concentration of a solute with a second solution having a second concentration of the solute to form a custom dialysate, e.g., according to a specific prescription for a patient.

Peritoneal dialysis systems and related methods

A peritoneal dialysis (PD) system that includes a disposable PD cassette including a base having a substantially planar portion and a dome-shaped protrusion extending from the substantially planar portion and a flexible membrane attached to the base and covering a recessed region of the dome-shaped protrusion to form a pumping chamber between the flexible membrane and the recessed region of the dome-shaped protrusion. The system also includes a PD machine including a deck and a door hinged from one side to the deck. The door and the deck can cooperate to form a cassette compartment, and the door has a cylindrical recess positioned to receive the dome-shaped protrusion of the base of the disposable PD cassette when the disposable PD cassette is disposed in the cassette compartment and the door is closed.

Cassette system for peritoneal dialysis machine

In general, this disclosure relates to extracorporeal fluid circuits. In some aspects, an air-release device for allowing air to be released from a liquid in extracorporeal circuitry includes an elongate chamber having a bottom region and a top region and a fluid entry port and fluid exit port at or near the bottom region. The air release device also includes a vent structure at or near the top region of the elongate chamber that includes a porous material capable of swelling when moistened such that the vent structure can inhibit liquid from escaping the air-release device during use.

Safety vent structure for extracorporeal circuit

A container for use with a hemodialysis apparatus having a vent structure is described. The vent structure is porous, and allows air in the container to vent when the container is being filled with fluid, but expands when the vent structure becomes wet, when filling is complete, thereby closing off the pores and inhibiting (e.g., preventing) fluid from flowing through the vent structure, and reentry of air into the container. The vent structure can also include a micro-porous membrane.

Medical hemodialysis container including a self sealing vent

A vent assembly is described for use in an extracorporeal fluid unit. A vent structure adjacent to a micro-porous membrane forms the assembly. The vent structure is porous, but expands when the vent structure becomes wet, thereby closing off the pores and inhibiting (e.g., preventing) fluid from flowing through the vent structure. The vent structure also protects the membrane from becoming wet, such as from condensation.

A portable peritoneal dialysis apparatus having a side-hinged, inclined door for enclosing a disposable cassette that seals tightly shut using air pressure which imposes a safety interlock, a cassette with its inlet/outlet tube exclusively along the lower edge so that the connected lines can hang straight, a circumferential channel defined in the cassette, and a pneumatic system for sealing the membranes of both the pump chamber diaphragms and the pressure sensor diaphragms in the cassette to the respective mating pistons and pressure sensors in the cycler. In addition a system for draining patient line fluid to an empty solution bag is disclosed.

A system for priming an extracorporeal blood circuit is described. The system includes a fluid circuit with an air venting mechanism, a reversible pump, arterial and venous lines, a prime waste bag and a switchable coupler selectively connecting the arterial and venous lines to the waste bag or alternatively interconnecting the arterial and venous lines. A priming fluid is connected to the circuit and circulated in the circuit under different configurations of the arterial and venous line connections.

Automatic prime of an extracorporeal blood circuit

A chamber is described for use in an extracorporeal fluid system. The chamber has a bottom entry port and a bottom exit port. A microporous filter at the top of the chamber allows air in the fluid to vent from the chamber. In use, the chamber is filled with saline. Blood is then introduced into the chamber. A layer of saline is above a layer of blood in the chamber. The saline stagnates as the blood flows through the chamber. The saline keeps the blood from contacting the filter and depositing protein on the filter.

A blood flow reversal valve useful in hemodialysis having rotational detent features enabling audible and tactile feedback to a clinician and alignment features such as visible indicators associated with the blood lines on either side of the valve to confirm normal or reverse flow.

Blood flow reversal valves and related systems and methods

This invention provides a method and apparatus for calculating a hemodialysis parameter, especially blood access flow rate, using multiple dialysance values. The dialysance values may be calculated based upon either sodium or urea concentrations. One dialysance value can be determined for conditions in which a patient's arterial line withdraws blood from an upstream location in a patient's fistula and treated blood is returned by a venous line to a downstream location in a patient's fistula. The second dialysance value can be determined when the lines have been reconfigured so that the arterial line withdraws blood from a downstream portion of a patient's fistula and the venous line returns treated blood to an upstream portion of a patient's fistula. Since it is possible to determine the dialysance values solely from concentration measurements made on the dialysate side of the dialysis apparatus, the present method and apparatus provide a non-invasive means for determining hemodialysis parameters such as blood access flow rate and recirculation.

Growing community of inventors

Alamo, CA, United States of America

Thomas Irvin Folden