A system and method for balancing flows of renal replacement fluid is disclosed. The method uses pressure controls and pressure sensing devices to more precisely meter and balance the flow of fresh dialysate and spent dialysate. The balancing system may use one or two balancing devices, such as a balance tube, a tortuous path, or a balance chamber.

Dialysis systems are disclosed comprising new fluid flow circuits. Systems may include blood and dialysate flow paths, where the dialysate flow path includes balancing, mixing, and/or directing circuits. Dialysate preparation may be decoupled from patient dialysis. Circuits may be defined within one or more cassettes. The fluid circuit fluid flow paths may be isolated from electrical components. A gas supply in fluid communication with the dialysate flow path and/or the dialyzer able to urge dialysate through the dialyzer and urge blood back to the patient may be included for certain emergency situations. Fluid handling devices, such as pumps, valves, and mixers that can be actuated using a control fluid may be included. Control fluid may be delivered by an external pump or other device, which may be detachable and/or generally rigid, optionally with a diaphragm dividing the device into first and second compartments.

A renal failure therapy system (10) includes a dialyzer (102); a blood circuit (100) in fluid communication with the dialyzer (102); a dialysis fluid circuit (30) in fluid communication with the dialyzer (102); and an electrically floating fluid pathway (140) comprising at least a portion of the blood circuit (100) and at least a portion of the dialysis fluid circuit (30), wherein the only electrical path to ground is via used dialysis fluid traveling through machine (12) to earth ground (28), and wherein at least one electrical component (46, 90, 82, 66, 102, 116) in the at least a portion of the dialysis fluid circuit (30) of the electrically floating fluid pathway (140) is electrically bypassed.

The present disclosure relates to a medical device with respectively at least one hard part with fluid paths for guiding a medical fluid, for example blood through the hard part. The medical device 200 also includes a converter and a device for determining a characteristic of the device 200. The converter is arranged to measure the characteristic of the fluid, while the fluid is present in one of the fluid paths. The characteristic may be geometric characteristic, for example, a fluid path.

A system and method for balancing flows of renal replacement fluid is disclosed. The method uses pressure controls and pressure sensing devices to more precisely meter and balance the flow of fresh dialysate and spent dialysate. The balancing system may use one or two balancing devices, such as a balance tube, a tortuous path, or a balance chamber.

Dialysis is enhanced by using nanoclay sorbents to better absorb body wastes in a flow-through system. The nanoclay sorbents, using montmorillonite, bentonite, and other clays, absorb significantly more ammonium, phosphate, and creatinine, and the like, than conventional sorbents. The montmorillonite, the bentonite, and the other clays may be used in wearable systems, in which a dialysis fluid is circulated through a filter with the nanoclay sorbents. Waste products are absorbed by the montmorillonite, the bentonite, and the other clays and the dialysis fluid is recycled to a patient's peritoneum. Using an ion-exchange capability of the montmorillonite, the bentonite, and the other clays, waste ions in the dialysis fluid are replaced with desirable ions, such as calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate. The nanoclay sorbents are also useful for refreshing a dialysis fluid used in hemodialysis and thus reducing a quantity of the dialysis fluid needed for the hemodialysis.

The specification discloses a portable dialysis machine having a detachable controller unit and base unit. The controller unit includes a door having an interior face, a housing with a panel, where the housing and panel define a recessed region configured to receive the interior face of the door, and a manifold receiver fixedly attached to the panel. The base unit has a planar surface for receiving a container of fluid, a scale integrated with the planar surface, a heater in thermal communication with the planar surface, and a sodium sensor in electromagnetic communication with the planar surface. Embodiments of the disclosed portable dialysis system have improved structural and functional features, including improved modularity, ease of use, and safety features.

A technology that provides various modular biomimetic microfluidic modules emulating varieties of microvasculature in body. These microfluidic-base capillaries and lymphatic Technology modules are constructed as multilayered-microfluidic microchannels of various shapes, and aspect ratios using diverse biocompatible microfluidic polymers. Then, various semipermeable membranes are sandwiched in between these multilayered microfluidic microchannels. These membranes have different chemical, physical characteristics and MWCO values. Consequently, this design will produce much smaller dimension channels similar to human vasculature to achieve biomimetic properties like of human organs and tissues. By interchanging microfluidic-layers or the membranes various diverse modules are designed that act as building blocks for constructing various medical devices, various forms of dialysis devices including albumin and lipid dialysis, water purification, bioreactors bio-artificial organ support systems. Connecting various modules in diverse combinations, permutations, in parallel ad/or in series to ultimately design many unrelated medical devices such as dialysis, bioreactors and organ support devices.

An extracorporeal blood treatment apparatus is provided comprising a filtration unit (2) connected to a blood circuit (17) and to a dialysis fluid circuit (32), a preparation device (9) for preparing and regulating the composition of the dialysis fluid; a control unit (12) is configured for determining or receiving a proposed value (Cond.sub.prop) of a conductivity for the dialysis fluid in the dialysis supply line (8) and to determine a set value (Cond.sub.set) for the conductivity in the dialysis fluid as a function of the proposed value (Cond.sub.prop) and as a function of at least one of a second parameter (UF volume/W; WL/W) indicative of a patient fluid overload and a third parameter (g.sub.conc) chosen in the group including: a glucose concentration in the patient and a concentration-related parameter of at least glucose in the patient.

The present invention provides a hemodiafiltrator comprising two compartmentalized dialysate chambers coaxially arranged in tandem. A single packed bundle of hollow fibers for blood flow is enclosed coaxially along a longitudinal axis inside the dual dialysate chambers. A configuration of a tandem arrangement of the dual dialysate chambers at least comprises a first dialysate chamber for an acidic dialysate with a varying level of urea and a second compartmentalized dialysate chamber for a basic dialysate with no urea but with a level of ammonia up to a level detected in normal human blood.