A medical monitoring device for monitoring electrical signals from the body of a subject is described. The medical monitoring device monitors electrical signals originating from a cardiac cycle of the subject and associates each cardiac cycle with a time index. The medical monitoring device applies a forward computational procedure to generate a risk score indicative of hyperkalemia, hypokalemia or arrhythmia of the subject. The medical monitoring device can adjust the forward computational procedure based upon clinical data obtained from the subject.

An optical blood monitoring system and corresponding method avoid the need to obtain a precise intensity value of the light impinging upon the measured blood layer during the analysis. The system is operated to determine at least two optical measurements through blood layers of different thickness but otherwise substantially identical systems. Due to the equivalence of the systems, the two measurements can be compared so that the bulk extinction coefficient of the blood can be calculated based only on the known blood layer thicknesses and the two measurements. Reliable measurements of various blood parameters can thereby be determined without certain calibration steps.

An implantable blood pump includes a control unit storing patient specific settings. The control unit is configured to store patient specific settings. The patient specific settings can be used to determine a target operating speed for the blood pump and/or a target operating mode for the blood pump. The patient specific settings can include at least one of an operating mode for the pump, a set speed for the pump, a lower speed limit for the pump, a patient hematocrit value, a patient hematocrit date, a patient blood density, and a periodic log rate for event and periodic data.

The present invention relates to a dialysis machine having an extracorporeal circuit in which a dialyzer is located which has a chamber on the blood side which is flowed through by blood and a first pressure sensor, which is located upstream of the chamber on the blood side in the direction of flow of the blood, for determining a first pressure value and a second pressure sensor, which is located downstream of the chamber on the blood side in the direction of flow of the blood, for determining a second pressure value, wherein the dialysis machine has first means for determining the pressure difference between the second pressure value and the first pressure value, second means for determining the dynamic viscosity of the blood on the basis of the determined pressure difference, of the blood flow rate through the chamber on the blood side and of one or more characteristic properties of the dialyzer and third means for determining the hematocrit or the hemoglobin value of the blood on the basis of the determined viscosity, and wherein the dialysis machine has a control or regulation unit which is configured such that it sets the blood flow rate and/or the dilution rate and/or the ultrafiltration rate such that the time change of the hematocrit and/or of the hemoglobin value does not exceed a limit value or lies in a desired value range.

A method of collecting plasma includes receiving donor parameters at a controller of a plasma collection device electronically from a donor management system. The method includes storing a target volume for raw plasma which is based at least in part on donor height and weight used to calculate total donor blood volume, the target volume for raw plasma based on the total donor blood volume. The method includes setting the target volume for raw plasma and controlling the plasma collection device to operate draw and return phases to withdraw whole blood from a donor and separate the whole blood into the plasma product and a second blood component comprising red blood cells and to return the second blood component to the donor. The controller operates the draw and return phases until a volume of raw plasma in the collection container equals the target volume of raw plasma.

A method is provided for facilitating urine output from the kidney, including: (a) inserting a catheter including: a drainage lumen including a distal portion configured to be positioned in a patient's kidney, renal pelvis and/or in the ureter adjacent to the renal pelvis and a proximal portion, the distal portion including a retention portion including a funnel support including at least one sidewall, wherein the funnel support includes a first diameter and a second diameter, the first diameter being less than the second diameter, the second diameter being closer to an end of the distal portion of the drainage lumen than the first diameter, wherein the proximal portion of the drainage lumen is essentially free of or free of openings; and (b) applying negative pressure to the proximal portion of the drainage lumen for a period of time to facilitate urine output from the kidney.

A ureteral catheter includes a drainage lumen having a proximal portion configured to be positioned in at least a portion of a patient's urethra and/or bladder and a distal portion configured to be positioned in a patient's kidney, renal pelvis, and/or in the ureter adjacent to the renal pelvis. The distal portion includes a retention portion for maintaining positioning of the distal portion of the drainage lumen. The retention portion includes a plurality of sections, each section having one or more openings on a sidewall of the retention portion for permitting fluid flow into the drainage lumen. A total area of openings of a first section of the plurality of sections is less than a total area of openings of an adjacent second section of the plurality of sections. The second section is closer to a distal end of the drainage lumen than the first section.

Disclosed are methods, materials and devices for approximation of blood volume in a fluid, such as in a biological fluid collected during a surgical procedure. The method and devices include the use of a RBC flocculant, such as polyDADMAC, and an approximate blood hematocrit for the type of animal, as well as a calculated RBC packing ratio corresponding to the collection device being used. Also provided is a Blood Indicator Panel (BIP), comprising a series of markings calculated from an observed red blood settlement volume, the average animal type hematocrit, and a calculated RBC packing ratio “η” value for the collection device. Pediatric (about 200 ml or 250 ml size container), adult human (about 1,000 ml-1,500 ml) and veterinary (about 500 ml-2,500 ml) collection containers are also disclosed, that include a RBC flocculant, for use in approximating blood volume in a fluid.

The invention relates to a dialysis machine having an extracorporeal blood circuit, a blood pump, a dialyzer, a venous pressure sensor, a substituate line, and a control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to operate the blood pump in a first operating mode and in a special operating mode and to start the special operating mode after recognition of a trigger event, in which special operating mode a conveying rate of the blood pump is controlled by means of a default value or is regulated to a desired value, which default or desired value is derived from a value determined before the start of the currently started special operating mode or corresponds to said value, wherein the presence of at least one obstacle is polled before the start of the special operating mode, and wherein, on the presence of the obstacle, the start of the special operating mode is blocked or delayed and/or the selection of the default value or of the desire value on the presence of the obstacle differs from the selection without the presence of the obstacle.

Systems and sensor clip assemblies for optically monitoring blood flowing through a blood chamber are provided. A sensor clip assembly includes emitters and photodetectors positioned on opposing arms, a signal conditioning circuit for conditioning raw analog signals generated by the photodetectors while the sensor clip assembly is fastened to a blood chamber, and an analog-to-digital converter for converting the conditioned analog signals to raw digital data. The sensor clip assembly may output the raw digital data to an external device and receive synchronized control signals from the external device, or the sensor clip assembly may include a microcontroller for performing calculations on the raw digital data and providing synchronized control signals internally. Parameters of blood flowing through the blood chamber such as hematocrit, oxygen saturation, and change in blood volume may be calculated from the raw digital data derived from the raw analog signals generated by the photodetectors.