A dialysis system is provided that includes a dialysis machine and a potassium sensing device that is configured to measure the concentration of potassium in the patient's blood, in spent dialysate resulting from treating the patient, or in both. The potassium sensing device can be configured to generate a sensed value of the concentration of potassium. A control and computing unit, including a processor and a memory, is configured to receive the sensed value, compare the value with one or more values stored in the memory, and generate a control signal based on the comparison. A potassium infusion circuit uses the control signal to infuse supplemental potassium solution into the treatment dialysate, a replacement fluid, or both. The memory can include stored patient-historical and population data.

A method of dialysis is provided that includes sensing the concentration of potassium in a patient's blood serum, in used dialysate resulting from treating the patient, or in both. The method involves generating a sensed value of the concentration of potassium, comparing the sensed value with one or more values stored in a memory, and generating a control signal based on the comparison. Supplemental potassium solution is infused into the treatment dialysate, based on the control signal. The comparison can be made to patient-historical data, population data, or both.

A renal failure therapy system includes a dialysis fluid circuit including a dialysis fluid pump; a source of physiological cleaning, disinfecting, and/or decalcifying substance in fluid communication with the dialysis fluid circuit; a source of purified water in fluid communication with the dialysis fluid circuit; and a logic implementer in operable communication with the dialysis fluid pump, the logic implementer causing the physiological cleaning, disinfecting, and/or decalcifying substance from its source to be added to purified water from the purified water source to form a mixture and to circulate the mixture within the dialysis fluid circuit using the dialysis fluid pump to at least one of clean, disinfect or decalcify at least a portion of the dialysis fluid circuit without a subsequent rinse.

The invention relates to a dialysis machine having a fluid system that has an inflow line for providing fresh dialyzing solution to a dialyzer and an outflow line for removing used dialyzing solution from the dialyzer, wherein the fluid system has a balancing system arranged between the inflow and outflow lines to balance the fluid volumes flowing through the lines, and wherein the fluid system has an ultrafiltration line that branches off from the outflow line between the dialyzer and the balancing system and has an ultrafiltration pump to be able to remove a defined volume of used dialyzing solution from the balance, and wherein an additional balancing chamber is provided that is arranged in a section of the inflow line disposed between the balancing system and the dialyzer or in a section of the outflow line disposed between the dialyzer and the branching of the ultrafiltration line.

A method of performing dialysis includes: recirculating a dialysis fluid from a patient or a dialyzer for at least two cycles, each cycle contacting the dialysis fluid first with a zirconium phosphate layer followed by at least one of a urease layer, a zirconium oxide layer, or a carbon layer; storing the recirculated dialysis fluid in a storage container; and transferring the dialysis fluid from the storage container to the patient or the dialyzer. In one example, the zirconium phosphate layer and the at least one of the urease layer, the zirconium oxide layer, or the carbon layer is provided by a sorbent cartridge.

A degassing module that may be used in conjunction with a sorbent regeneration cartridge is described. The degassing module may include an air inlet port, a fluid outlet port, a gas outlet port, first and second channels located in an interior chamber, a port connecting the first and second channels, and a hydrophobic membrane positioned above the second channel. The first channel may be in fluid communication with the air inlet port and the second channel may be in communication with the fluid outlet port. In some embodiments, each of the first and second channels may have a spiral configuration.

A dialysis system comprising a sorbent cartridge for fluidly communicating with at least one of a patient or a dialyzer, the sorbent cartridge including a housing having a zirconium phosphate layer followed by at least one of a urease layer, a zirconium oxide layer, or a carbon layer; a storage container in fluid communication with the sorbent cartridge; a pump in fluid communication with the sorbent cartridge and the storage container; and a control unit in operable communication with the pump to cause the pump to (i) recirculate a dialysis fluid through the sorbent cartridge for at least two recirculation cycles such that the dialysis fluid in each cycle contacts the zirconium phosphate layer first before contacting the at least one of the urease layer, zirconium oxide layer or carbon layer, and (ii) store the dialysis fluid in the storage container after the at least two recirculation cycles.

A fluid handling cassette, such as that useable with an automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) cycler device or other infusion apparatus, may include a generally planar body having at least one pump chamber formed as a depression in a first side of the body and a plurality of flowpaths for a fluid that includes a channel. A patient line port may be arranged for connection to a patient line and be in fluid communication with the at least one pump chamber via at least a first one of said flowpaths, and an optional membrane may be attached to the first side of the body over the at least one pump chamber. In one embodiment, the membrane may have a pump chamber portion with an unstressed shape that generally conforms to the depression of the at least one pump chamber in the body and is arranged to be movable for movement of the fluid in a useable space of the at least one pump chamber. One or more spacers may be provided in the at least one pump chamber to prevent the membrane from contacting an inner wall of the at least one pump chamber. The patient line, a drain line, and/or a heater bag line may be positioned to be separately occludable in relation to one or more solution lines that are connectable to the cassette.

A method of performing dialysis includes: recirculating a dialysis fluid from a patient or a dialyzer for at least two cycles, each cycle contacting the dialysis fluid first with a zirconium phosphate layer followed by at least one of a urease layer, a zirconium oxide layer, or a carbon layer; storing the recirculated dialysis fluid in a storage container; and transferring the dialysis fluid from the storage container to the patient or the dialyzer. In one example, the zirconium phosphate layer and the at least one of the urease layer, the zirconium oxide layer, or the carbon layer is provided by a sorbent cartridge.

A disposable cartridge for use in a hemodialysis machine has a blood flow path for carrying a volume of blood to be treated in a dialyser and a dialysate flow path, isolated from the blood flow path, for delivering a flow of dialysate solution through the dialyser. The cartridge is received in an engine section of the machine. The engine section has first and second platens which close when the cartridge is inserted to retain the cartridge. Actuators and sensors arranged on the second platen control operation of the cartridge.