Disclosed are hemodialysis and similar dialysis systems including fluid flow circuits. Hemodialysis systems may include a blood flow path, and a dialysate flow path including balancing, mixing, and/or a directing circuits. Preparation of dialysate may be decoupled from patient dialysis. Circuits may be defined within one or more cassettes. The fluid circuit and/or the various fluid flow paths may be isolated from electrical components. A gas supply may be provided that, when activated, is able to urge dialysate through the dialyzer and blood back to the patient. Such a system may be useful during a power failure. The hemodialysis system may also include fluid handling devices, such as pumps, valves, mixers, etc., actuated using a control fluid. The control fluid may be delivered to the fluid handling devices using a detachable external pump. The fluid handling devices may have a spheroid shape with a diaphragm dividing it into two compartments.

Hemodialysis and similar dialysis systems including a variety of systems and methods that make hemodialysis more efficient, easier, and/or more affordable, and include new fluid circuits for fluid flow in hemodialysis systems and a blood pump. The blood pump is configured to pump blood to a dialyzer of a hemodialysis apparatus and comprises a pneumatically actuated or controlled reciprocating diaphragm pump. The diaphragm of the pump comprises a flexible membrane formed or molded to conform to a curved inner wall of a pumping chamber or control chamber of the pump, and the diaphragm is pre-formed or molded to have a control side taking a convex shape, so that any elastic tension on the diaphragm is minimized when fully extended into a control chamber of the pump.

An apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment, comprising a treatment unit (2) having a first chamber (3) and a second chamber (4) separated from one another by a semipermeable membrane (5), a blood removal line (6) connected in inlet with the first chamber (3) and a blood return line (7) connected in outlet with the first chamber; an infusion line (9;9a, 9b) of a replacement fluid and a fluid evacuation line (10) connected in outlet from the second chamber. A regulating device (20) of a transmembrane pressure is active on at least one of the lines and a control unit (15) is configured to: command the regulating device (20) by setting a first increase (TMP.sub.1), determine a value of a control parameter (.sub.1) corresponding to the first increase, compare the value of the control parameter (.sub.1) with a reference value (.sub.ref) and, if the value of the control parameter is greater than the reference value, command the regulating device (20) by setting a second increase (TMP.sub.2) which is greater than the first increase (TMP.sub.1).

A hemodialysis system is provided and includes a dialyzer, a dialysis fluid circuit in fluid communication with the dialyzer, a blood circuit, a blood detector and a blood rinseback scheme, wherein the blood rinseback scheme includes transferring blood to the patient using a physiologically acceptable fluid, wherein the physiologically acceptable fluid is introduced from its source into an arterial line between an arterial line patient end and a blood pump of the blood circuit, and flowed through the dialyzer, through a venous drip chamber and to the blood detector along a venous line of the blood circuit, where the physiologically acceptable fluid is sensed by the blood detector to indicate an end of the blood rinseback.

A hemodialysis system configured to purge air from a blood circuit comprising: a dialyzer; a dialysis fluid circuit operable with the dialyzer via dialysis fluid inlet and outlet lines; the blood circuit operable with the dialyzer and including an arterial line, a venous line, a blood pump operable with the arterial line upstream of the dialyzer, and a physiologically acceptable fluid source in fluid communication with the arterial line upstream of the blood pump; and an air purging scheme wherein, with the dialysis fluid inlet and outlet lines connected to the dialyzer, air is purged using dialysis fluid or other physiologically acceptable fluid pumped by at least one of the fresh or used dialysis fluid pumps from the dialysis fluid circuit, through the dialyzer, into the blood circuit, in combination with dialysis fluid or other physiologically acceptable fluid from the source introduced directly into the blood circuit.

An extracorporeal blood treatment apparatus is provided comprising a filtration unit (2) connected to a blood circuit (17) and to a dialysate circuit (32), a preparation device (9) for preparing and regulating the composition of the dialysis fluid; a control unit (12) is configured for setting a sodium concentration value for the dialysis fluid in the dialysis supply line (8) at a set point; the setting of the sodium concentration includes the sub-step of calculating the sodium concentration value as an algebraic sum of a main contribution term based on the blood plasma conductivity and of an adjustment contribution term based on a concentration of at least a substance in the dialysis fluid chosen in the group including bicarbonate, potassium, acetate, lactate, citrate, magnesium, calcium, sulphate, and phosphate.

Systems and methods are provided for determining an estimated risk of arrhythmia during or after dialysis based on changes in serum potassium concentration of a patient and an amount of fluid removed from the patient during dialysis. The systems and methods allow for a determination of a risk that arrhythmia will occur due to the changes in potassium and fluid volume of a patient during dialysis, and for optimizing a dialysis prescription in order to minimize the risk of arrhythmia.

It is described an extracorporeal blood treatment apparatus (1) with a user interface (12) device capable configuring and allowing execution of one or more isolated ultrafiltration tasks during the course of a dialysis treatment. The extracorporeal blood treatment apparatus (1) is controlled in a normal mode, where dialysis fluid is fed to the blood treatment unit (2), and in an isolated ultrafiltration mode, where fresh dialysis fluid is no longer fed to the blood treatment unit (2).

An extracorporeal blood filtering machine can include a blood circuit, an effluent circuit, and a source fluid circuit and can be controlled by a controller. The extracorporeal blood filtering machine can also include access ports for connecting the source fluid circuit to the blood circuit, as well as blood sensors to detect possible issues with the extracorporeal blood filtering machine. The extracorporeal blood filtering machine can include density sensors and flow sensors that enable it to be more accurate and to operate while being transported. The extracorporeal blood filtering machine can further include a user interface and can display fluid inflow/outflow information. A medical fluid container can automatically empty after being filled. An apparatus for supporting a medical fluid container can include a hanger and an attachment member with the apparatus able to adjust to ensure the medical fluid container remains properly oriented directly under a medical fluid container scale.

The disclosed subject matter relates to extracorporeal blood processing or other processing of fluids. Volumetric fluid balance, a required element of many such processes, may be achieved with multiple pumps or other proportioning or balancing devices which are to some extent independent of each other. This need may arise in treatments that involve multiple fluids. Safe and secure mechanisms to ensure fluid balance in such systems are described.