The invention provides a method and an apparatus or system for dialysis. The method and apparatus or system are useful for removing an undesirable protein-binding substance such as a toxin from a biological fluid such as blood or blood plasma. As such, the method and apparatus or system are useful for treating a subject in need of dialysis such as a subject suffering from hepatic disease. The methods feature a) dialyzing a biological fluid against a dialysis fluid containing an adsorber for a protein-binding substance to be removed through a semipermeable membrane, b) adjusting the dialysis fluid so that the binding affinity of the adsorber for the protein-bound substance to be removed is lowered and the substance to be removed passes into solution, and c) balancing the volume or flow of one or more fluids in the apparatus or system suitable for dialyzing a biological fluid containing a protein-binding substance to be removed. The apparatus or system features a) a biological fluid circuit (3); b) a dialysis fluid circuit (2); c) a means (4; 6; 7; 8; 9) for solubilizing the protein-binding substance to be removed; d) a dialysis, filtration or diafiltration device (5); e) a balancing system or apparatus suitable for balancing the volume or flow of one or more fluids in the apparatus or system suitable for dialyzing a biological fluid containing a protein-binding substance to be removed; and f) a dialysate regeneration unit.

This document provides bioartificial liver (BAL) devices. Methods for making and using BAL devices also are provided.

An extracorporeal blood treatment device and a method are provided for removing a secondary membrane formed on a semipermeable membrane of a dialyzer during an extracorporeal blood treatment. The extracorporeal blood treatment device operates in a first operating mode in which a dialysate outlet valve is open such that dialysate flows through a dialyzer feed line, through a dialysate chamber, and into and through a dialyzer discharge line. The extracorporeal blood treatment device operates in a second operating mode to remove the secondary membrane from the semipermeable membrane. During the second operating mode, the dialysate outlet valve is closed for a duration of time such that dialysate is prevented from flowing through the dialyzer discharge line. A backflush procedure results wherein a volume of dialysate passes from the dialysate chamber through the semipermeable membrane and into the blood chamber.

A hemodiafiltration (HDF) system is provided for performing HDF treatment. The HDF system includes a mixing system for mixing nitric oxide (NO) with other chemicals to produce a dialysis fluid. The HDF system further includes an extracorporeal blood circuit that includes a filter for separating the dialysis fluid into a dialysate and NO spiked substitution fluid. The extracorporeal blood circuit also includes a dialyzer that receives the dialysate and a blood line connected to the dialyzer. The blood line includes admission points connected to the filter. The admission points are used to administer the NO spiked substitution fluid to the patient during the HDF treatment.

The present invention relates to systems, methods and uses for recycling at least a part of water lost during various renal replacement therapy processes, e.g. in the preparation of a fresh dialysate solution or fresh reconstitution fluid for kidney disease dialysis and hemofiltration by utilizing water from the spent fluids. The system of the invention is useful in hemodialysis and in peritoneal dialysis as well as in hemofiltration for reuse of water from filtrates and spent fluids. In addition, the system of the invention is useful in the development of a renal assist device or artificial kidney.

Provided, among other things, is a method of treating cerebral spinal fluid comprising: (a) utilizing a channel of a pump to draw CSF from a subject's subarachnoid space of the subject's brain or spinal column; (b) subjecting the drawn CSF to membrane dialysis against a dialysate fluid to reduce immune or inflammatory mediators; and (c) utilizing a second channel of the synchronized dual channel pump to return the dialyzed CSF to the subarachnoid space of the subject's brain or spinal column. For example, the pump can be a synchronized dual channel pump. In one embodiment, the method further comprises: (d) removing cellular matter from the CSF to produce reduced cell content CSF, wherein the reduced cell content CSF is subjected to membrane dialysis.

A fibrous material includes fiber blends having plural types of solid fibers having a common cross-sectional shape. The composition ratio of each of at least two out of the plural types of fibers to the total of the fiber blends is not less than 5.0%. When, among those plural types of fibers having a composition ratio of not less than 5.0%, fibers having the highest and the lowest surface area increase rates, which are given by the formula (1) below, are respectively designated as the fiber.sub.(max) and the fiber.sub.(min), the surface area increase rate of the fiber.sub.(min) is reduced by 3.0% or more as compared to that of the fiber.sub.(max). The composition ratios of the fiber.sub.(max) and the fiber.sub.(min) to the total of the fiber blends are not less than 30.0% and not less than 8.0%, respectively. The fiber.sub.(max) has (a) a surface area increase rate of not less than 1.20 and is (b) a porous fiber with a micropore specific surface area of not less than 5 m.sup.2/g.

Surface area increase rate=(the circumference of a fiber cross section)/(the circumference of a circle having the same cross-sectional area as the fiber cross section)(1)

Endotoxin is detected by electrochemical measurement. A detection device 15 of endotoxin detects endotoxin contained in a fluid to be tested (for example, a dialysate) specifically in the following manner. First, the fluid to be tested is brought into contact with an adsorbent 17 that adsorbs endotoxin to cause the adsorbent 17 to adsorb the endotoxin. Then, a basic solution is brought into contact with the adsorbent 17 to desorb the endotoxin. Electrochemical measurement of the basic solution containing the desorbed endotoxin is performed. The endotoxin can be detected by the electrochemical measurement with high sensitivity at low cost.

A fluid treatment method, a fluid treatment device, a cycle separation device, a cycle treatment system, a medical device, and a computer readable storage medium are provided. The fluid treatment method intercepts the target substance in the fluid, and cyclically enriches the target substance in the enrichment pipeline. In a cycle enrichment mode, the flow rate at the inlet is equal to that of the outlet in the enrichment pipeline so as to dynamically balance a total amount of the fluid in the enrichment pipeline. The present disclosure treats the fluid sustainably, collect particular components of the fluid, and a fluid discharged from the first outlet of the enrichment pipeline is introduced into the treatment module or is returned to an original system. The present disclosure effectively avoids continuous loss of beneficial components when filtering out harmful components in the process of component separation/exchange of the fluid through membrane separation.

The present disclosure relates to a dialyzer comprising a bundle of semipermeable hollow fiber membranes which is suitable for blood purification, wherein the dialyzer has an increased ability to remove larger molecules while at the same time it is able to effectively remove small uremic toxins and efficiently retain albumin and larger proteins. The invention also relates to using said dialyzer in hemodialysis.