A method for priming a renal therapy machine is disclosed. The method includes communicating a source of a physiologically compatible solution with a blood circuit and moving the physiologically compatible solution from the source to the blood circuit. The method also includes moving the physiologically compatible solution through the blood circuit to prime the blood circuit. The method further includes moving the physiologically compatible solution from the blood circuit though porous fibers of a blood filter, causing air to be purged from the blood circuit and into a dialysis fluid circuit portion of the blood filter.

A system for assisting a patient's heart has a pump, an oxygenator, a holder having a pump receiving portion for removably receiving the pump and an oxygenator receiving portion for removably receiving the oxygenator, and a harness configured to surround at least a portion of a patient's torso. The holder is connected to the harness. The system further has a brace connected to at least a portion of the harness. The brace is configured to extend behind a back portion of a user's head and to support tubing connected to at least one of the pump and the oxygenator. A priming tray and wet-to-wet connector connecting the cardiac assist system to the cannula so are also disclosed.

Embodiments of the invention pertain to cartridges, systems and methods for performing hemodialysis and related extracorporeal blood treatment modalities and therapies, in which blood flows in the inter fiber space and dialysate flows in the lumens of hollow fibers. Appropriate connectors and fitting orientations may be provided. There may be provided orbital distributors, fanning of fibers, and features to promote uniformity of fiber spacing in the fiber bundle. Orbital distributors may contain contoured surfaces, flow redirectors, non-uniform-conductance flow elements, through-wall distributors, and other features. There may be subdivision of the fiber bundle into two groups of fibers with separate control fluid to each group. Appropriate systems may be provided for various therapies. Flow past the fibers may be parallel, transverse or other configuration. These various features may enable long-term application to all dialysis and ultrafiltration related therapies, and also to other therapies and to applications including implantables, portables and wearables.

The invention relates to infusate containers and related systems and methods for housing infusates that can be added to a fluid flow path for use during dialysis. The infusate containers can include a filter partitioning the containers into a first and second compartment, a draw tube for drawing up fluid from a bottom portion, a cap, a fluid connector for delivery and withdrawal of fluid from the two compartments, and a fluid connector for connection to a dialysis system.

An apparatus for performing haemodialysis on a patient comprises: first blood transfer means (3) for selectively withdrawing blood from a patient and storing it in a first storage portion (5); second blood transfer means (11) for removing filtered blood from a filtration device (7) and storing it in a second storage portion (13); and a fluid measurement system (51a, 51b) for periodically measuring the respective volumes of blood in the first and second storage portions; adding the volume of blood in the first storage portion to the volume of blood in the second storage portion at that time in order to calculate the total volume of blood within the first and second storage portions at that time; and comparing the total measured volumes of blood within the first and second storage portions measured over a predetermined time interval to calculate the volume of fluid removed from the blood during that predetermined time interval.

Provided is a calibration method for flowmeters in a blood dialysis system, whereby highly accurate calibration can be performed even by omitting a reference flowmeter not directly relating to dialysis therapy. This calibration method comprises: while preventing outflow into a blood channel in a blood purifier, supplying a liquid to a channel, said channel passing through an inflow flowmeter and an outflow flowmeter; and then calibrating the inflow flowmeter and the outflow flowmeter correction whereby, at the time of liquid supply, a value measured by the outflow flowmeter is equalized to a value measured by inflow flowmeter.

An extracorporeal blood treatment apparatus comprises: a blood treatment device (2); an extracorporeal blood circuit comprising a blood withdrawal line (6) and a blood return line (7) coupled to the extracorporeal blood treatment device (2), wherein the blood return line (7) presents a heating zone (14) coupled or configured to be coupled to a blood warmer (15); a blood pump (6) configured to be coupled to a pump section of the blood withdrawal line (6); at least a post-infusion line (13, 13) connected to the blood return line (7) upstream of the heating zone (14); an air trapping device (9) placed on the blood return line (7) upstream of the heating zone (14).

A blood treatment apparatus having an extracorporeal circuit has a dialyzate circuit with a dialyzer, having a blood-side chamber, and a dialyzate-side chamber separated from the blood-side chamber by a membrane. The blood-side chamber is in fluid communication with the extracorporeal circuit and the dialyzate-side chamber is in fluid communication with the dialyzate circuit, and the apparatus has a preparation unit for online preparation of a solution. The apparatus has a first means for carrying out a priming mode and a second means for carrying out an initial treatment mode. The first means is configured to control the preparation unit to prepare a flushing solution having a pH of 7.3, with the extracorporeal circuit being filled with the flushing solution. The second means is configured to control the preparation unit to prepare the dialyzate having a pH of 7.3, with the dialyzate circuit being filled with the dialyzate.

The present invention relates generally to improved systems and methods for removing undesirable material residing in vessels. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for using at least one cannula to remove substantially en bloc, from a site of obstruction or interest, undesirable material without fragmentation and without excessive fluid loss.

Dialysis systems that remove air from a blood circuit are disclosed herein. In an embodiment, a dialysis system includes a dialysis fluid circuit, a blood circuit including an arterial line, a venous line, and an enclosure in fluid communication with the venous line, the enclosure configured to release air through a hydrophobic vent for priming the blood circuit, a blood pump configured to pump fluid through at least the arterial line, a first valve operable with the arterial line and a second valve operable with the venous line, and a pumping and valving algorithm operated after priming to remove air from the blood circuit to control the first and second valves and the blood pump to replace priming fluid with blood from a patient.