A drain cassette for a dialysis unit has a fluid channel between venous and arterial connection ports, and a valve may controllably open and close fluid communication between a drain outlet port and the venous connection port or the arterial connection port. A blood circuit assembly and drain cassette may be removable from the dialysis unit, e.g., by hand and without the use of tools. A blood circuit assembly may include a single, unitary member that defines portions of a pair of blood pumps, control valves, channels to accurately position flexible tubing for an occluder, an air trap support, and/or other portions of the assembly. A blood circuit assembly engagement device may assist with retaining a blood circuit assembly on the dialysis unit, and/or with removal of the assembly. An actuator may operate a retainer element and an ejector element that interact with the assembly.

A femoral arterial ECMO cannula is provided with a balloon that has dual flow and which provides arterial body blood flow during femoral ECMO (Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation).

The present invention relates to a rotary blood pump with a double pivot contact bearing system with an operating range between about 50 mL/min and about 1500 mL/min, wherein the force on the upper bearing is less than 3N during operating speeds up to 6000 rpm. The rotary blood pump is part of a blood pump system that includes blood conduit(s), a control system with optional sensors, and a power source. Embodiments of the present invention may include elements designed to increase the length of time the rotary blood system can operate effectively in vivo, including wear resistant bearing materials, a rotor back plate for magnetic attraction of the rotor to reduce bearing pivot bearing forces and wear, a rotor size and shape and a bearing gap that combine to create a hydrodynamic bearing effect and reduce bearing pivot bearing forces and wear, improved intravascular conduits with increased resistance to thrombosis, conduit insertion site cuffs to resist infection, and conduit side ports amenable to the easy insertion of guidewire and catheter-based medical devices to treat conduits and related blood vessels to maintain blood pump system function over time.

A quick-connector for use with an autoretroperfusion and hypothermia system and methods of using the connector. The connector comprises a coolant inlet, a coolant outlet, a coolant reservoir, a blood lumen outlet, a blood lumen inlet, and a blood lumen, whereby the coolant outlet is configured to accept a cooling product from the reservoir, the reservoir is configured to accept cooling product from the coolant inlet. Flowing blood powered by the patient's heart may enter the connector through the blood lumen inlet, travel through the blood lumen while being cooled by cooling product in the reservoir, and leave the connector through the blood lumen outlet. The temperature of blood leaving the connector can be measured at the blood lumen outlet. Catheters can be attached to the blood lumen inlet and blood lumen outlet to receive and send blood, respectively. A cooling system can be attached to the coolant inlet and coolant outlet to provide a source of cooling product.

An apparatus and method are disclosed for detecting the disconnection of a vascular access device such as a needle, cannula or catheter from a blood vessel or vascular graft segment. A pair of electrodes is placed in direct contact with fluid or blood in fluid communication with the vascular segment. In one embodiment, the electrodes are incorporated into a pair of connectors connecting arterial and venous catheters to arterial and venous tubes leading to and from an extracorporeal blood flow apparatus. Wires leading from the electrodes to a detecting circuit can be incorporated into a pair of double lumen arterial and venous tubes connecting the blood flow apparatus to the blood vessel or vascular graft. The detecting circuit is configured to provide a low-voltage alternating current signal to the electrodes to measure the electrical resistance between the electrodes, minimizing both the duration and amount of current being delivered. Detection of an increase in electrical resistance between the electrodes exceeding a pre-determined threshold value may be used to indicate a possible disconnection of the vascular access device.

A vascular access port can include a base that can be attached to a vessel and a body extending away from the base in at least a vertical direction. A height of the body in the vertical direction can be sufficiently small such that the entire port can be implanted subcutaneously in a patient. The port can include a guidance passageway that is at least partially defined by the body and can direct an access device into a vessel of a patient when the port is attached to the vessel. In some arrangements, the guidance passageway includes a funnel region that decreases in size from a proximal end of the guidance passageway toward a distal end of the guidance passageway that defines an opening through the bottom surface of the port.

An extracorporeal blood treatment apparatus, comprises: at least a pressure sensor (24,25) located in a respective measurement site on an extracorporeal blood circuit (6, 7); an electronic control unit (23) operatively connected at least to the pressure sensor (24, 25). The electronic control unit (23) is configured to perform at least the following procedure: receiving from the pressure sensor (24, 25) a signal correlated to a measured blood pressure (P1measured, P2measured) in the measurement site; correcting the blood measured pressure (P1measured, P2measured) through a mathematical correction model to obtain a blood actual pressure (Pinlet, Poutlet) in a reference site other than the measurement site. Between the reference site and the measurement site, a circuit section and, optionally, at least one additional device (18, 27, 28) is/are positioned. The mathematical correction model is a model of a pressure drop in the circuit section and, optionally, in the additional device (18, 27, 28).

An interventional catheter is adapted for treating a blood vessel. In an embodiment, the catheter includes an elongate shaft sized for insertion in a blood vessel and a stent positioned on a distal region of the elongate shaft. An expandable dilation member is coupled to a distal region of the elongate shaft. The expandable dilation member is adapted to expand outward. A stent containment member is positioned over the elongate shaft and the stent to contain the stent in a collapsed state.

A split-tip catheter for placement within the vasculature of a patient and for use in hemodialysis or other suitable procedures, and methods of use. The split-tip catheter can include a catheter body defining a first lumen and a second lumen, and a split distal region extending from a distal end of the catheter body. The split distal region can include an arterial segment defined by an outer wall enclosing an arterial segment lumen, the arterial segment lumen in fluid communication with the catheter body first lumen, and a venous segment defined by an outer wall enclosing a venous segment lumen, the venous segment lumen in fluid communication with the catheter body second lumen, the venous segment outer wall extending from the catheter body distal end to a distal nose portion. The distal nose portion can taper from a first outer perimeter to a second smaller outer perimeter.

The present disclosure relates to a blood line (108) comprising an infusion site (145) intended to inject into the line a solution comprising: —a first main channel (200) having a first passage section, —a second main channel (220) having a second passage section, —means for the formation (210) of a turbulence area located downstream from the first main channel, located upstream from the second main channel, these formation means comprising a first fluid passage means (224) defining a reduction (225) in the passage section and whose smallest passage section is smaller than the first passage section and smaller than the second fluid passage section, —a secondary channel (230) comprising an inlet (231) for letting in the solution and an outlet (232) in fluid communication with the first main channel or the means for the formation of a turbulence area or the second main channel.