A device for establishing venous inflow to a blood reservoir of an extracorporeal blood circulation system includes a restricting unit for gradually closing a venous inflow line and a vacuum unit for supplying vacuum to the blood reservoir. The device includes a control unit that supplies a first actuating signal to the restricting unit for restricting venous inflow to the blood reservoir and supplies a second actuating signal to the vacuum unit for establishing a degree of vacuum within the blood reservoir.

An apparatus for shunting blood includes a flow-indication chamber shaped to define an entry port and an exit port, and one or more moveable objects disposed within the flow-indication chamber and configured to move in response to a flowing of the blood from the entry port to the exit port. At least a portion of a wall of the flow-indication chamber is transparent so as to expose the moveable objects to sight. Other embodiments are also described.

Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) systems, devices and methods wherein a portable ECLS device is used to deliver cardiovascular support to a humans or animal patient (or harvested organ(s)) during pre-hospital or inter-hospital transport.

A patient monitoring system may be used with catheters to monitor the infusion and drainage of any solution into the human body. The system may be used, for example, with in-dwelling catheters for peritoneal dialysis in end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, urinary tract catheters, insulin pumps in diabetic patients, feeding tubes and central venous line catheters. The patient monitoring system includes one or more fluid pathways for infusing into and/or draining solutions out of the catheter, and one or more sensors to monitor the fluid. The patient monitoring system transmits the patient monitoring data to a database, allowing data storage, processing, and access through graphical user interfaces to patients and providers via device applications or browser-based web access portals.

Blood treatment systems and methods are provided for combining a blood separation system and an adsorption device. The blood separation system is configured to separate a blood component from blood, while the adsorption device is configured to receive at least a portion of the separated blood component and process it. The blood separation system includes a fluid flow element and a controller. The fluid flow element is configured for flowing the separated blood component into the adsorption device. The controller controls the fluid flow element based at least in part on one or more processing parameters. The processing parameters include a maximum flow rate of the separated blood component flowed into the adsorption device, a maximum pressure of the separated blood component flowed into the adsorption device, and/or the volume of fluid in a location of the system.

This extracorporeal circulation cassette is provided with: a blood circuit (10) comprising a flexible tube and having a blood tube access portion set in a predetermined position in a device; a dialysate circuit (12) comprising a flexible tube and having a dialysate tube access portion set in a predetermined position in the device; a first panel (4) and a second panel (6) that are rigid and that integrate the blood circuit (10) and the dialysate circuit (12) while sandwiching the blood circuit (10) and the dialysate circuit (12) from both sides; and a window portion formed in a part of at least one of the first panel (4) and the second panel (6), disposed in a predetermined position in the device. The blood tube access portion and the dialysate tube access portion are positioned in the window portion.

A blood purification apparatus that includes a blood circuit including an arterial blood circuit and a venous blood circuit and having a flow route that allows a patient's blood to extracorporeally circulate from a distal end of the arterial blood circuit to a distal end of the venous blood circuit; a blood purifier connected to a proximal end of the arterial blood circuit and to a proximal end of the venous blood circuit and that purifies the blood flowing through the blood circuit; an air-trap chamber connected to the blood circuit and that traps bubbles contained in liquid flowing in the flow route of the blood circuit; and a blood pump provided to the arterial blood circuit and being capable of delivering the liquid within the blood circuit. An upstream bubble-detecting unit attached to a position of the blood circuit on an upstream side with respect to the air-trap chamber and that detects bubbles contained in the liquid flowing in the blood circuit; and a control unit that reduces, at the detection of any bubbles by the upstream bubble-detecting unit, a flow rate of the liquid flowing into the air-trap chamber.

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.

Blood treatment systems and methods are provided for combining a blood separation system and an adsorption device. The blood separation system is configured to separate a blood component from blood, while the adsorption device is configured to receive at least a portion of the separated blood component and process it. The blood separation system includes a fluid flow element and a controller. The fluid flow element is configured for flowing the separated blood component into the adsorption device. The controller controls the fluid flow element based at least in part on one or more processing parameters. The processing parameters include a maximum flow rate of the separated blood component flowed into the adsorption device, a maximum pressure of the separated blood component flowed into the adsorption device, and/or the volume of fluid in a location of the system.

To provide an exercise support apparatus that can offer safer exercise to be taken during blood purification treatment. An exercise support apparatus is capable of supporting exercise taken by a patient during blood purification treatment and includes an estimation-line-generating device that generates an estimation line representing a course of circulating-blood-volume rate of change (BV) as a parameter regarding changes in circulating blood volume of the patient that is estimated to be observed after the exercise is started, the estimation line being generated after the blood purification treatment is started and from a continuous measurement of the circulating-blood-volume rate of change (BV) as the parameter regarding changes in circulating blood volume that is conducted before the exercise is started; a first calculating device that calculates a difference or ratio between a measured value of the circulating-blood-volume rate of change (BV) of the patient that is acquired after the exercise during the blood purification treatment is started and a value of the estimation line generated by the estimation-line-generating device; and a first monitoring device that monitors whether or not the difference or ratio calculated by the first calculating device is over a predetermined threshold.