A blood purification apparatus includes a blood circuit through which blood of a patient extracorporeally circulate, and a dialyzer that purifies the blood flowing in the blood circuit. The apparatus includes a pressure-change-producing device capable of applying a positive pressure or a negative pressure to distal portions of the blood circuit while an arterial puncture needle (a) and a venous puncture needle (b) are yet to be connected to the blood circuit, a pressure-change-detecting device capable of detecting pressure changes in the distal portions of the blood circuit that occur when the distal portions of the blood circuit that are under the positive pressure or the negative pressure applied by the pressure-change-producing device are connected to the arterial puncture needle (a) and the venous puncture needle (b) that are stuck in the patient, and an evaluation device capable of evaluating a state of sticking of the arterial puncture needle (a) and the venous puncture needle (b) on the basis of the pressure changes detected by the pressure-change-detecting device.

An infusion pump apparatus includes a length of resilient tubing removably loadable in an infusion pump having a housing, a pumping mechanism, and a pump door. A latch member is pivotally mounted to the pump door and cooperates with a latch pin fixed on pump housing. A free-flow protection device is biased to pinch the tubing closed to stop fluid flow. The latch member has a first range of pivotal motion in a latching direction for causing the latch member to engage with the latch pin to secure the door in a closed position and a second range of pivotal motion in the latching direction for causing the latch member to actuate the free-flow protection device to unpinch the tubing and allow flow. The latch member pivots through at least a portion of the first range of pivotal motion before beginning to pivot through the second range of pivotal motion.

Improved feeding set connectors and cassettes are disclosed for use with peristaltic infusion pumps for safely delivering enteral nutritional fluids to a patient. The connectors provide an easy to use pump-to-set integration or keying system for specific reusable infusion pumps and their matching feeding sets, and can be utilized by medical professionals having various skill levels. The inventive feeding set cassettes can prevent accidental free flow of enteral fluids into a patient, even upon inadvertent release of the connector from the pumping mechanism.

A medical infusion fluid handling system, such as an automated peritoneal dialysis system, may be arranged to de-cap and connect one or more lines (such as solution lines) with one or more spikes or other connection ports on a fluid handling cassette. This feature may reduce a likelihood of contamination since no human interaction is required to de-cap and connect the one or more lines and the one or more spikes. For example, the automated peritoneal dialysis system may include a carriage arranged to receive the one or more lines each having a connector end and a cap. The carriage may move along a first direction so as to move the connector ends of the one or more lines along the first direction, and a cap stripper may be arranged to engage with the caps on the solution lines on the carriage. The cap stripper may move in a second direction transverse to the first direction, as well as to move with the carriage along the first direction.

A fluid flow sensing and bubble detecting apparatus includes a housing comprising a channel configured to receive a tube through which fluid flows; a sensor apparatus disposed within the housing, which includes a first sensor operable to measure flow rate of fluid and to detect bubbles in flowing fluid; and a temperature sensor operable to detect temperature of the flowing fluid; and a processor connected to receive fluid flow rate data obtained by the first sensor, to receive bubble detection data obtained by the first sensor, and to receive fluid temperature data obtained by the temperature sensor, wherein when a tube through which fluid flows is disposed in the channel of the housing, the first sensor measures the flow rate of the flowing fluid and detects bubbles therein, and the temperature sensor measures the temperature of the flowing fluid, and the processor calculates in a short period of time a fluid flow rate corrected for temperature. All sensors are non-invasive and have no direct contact to the fluid in the tube, which might be blood. In accordance with additional embodiments, the fluid flow rate is additionally corrected for hemoglobin or hematocrit, and the effect of oxygen saturation on the hemoglobin or hematocrit data.

An infusion pump apparatus includes a length of resilient tubing removably loadable in an infusion pump having a housing, a pumping mechanism, and a pump door. A latch member is pivotally mounted to the pump door and cooperates with a latch pin fixed on pump housing. A free-flow protection device is biased to pinch the tubing closed to stop fluid flow. The latch member has a first range of pivotal motion in a latching direction for causing the latch member to engage with the latch pin to secure the door in a closed position and a second range of pivotal motion in the latching direction for causing the latch member to actuate the free-flow protection device to unpinch the tubing and allow flow. The latch member pivots through at least a portion of the first range of pivotal motion before beginning to pivot through the second range of pivotal motion.

An apparatus for providing an extracorporeal blood circuit control includes a base module having a control device and a patient module releasably connected to the base module and having blood-conducting components of the extracorporeal blood circuit. A pivot system is also provided at the base module and at the patient module to pivot the patient module relative to the base module about a horizontal axis.

A system for regulating fluid flow having a processor configured to reduce image noise is provided. The system includes an image sensor to capture an image of the drip chamber and a valve to regulate the fluid flowing from the drip chamber to a patient. The processor captures the image of the drip chamber using the image sensor, performs an edge detection on the image to generate a first processed image, and performs an AND-operation on a pixel on a first side of an axis of the first processed image with a corresponding mirror pixel on a second side of the axis of the first processed image to generate a second processed image.

Tissue access devices and methods of using the same are disclosed. The devices can have a sensor configured to occlude a flow path by deflecting a membrane into the flow path when the devices become dislodged from tissue. The sensor can be configured to partially or fully occlude the flow path. The sensor can have a spring. The spring can be biased to move the sensor from a sensor first configuration to a sensor second configuration when a force applied by the sensor first surface against a non-sensor surface changes from a first force to a second force less than the first force. The membrane can be deflected into the flow path when the sensor is in the sensor second configuration.

An implantable access device for accessing the vascular system of a human or animal body, particularly subcutaneously implantable access port, comprising: a port body, a needle entrance with at least one inlet opening for receiving a needle and an outlet opening, an at least partially flexible catheter for accessing the vascular system of the human or animal body connected to the outlet opening of the needle entrance, wherein the needle entrance is connected to the port body and movable relative to the port body between a first, unactuated operating condition and a second, actuated operating condition, and further comprising clamping means for clamping the at least partially flexible catheter in the first, unactuated operating condition and unclamping the at least partially flexible catheter in the second, actuated operating condition, so that in the first, unactuated operating condition the clamping means prevent a fluid flow through the at least partially flexible catheter and in the second, actuated operating condition allow a fluid flow through the at least partially flexible catheter.