A hemodialysis system comprising: a source of priming fluid; an extracorporeal circuit including an arterial line, a venous line, and a drip chamber; a level sensor operable with the drip chamber; a reversible blood pump operable with the extracorporeal circuit; a connection between the arterial and the venous line; and a priming sequence in which priming fluid from the source is pumped in a reverse pump direction through the extracorporeal circuit and reversibly in a normal pump direction through the extracorporeal circuit, wherein an output from the level sensor is used to determine when to stop pumping in at least one of the directions.

A dialysis system includes a dialysis fluid cassette-based membrane blood pump; a dialyzer in fluid communication with the blood pump; first and second dialysis fluid cassette-based balance chambers each having (i) a fresh dialysis fluid compartment in fluid communication with the dialyzer and (ii) a spent dialysis fluid compartment; a dialysis fluid cassette-based fresh dialysis fluid membrane pump in fluid communication with the fresh dialysis fluid compartments of the first and second balance chambers; a dialysis fluid cassette-based spent dialysis fluid membrane pump in fluid communication with the dialyzer and the spent dialysis fluid compartments of the first and second balance chambers; and arterial and venous lines in fluid communication with the dialyzer for patient connection, the arterial and venous lines each including a contact used for electrically detecting a patient access disconnection.

A pump cassette is disclosed. The pump cassette includes a housing having at least, one fluid inlet line and at least one fluid outlet line. The cassette also includes at least one reciprocating pressure displacement membrane pump within the housing. The pressure pump pumps a fluid from the fluid inlet line to the fluid outlet line. A hollow spike is also included on the housing as well as at least one metering pump The metering pump is fluidly connected to the hollow spike on the housing and to a metering pump fluid line. The metering pump fluid line is fluidly connected to the fluid outlet line.

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to certain types of reciprocating positive-displacement pumps (which may be referred to hereinafter as pods, pump pods, or pod pumps) used to pump fluids, such as a biological fluid (e.g., blood or peritoneal fluid), a therapeutic fluid (e.g., a medication solution), or a surfactant fluid. The pumps may be configured specifically to impart low shear forces and low turbulence on the fluid as the fluid is pumped from an inlet to an outlet. Such pumps may be particularly useful in pumping fluids that may be damaged by such shear forces (e.g., blood, and particularly heated blood, which is prone to hemolysis) or turbulence (e.g., surfactants or other fluids that may foam or otherwise be damaged or become unstable in the presence of turbulence).

The present invention relates to a method for temporarily interrupting an extracorporeal treatment of blood of a patient by use of a blood treatment apparatus. The method comprises activating or controlling a control device provided and configured to bring the blood treatment apparatus into a state in which the blood treatment session of the patient can be interrupted with the intention to continue the blood treatment session. The present invention further relates to a control device, a blood treatment apparatus, a digital storage means, a computer program product as well as a computer program.

The present invention relates to a method for temporarily interrupting an extracorporeal treatment of blood of a patient by use of a blood treatment apparatus. The method comprises activating or controlling a control device provided and configured to bring the blood treatment apparatus into a state in which the blood treatment session of the patient can be interrupted with the intention to continue the blood treatment session. The present invention further relates to a control device, a blood treatment apparatus, a digital storage means, a computer program product as well as a computer program.

The present disclosure pertains to control units for non-occlusive blood pumps of an extracorporeal circulatory support as well as systems comprising such a control unit and corresponding methods. Accordingly, a control unit for a non-occlusive blood pump of an extracorporeal circulatory support is configured to receive a flow value of the extracorporeal circulatory support, to receive a measurement of an arterial pressure and an ECG signal of a supported patient over a predetermined period of time, to determine a mean arterial pressure of the extracorporeal circulatory support or of the supported patient from the measurement of the arterial pressure and an energy equivalent pressure from the flow value and the arterial pressure.

The present disclosure pertains to control units for non-occlusive blood pumps of an extracorporeal circulatory support as well as systems comprising such a control unit and corresponding methods. Accordingly, a control unit for a non-occlusive blood pump of an extracorporeal circulatory support is configured to receive a flow value of the extracorporeal circulatory support, to receive a measurement of an arterial pressure and an ECG signal of a supported patient over a predetermined period of time, to determine a mean arterial pressure of the extracorporeal circulatory support or of the supported patient from the measurement of the arterial pressure and an energy equivalent pressure from the flow value and the arterial pressure.