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.

Dialysis systems comprising actuators that cooperate to perform dialysis functions and sensors that cooperate to monitor dialysis functions are disclosed. According to one aspect, such a hemodialysis system comprises a user interface model layer, a therapy layer, below the user interface model layer, and a machine layer below the therapy layer. The user interface model layer is configured to manage the state of a graphical user interface and receive inputs from a graphical user interface. The therapy layer is configured to run state machines that generate therapy commands based at least in part on the inputs from the graphical user interface. The machine layer is configured to provide commands for the actuators based on the therapy commands.

Provided is a blood purifying apparatus including a blood purifying filter in which mass transfer occurs between blood and dialysis fluid, a blood tube connecting the blood purifying filter and a patient to allow blood to flow therethrough, a dialysis fluid supply tube connected to the blood purifying filter and allowing dialysis fluid to be supplied to the blood purifying filter therethrough, a dialysis fluid discharge tube connected to the blood purifying filter and allowing dialysis fluid to be discharged from the blood purifying filter therethrough; and a fluid pumping device. The fluid pumping device further includes a plurality of chamber each having an internal space, a chamber pressurizing member disposed inside the plurality of chambers and compressing or expanding the chambers to thereby allow a fluid to flow therethrough, and a flow controller controlling a flow passage.

The invention relates to a portable ultrafiltration unit A which comprises a blood pump 7 for conveying blood and an ultrafiltration pump 6 for conveying ultrafiltrate. The invention further relates to a stationary device B for supplying dialysate to the portable ultrafiltration unit A, and to a medical treatment system which comprises an ultrafiltration unit and a device for supplying dialysate to the ultrafiltration unit. The ultrafiltration unit according to the invention is in the form of a unit to be connected to a stationary device for supplying dialysate to the ultrafiltration unit, in such a way that a fluid connection can be established for feeding in fresh dialysate and removing used dialysate. As a result, the ultrafiltration unit can not only be used for ultrafiltration, but also, when used in conjunction with the stationary device for supplying dialysate to the ultrafiltration unit, for a blood treatment as carried out by a conventional blood treatment device. It is merely necessary to connect the ultrafiltration unit A to the device B for supplying dialysate to the ultrafiltration unit. There is no need to detach the patient connections 27A, 27B of the venous and arterial blood lines 27, 28 or to attach said connections to the patient, as result of which the preparation time for a blood treatment can be reduced.

The disclosed subject matter relates to extracorporeal blood processing or other processing of fluids. Volumetric fluid balance, a required element of many such processes, may be achieved with multiple pumps or other proportioning or balancing devices which are to some extent independent of each other. This need may arise in treatments that involve multiple fluids. Safe and secure mechanisms to ensure fluid balance in such systems are described.

A dialysis system is provided that includes a dialysis machine and a potassium sensing device that is configured to measure the concentration of potassium in the patient's blood, in spent dialysate resulting from treating the patient, or in both. The potassium sensing device can be configured to generate a sensed value of the concentration of potassium. A control and computing unit, including a processor and a memory, is configured to receive the sensed value, compare the value with one or more values stored in the memory, and generate a control signal based on the comparison. A potassium infusion circuit uses the control signal to infuse supplemental potassium solution into the treatment dialysate, a replacement fluid, or both. The memory can include stored patient-historical and population data.

A method of dialysis is provided that includes sensing the concentration of potassium in a patient's blood serum, in used dialysate resulting from treating the patient, or in both. The method involves generating a sensed value of the concentration of potassium, comparing the sensed value with one or more values stored in a memory, and generating a control signal based on the comparison. Supplemental potassium solution is infused into the treatment dialysate, based on the control signal. The comparison can be made to patient-historical data, population data, or both.

A dialysis fluid system includes a dialysis fluid inlet; a dialysis fluid outlet; a pump positioned and arranged to pump dialysis fluid through the dialysis fluid inlet and the dialysis fluid outlet; and an inductive heater located between the dialysis fluid inlet and the dialysis fluid outlet, the inductive heater including a fluid flowpath positioned and arranged to receive non-heated dialysis fluid from the dialysis fluid inlet and to output heated dialysis fluid to the a dialysis fluid outlet, a conductive heater element located within the fluid flowpath so as to be or act as a secondary coil of a transformer, and a primary coil of the transformer located outside of the fluid flowpath and positioned so as to magnetically induce a current into the conductive heater element, causing the conductive heater element and surrounding fluid to heat.

A hemodialysis system includes a dialyzer; a dialysis fluid circuit including a fresh dialysis fluid pump, and a used dialysis fluid pump; a blood circuit including a blood pump operable with an arterial line upstream of the dialyzer, a medical fluid source in fluid communication with the arterial line between a patient end of the arterial line and the blood pump, a drip chamber located along a venous line; a blood rinseback sequence wherein blood is transferred to the patient by the medical fluid, wherein the medical fluid is introduced from its source into the arterial line between an arterial line patient end and the blood pump, and flowed through the dialyzer, through the venous drip chamber along the venous line; and a blood circuit priming sequence initiated in the blood circuit via the arterial line.

A method of filling a container, preferably containing at least one concentrate, with the concentrate being formed such that it forms at least one liquid concentrate or a part of a liquid concentrate on its solution in or its mixing with a liquid, preferably water, the liquid concentrate or the part of the liquid concentrate being suitable for preparing at least one dialysis solution, includes filling the container via a balance chamber system of a dialyzer. The balance chamber system has chambers from which the liquid is conveyed into the container in the form of repeating cycles. The pressure of the liquid being conveyed is measured during a cycle of the filling phase of the container, and an alarm signal is emitted and/or the filling of the container is stopped if a measured maximum pressure in a cycle does not reach or does not exceed a limit value.