A hemodialysis enhancement apparatus involves a bladder having elastically deformable surface that forms a variable volume therewithin. The elastically deformable surface has a smooth interior surface such that blood cannot collect to form a blood clot. The hemodialysis enhancement apparatus further includes a rigid housing having a wall surrounding the bladder and defining a housing volume such that a) when the variable volume chamber has a volume equal to the first volume, most of the elastically deformable surface will be spaced apart from the wall, and b) when the variable volume chamber has a volume equal to the second volume, a substantial portion of the elastically deformable surface will abut the wall. A method performed within a hemodialysis system involves, during an initial phase, withdrawing a volume of a patient's blood into a hemodialysis enhancer, and during a subsequent phase, translocating the patient's blood back into the patient's circulation.

A processing system includes a processor including a separator, a set configured to cooperate with the separator to separate whole blood into plasma and other components, the set including an inlet line attachable to a patient to receive whole blood and an return line attachable to a patient to return processed fluid, and a source of replacement fluid connected to the disposable set, the processor configured to combine the other components with replacement fluid to define the processed fluid. The processor includes a controller and an input device coupled to the controller, the controller configured to receive an input via the input device, the input representing a volume of replacement fluid, and to control the processor to separate whole blood passing through the set and to combine the other components with the replacement fluid according to the input until the source of replacement fluid is empty.

An extracorporeal blood treatment apparatus comprises: a blood treatment device (2) comprising a blood chamber (3) and a fluid chamber (4) separated from one another by a semipermeable membrane (5); an extracorporeal blood circuit (17) comprising a blood withdrawal line (6) connected to an inlet port (3a) of the blood chamber (3) and a blood return line (7) connected to an outlet port (3b) of the blood chamber (3); a blood pump (21) configured to be coupled to the blood withdrawal line (6); a hydraulic circuit (100) connectable to the fluid chamber (4), wherein the hydraulic circuit (100) comprises a fluid preparation device (9) connected to a water network (14) and configured to dilute concentrates in water to prepare a treatment fluid; a control unit (12) connected to the preparation device (9) and to the blood pump (21). The control unit (12) is configured to execute the following procedure: setting the hydraulic circuit (100) so that the fluid preparation device (9) bypasses the fluid chamber (4); controlling the fluid preparation device (9) to prepare the treatment fluid while bypassing the fluid chamber (4); and simultaneously controlling the blood pump (21) to perform pure ultrafiltration of a patient (P) connected to the extracorporeal blood circuit (17).

It is an object of the present invention a method to introduce compounds inside red blood cells comprising: —providing red blood cells from a subject; —providing one or more compounds to be encapsulated in said red blood cells; —providing a loading device comprising a microporous matrix; —feeding said loading device with a suspension comprising said red blood cells and said one or more compounds; —collecting the red blood cells exiting from said loading device, which are encapsulated red blood cells; characterized in that: —said red blood cells and said one or more compound are in suspension at a pH of between 6.8 and 7.8, preferably of between 7.35 and 7.45; —the pores in said microporous matrix have a minimum size of at least 3 times the size of a red blood cell, that is a minimum size of at least 20 μm; —the pores in said microporous matrix have an average size of between 30 and 500 μm, or of between 40 and 400 μm, or of between 50 and 350 μm, or of between 100 and 250 μm; —said porous matrix has a length L of at least 1 mm and a width W and a height H such that it comprises at least one unit cell, said unit cell being equal to the microporous matrix volume that, repeated by rototranslation through the vectors that generate the matrix, fills the whole matrix itself; wherein said loading device is fed with said suspension in such a way to obtain an average fluid speed of between 10.sup.−4 and 10 m/s. Further objects of the present invention are a microporous matrix, a loading device comprising the same, a fluidic circuit and a machine for implementing said method and red blood cells encapsulated with at least one compound according to said method.

The disclosure provides a manual blood or body fluid treatment system comprising first and second reservoirs for holding a batch of blood from a patient and a filter for performing an extracorporeal treatment on blood passing therethrough by removing waste molecules and/or fluid. The first reservoir is constructed to be displaced vertically relative to the second reservoir and vice versa, such that a height difference between the first and second reservoirs causes blood or body fluid to flow between the reservoirs due to gravity.

An external functional means comprises at least one housing body, at least one chamber integrated into the housing body for receiving medical fluids, at least one passage integrated into the housing body for receiving and/or conducting a medical fluid, and at least one valve means completely or partly integrated into the housing body for controlling or regulating a fluid flowing through the external functional means. The invention further specifies a blood treatment apparatus and methods which may be carried out by means of the external functional means of the invention and by means of the blood treatment apparatus, respectively.

A portable hemodialysis system is provided including a dialyzer, a closed loop blood flow path which transports blood from a patient to the dialyzer and back to the patient, and a closed loop dialysate flow path which transports dialysate through the dialyzer. In addition, the hemodialysis system includes two reservoirs which can be alternately placed in the dialysis flow path using various controllable fluid valves. The weight, and therefore the level of dialysate, of each reservoir is measured by a preferred level sensor having a lever arm, a load cell, and a tilt sensor. The load cell and tilt sensor are electrically connected to a processor for sending force and tilt measurements to the processor. The processor may analyze the tilt measurements to correct for any inaccurate measurements of the load cell caused by the tilt.

An irradiation device includes a processing container including a first chamber, a second chamber and at least one narrow passage in fluid communication at a first end with the first chamber and at a second end with the second chamber, and a rotatable table on which the processing container is mounted, the table having a first state wherein the first chamber is disposed at a higher elevation than the second chamber, and a second state wherein the second chamber is disposed at a higher elevation than the first chamber. The irradiation device also includes ultraviolet (UV) light source disposed proximate to the narrow passage and configured to irradiate fluid passing through the narrow passage.

An extracorporeal blood treatment apparatus comprises: a blood treatment device (2) comprising a blood chamber (3) and a fluid chamber (4) separated from one another by a semipermeable membrane (5); an extracorporeal blood circuit (17) comprising a blood withdrawal line (6) connected to an inlet port (3a) of the blood chamber (3) and a blood return line (7) connected to an outlet port (3b) of the blood chamber (3); a blood pump (21) configured to be coupled to the blood withdrawal line (6); a hydraulic circuit (100) connectable to the fluid chamber (4), wherein the hydraulic circuit (100) comprises a fluid preparation device (9) connected to a water network (14) and configured to dilute concentrates in water to prepare a treatment fluid; a control unit (12) connected to the preparation device (9) and to the blood pump (21). The control unit (12) is configured to execute the following procedure: setting the hydraulic circuit (100) so that the fluid preparation device (9) bypasses the fluid chamber (4); controlling the fluid preparation device (9) to prepare the treatment fluid while bypassing the fluid chamber (4); and simultaneously controlling the blood pump (21) to perform pure ultrafiltration of a patient (P) connected to the extracorporeal blood circuit (17).

Methods and systems for processing and conditioning red blood cells are disclosed. The methods and systems may be used to make a readily transfusible red blood cell product with reduced plasma. In general, the plasma content of the supernatant of the red blood cell product is no greater than about 15%. The red blood cell products are prepared using the disclosed methods and systems remain transfusible for up to 42 days.