This disclosure relates to a blood treatment system including a blood treatment machine, a dialyzer configured to be coupled to the blood treatment machine, a blood line having a first end configured to be connected to the dialyzer and a second end configured to be connected to a needle for insertion into a patient, and one or more sensors operable to transmit, to the blood treatment machine, data related to tension along the blood line. The blood treatment machine is configured to take action in response to the data received from the one or more sensors.

An apparatus and method are disclosed for detecting the disconnection of a vascular access device such as a needle, cannula or catheter from a blood vessel or vascular graft segment. A pair of electrodes is placed in direct contact with fluid or blood in fluid communication with the vascular segment. In one embodiment, the electrodes are incorporated into a pair of connectors connecting arterial and venous catheters to arterial and venous tubes leading to and from an extracorporeal blood flow apparatus. Wires leading from the electrodes to a detecting circuit can be incorporated into a pair of double lumen arterial and venous tubes connecting the blood flow apparatus to the blood vessel or vascular graft. The detecting circuit is configured to provide a low-voltage alternating current signal to the electrodes to measure the electrical resistance between the electrodes, minimizing both the duration and amount of current being delivered. Detection of an increase in electrical resistance between the electrodes exceeding a pre-determined threshold value may be used to indicate a possible disconnection of the vascular access device.

A dialysis apparatus has a connection channel that communicatively connects a dialysate circuit and a blood circuit, and circulates dialysate from the dialysate circuit to the blood circuit via the connection channel during a priming operation. A blood pump has a tube attachment device that switches from an unattached state in which a tube is positioned outside a housing and permits liquid to circulate thereinside, to an attached state in which the tube is in the housing and a rotor compresses the tube. At the time of priming, the liquid feeding pump feeds dialysate from the dialysate circuit to the blood circuit via the connection channel. With the blood pump being in the unattached state, the dialysate is circulated past the blood pump, and then, with the blood pump in the attached state, the dialysate is circulated in a direction opposite to the blood pump.

A dialysis machine (e.g., a peritoneal dialysis (PD) machine) can include a pressure sensor mounted at a proximal end of a patient line made of a distensible material that provides PD solution to a patient through a catheter. During treatment, an occlusion can occur at different locations in the patient line and/or the catheter. When an incremental volume of additional solution is provided to the patient line while the occlusion is present, a change in pressure results. The change in pressure depends on the dimensions and the distensibility of the non-occluded portion of the patient line. If the change in pressure, the incremental volume, the properties related to the distensibility of the patient line, and some of the dimensions of the patient line are known, the location of the occlusion can be inferred. The occlusion type can be inferred based on the determined location.

The present invention relates to a blood treatment machine having a control, having a pump actuator for pumping blood through an extracorporeal blood circuit which comprises an arterial line and a venous line, and having a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure in the venous line, wherein the control has a detection function for detecting a venous needle disconnect which compares a value determined on the basis of the pressure in the venous line with a limit value to recognize a venous needle disconnect, wherein the limit value with which the detection function compares the value determined on the basis of the pressure in the venous line can be set variably and/or is set variably by the control.

A dialysis apparatus has a connection channel that communicatively connects a dialysate circuit and a blood circuit, and circulates dialysate from the dialysate circuit to the blood circuit via the connection channel during a priming operation. A blood pump has a tube attachment device that switches from an unattached state in which a tube is positioned outside a housing and permits liquid to circulate thereinside, to an attached state in which the tube is in the housing and a rotor compresses the tube. At the time of priming, the liquid feeding pump feeds dialysate from the dialysate circuit to the blood circuit via the connection channel. With the blood pump being in the unattached state, the dialysate is circulated past the blood pump, and then, with the blood pump in the attached state, the dialysate is circulated in a direction opposite to the blood pump.

A monitoring device of a dialysis machine and a method for detecting a venous needle disconnection via venous pressure monitoring based on a threshold value setting. The device includes a button, preferably arranged on a screen of the dialysis machine. The button is configured, upon actuation, to set a lower threshold value and an upper threshold value depending on an actual pressure and to detect an incremental decrease in the venous pressure.

The specification discloses a portable dialysis machine having a detachable controller unit and base unit with an improved reservoir heating system. The controller unit includes a door having an interior face, a housing with a panel, where the housing and panel define a recessed region configured to receive the interior face of the door, and a manifold receiver fixedly attached to the panel. The base unit has a reservoir with an internal pan and external pan, separated by a space that holds a heating element. The heating element is electrically coupled to electrical contacts attached to the external surface of the external pan.

A monitoring system performs a method for detecting a disruption of a fluid connection between a first fluid containing system and a second fluid containing system. The monitoring system generates a monitoring signal which is representative of a fluid pressure in respect of the first fluid containing system and which is responsive to the disruption of the fluid connection, and a tracking signal which corresponds to and is more smoothed over time than the monitoring signal. The monitoring system further sets a detection range in a given relation to the tracking signal so that the detection range follows changes in the tracking signal, and detects a condition indicative of the disruption by comparing a current pressure value of the monitoring signal to the detection range. The monitoring system may be connected to or part of an apparatus for blood treatment and operable to detect a disconnection of an extracorporeal blood circuit from a vascular system of a patient, e.g. downstream of a blood pump in the extracorporeal blood circuit.

A computer-implemented method and a computer system are disclosed. The computer system (200, 300) is suitable for detecting an operating state of a blood treatment machine (100, 201, 202, 20 . . . , 20n) or of a course of treatment in a blood treatment or a deviation from an ideal or uncomplicated operating state or a course of treatment. The computer system comprises a first interface (20, 312), which is adjusted to receive an operating parameter monitoring signal, wherein the operating parameter monitoring signal represents a time-dependent signal of a sensor for monitoring an operating parameter of the blood treatment machine or a signal derived from the time-dependent signal of the operating parameter, and a second interface (20, 312), which is adjusted to receive a user response signal, wherein a user response signal represents a signal of a user input with respect to the operating state or the course of treatment or the deviation from the ideal or uncomplicated course of treatment or operating state of a blood treatment performed using the blood treatment machine. The computer system additionally comprises an evaluation unit (40, 213), which is adjusted to generate allocation data or reference data, establishing a correlation between a determined user response and a respective operating parameter monitoring signal, a memory unit, which is configured to save the allocation data and reference data, wherein the evaluation unit is also adjusted to compare a determined operating parameter monitoring signal with the allocation data or reference data to derive from this an operating state, a course of treatment or a deviation from an ideal or uncomplicated operating state or course of treatment of the blood treatment machine or a typical user response thereto.