In one aspect, a method and system for detecting a change in fluid dynamics of a fluid flowing through an extra-corporeal circuit is disclosed, which includes establishing an acoustic wave resonance across a transverse dimension of at least a portion of a line associated with the extra-corporeal circuit through which the fluid flows, monitoring a phase signal of the resonant acoustic wave, and identifying occurrence of a change in fluid dynamics of the flowing fluid when the observed phase signal of the resonant acoustic wave indicates a deviation from the expected fluid flow signature. The change in fluid dynamics can be used to indicate a venous needle dislodgement event.

A medical fluid management assembly includes a pneumatic manifold, a pump engine, a valve engine, and a fluid manifold. The pneumatic manifold includes a plurality of pneumatic passageways and a plurality of pneumatic connectors. The pump engine includes a pump chamber and the valve engine includes a valve chamber. Each of the pump engine and valve engine includes a pneumatic connector mated sealingly and releaseably with one of the pneumatic connectors of the pneumatic manifold. Additionally, each of the pump engine and valve engine includes a fluid connector. The fluid manifold includes a plurality of fluid pathways and a plurality of fluid connectors mated sealingly and releaseably with the fluid connectors of the pump engine and the valve engine.

A system for monitoring a vascular access is provided. The system includes a wearable vascular access monitor which can be a sleeve or other protective covering fitted with two or more sensors for obtaining physiological measurements at different locations from the vascular access. The sleeve or other protective covering is also fitted with an ultra-low power processor for relaying the physiological measurements to a patient's mobile phone. The patient's phone can evaluate the physiological measurements to determine a state of the vascular access, and if the physiological measurements fall out of nominal ranges, the patient's phone can alert a clinic, nurse, or physician. The system can be used to monitor fistulas or grafts used for hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis.

The present disclosure relates to a hemodialysis catheter that can monitor intravascular pressure using a MEMS sensor. The hemodialysis catheter comprises a venous lumen, an atrial lumen, and at least one MEMS system sensor. The hemodialysis catheter also comprises a data acquisition and processing system. The hemodialysis catheter can communicate with a monitor system to display pressure data.

A monitoring device may include a housing, which may include a distal end, a proximal end, and a fluid pathway extending through the proximal end and distal end. The distal end may include a connector configured to couple to a catheter assembly. The monitoring device may include one or more sensors disposed within the fluid pathway. The sensors may facilitate identification of an occlusion within the catheter assembly.

A method includes detecting a condition including one or more of a change in flow of a fluid and a change in a composition of the fluid, issuing an alarm in response to the condition detected, lowering a flow rate; and attempting to restart process and increase the flow rate. The change in flow may include a change in pressure. The change in flow may be associated with a collapsed vein. The change in flow of the fluid may include detecting that the flow rate has fallen below a threshold. The change in the composition may be associated with a color. The change in the composition may include using a color sensor to detect one or more of a red, a green, and a blue reflection or transmission to detect red blood cells.

Improvements in fluid volume measurement systems are disclosed for a pneumatically actuated diaphragm pump in general, and a peritoneal dialysis cycler using a pump cassette in particular. Pump fluid volume measurements are based on pressure measurements in a pump control chamber and a reference chamber in a two-chamber model, with different sections being modeled using a combination of adiabatic, isothermal and polytropic processes. Real time or instantaneous fluid flow measurements in a pump chamber of the diaphragm pump are also disclosed, in this case using a one-chamber ideal gas model and using a high speed processor to obtain and process pump control chamber pressures during fluid flow into or out of the pump chamber. Improved heater control circuitry is also disclosed, to provide added or redundant safety measures, or to reduce current leakage from a heater element during pulse width modulation control of the heater element. Improvements are also disclosed in an application of negative pressure during a drain phase in peritoneal dialysis therapy, and to control an amount of intraperitoneal fluid accumulation during the therapy. Improvements in efficiency are also disclosed in movement of fluid into and out of a two-pump cassette and a heater bag of the peritoneal dialysis cycler, and in synchronization of operation of two or more pumps in the peritoneal dialysis cycler or other fluid handling devices using a multi-pump arrangement.

A vascular access device may include a blood circuit having an arterial blood line and a venous blood line. The venous blood line is connected to a first access needle and the arterial blood line is connected to a second access needle. The venous blood line is connected to an access component affixed to the second access needle and configured such that when the second access needle is used to infuse blood into a patient, the access component is positioned to withdraw blood and convey it into the venous line. The withdrawn blood may also be conveyed to an air detector to detect withdrawal of the second access needle.

Features for protecting against leaks in a fluid circuit are disclosed. In an embodiment, a first indicator of a leak is used to trigger confirmation by blood flow reversal and air detection in the blood circuit. A method for performing a blood treatment includes, at blood treatment machine, pumping blood to a patient through a first blood line. Further, at a controller of the blood treatment machine, a first signal is received, indicating a probability of a leak in the first blood line. Responsively to the first signal, the controller commands a leak verification operation and receives a second signal indicating whether a leak in the first blood line is verified. Further, a leak indicating signal is generated if the second signal indicates a leak is verified.

The present invention relates to an optical blood detector system that rapidly detects the presence of blood due to a blood leak in a system. The blood detector system contains a reusable blood sensor that is able to accurately detect the presence of blood in, for example, an extracorporeal blood treatment system by optically sensing light from a sensing region and determining if the light came from a leaked blood. The blood sensor may be responsive to reflected light or light emitted from blood due to bio-fluorescence excited by a light source in the blood detector system. The blood detector system can be placed against absorbent material adjacent to an intravenous needle injection site and quickly detect any blood wicked into the absorbent material. The blood detector system can eliminate the need for medical personnel to continuously inspect numerous patients visually for potentially fatal blood leaks due to needle dislodgement.