The present invention provides a medical material and a blood purification apparatus each having high anti-thrombotic properties and high safety. The apparatus is produced by incorporating therein a medical material which has a hydrophilic copolymerization polymer present on a surface thereof which is to be in contact with blood, wherein particulate protuberances each having a particle diameter of 50 nm or more are present on the surface which is to be in contact with blood at a density of 3 particles/?m.sup.2 or less and the relaxation time of adsorbed water in the hydrophilic copolymerization polymer is 2.5?10.sup.?8 seconds or shorter and 5.0?10.sup.?10 seconds or longer at ?40? C.

A fluid conduit includes a first portion having a first porosity, a second portion disposed immediately adjacent to the first portion, the second portion having a second porosity that is greater than the first porosity, and a third portion of the fluid conduit disposed immediately adjacent to the second portion, the third portion having a third porosity that is less than the second porosity. Each of the first portion, the second portion, and the third portion may be integrally formed as a single, continuous piece defining the fluid conduit. The fluid conduit may be incorporated into a system configured for implantation into a patient. For example, an implantable fluid conduit system may feature a drain in fluid communication with the fluid conduit that is connectable to the patient's bladder, and a pump that controls filtrate flow from the fluid conduit to the drain.

The present invention relates in part to a filter comprising a tubular housing having a proximal end, a distal end and a housing lumen therethrough; a tubular membrane having a proximal end, a distal end and a membrane lumen therethrough, wherein the tubular membrane is positioned within the housing lumen; a contaminated fluid sample inlet fluidly connected to the proximal end of the membrane, and a contaminated fluid sample outlet fluidly connected to the distal end of the membrane, thereby creating a sample flow-path from the sample inlet through the membrane lumen to the sample outlet; and a purification material inlet fluidly connected to a distal region of the housing lumen, and a purification material outlet fluidly connected to a proximal region of the housing lumen, thereby creating a purification material flow-path from the purification material inlet through the housing lumen to the purification material outlet; wherein the direction of the sample flow-path is in the opposite direction of the purification material flow-path. The invention also relates a method of purifying a contaminated fluid using said filter.

Systems, devices, and methods are provided for removing carbon dioxide from a target fluid, such as, for example, blood, to treat hypercarbic respiratory failure or another condition. A device is provided including first and second membrane components for removing dissolved gaseous carbon dioxide and bicarbonate from the fluid, which can be done simultaneously. The device can be in the form of a cartridge configured for use in a dialysis system. A method of treatment is also provided, involving drawing blood from a patient and bringing the patient's blood in contact with a first membrane component having a sweep gas passing therethrough, and a second membrane component having a dialysate passing therethrough. The dialysate's composition can be selected such that charge neutrality is maintained.

A blood purifier comprises hollow fiber membranes allowing a dialysing fluid or a filtrated fluid to flow outside. The membrane has an effective length of 10 mm or more and 150 mm or less. A maximum value of a permeation flux Jv obtained by dividing a volume of a permeate fluid permeating through the membranes by a membrane area of the hollow fiber membranes and time, is represented as Jvmax. A linear velocity of blood flowing in the membrane is represented as uB. A pressure difference between blood flowing inside the membranes and a fluid flowing outside the membranes is represented as TMP. When a filling blood volume into the membranes per unit membrane area is 20 mL/m.sup.2 or more and 35 mL/m.sup.2 or less and Jvmax/uB has a value of 0.00015 or more and 0.0006 or less, a TMP change rate is 0.95 or more and 1.05 or less.

Systems, devices, and methods are provided for removing carbon dioxide from a target fluid, such as, for example, blood, to treat hypercarbic respiratory failure or another condition. A device is provided including first and second membrane components for removing dissolved gaseous carbon dioxide and bicarbonate from the fluid, which can be done simultaneously. The device can be in the form of a cartridge configured for use in a dialysis system. A method of treatment is also provided, involving drawing blood from a patient and bringing the patient's blood in contact with a first membrane component having a sweep gas passing therethrough, and a second membrane component having a dialysate passing therethrough. The dialysate's composition can be selected such that charge neutrality is maintained.

A mechanical kidney transplant may include four modules to interconnect and clean blood. Blood flowing through at least one of the modules flows through dialyzer fiber/tubes, while an area surrounding that fiber/tubes receives a flow of physiological resin gel of a design that will remove impurities from the blood. A subsystem of one or more sensors (a) detects and sets an alarm condition when the physiological resin gel is degraded and may need partial or full replacement, and/or (b) detects and sets an alarm condition if blood leakage has occurred within the module.

A purger device for hollow fiber oxygenators, including a gas inlet, a gas outlet, and a fluid communication feature between the gas inlet and the gas outlet. The purger device further including an accumulation chamber having a variable volume plenum ported to the fluid communication feature, and a flow control unit configured to vary fluid communication patterns in the fluid communication feature and having a first operating condition and a second operating condition, wherein in the first operating condition the flow control unit enables a fluid communication between the gas inlet and gas outlet, and wherein in the second operating condition the flow control unit enables a fluid communication between the gas inlet and the variable volume plenum of the accumulation chamber.

A supply port is provided in a dialysate supply passage and a discharge port is provided in a dialysate discharge passage. A supply passage is branched on an upstream side of a blood pump in the arterial passage, and a venous passage connection part (branch passage) is provided in the supply passage to which a venous passage can be connected. When priming, with the supply passage connected to the supply port, the arterial passage to the discharge port, and the venous passage to the branch passage of the supply passage, respectively, the dialysate supply device and the blood pump are actuated to simultaneously cause dialysate to flow through the arterial passage and the venous passage to prime the blood circulation passage including a blood purifier and a blood circuit.

Provided herein are embodiments for a wearable or portable dialysis system. The wearable or portable dialysis system includes a dialysis machine including a pump to move dialysate through a filtering component thereof. The wearable or portable dialysis system further includes an electric circuit in communication with the dialysis machine for controlling electronic components of the dialysis machine. The filtering component includes an electricity generation and purification membrane (EPM) in a filtering path of the filtering component, and the EPM is coupled to the electric circuit. In response to dialysate moving through the filtering path of the filtering component, electricity is generated by the EPM and provided to the electric circuit to power the electronic components of the dialysis machine.