Systems for monitoring fluid flow in an extracorporeal blood circuit are described. The blood circuit of such systems can include plod pump having a pumping chamber of the blood pump separated from a control chamber of the blood pump by a flexible diaphragm. The control chamber can be configured to transmit positive or negative pressure to operate the diaphragm. The system can include a pressure sensor configured to measure pressure in the control chamber of the blood pump, and a controller configured to receive information from the pressure sensor and to control the delivery of pressure to the control chamber of the blood pump. The controller can also be configured to cause the application of a time-varying pressure waveform on the blood pump diaphragm during a fill-stroke of the blood pump, and to monitor a pressure variation in the control chamber measured by the pressure sensor. When so configured, such controller can transmit a value representing a magnitude of the measured pressure variation to a display associated with the extracorporeal blood circuit.

A reciprocation pump has a supply liquid-side sub-pumping chamber and a waste liquid side sub-pumping chamber for containing and sending out liquid adapted to communicate with the supply liquid-side pumping chamber and with the waste liquid-side pumping chamber, respectively. The supply liquid-side sub-pumping chamber and the waste liquid-side sub-pumping chamber are interlocked with a reciprocation mechanism to vary their volume reversely to that of the volume variation of the supply liquid-side pumping chamber and the waste liquid-side pumping chamber, respectively. The reciprocating motion of the reciprocation mechanism enables the liquid to be supplied to the objective apparatus through the supply liquid-side pumping chamber and the supply liquid-side sub-pumping chamber. Also, it enables the waste liquid from the objective apparatus to be discharged to the outside through the waste liquid-side pumping chamber and the waste liquid-side sub-pumping chamber.

A modular assembly for a portable hemodialysis system may include a dialysis unit, e.g., that contains suitable components for performing hemodialysis, such as a dialyzer, one or more pumps to circulate blood through the dialyzer, a source of dialysate, and one or more pumps to circulate the dialysate through the dialyzer, and a power unit having a housing that contains suitable components for providing operating power to the pumps of the dialysis unit. The power unit may be selectively connected to the dialysis unit and provide power (e.g., pneumatic power in the form of pressure and/or vacuum) to the dialysis unit for the pumps when connected to the dialysis unit, but may be incapable of providing power to the dialysis unit when disconnected from the dialysis unit. The dialysis unit and the power unit are sized and weighted to each be carried by hand by a human.

A hemodialysis apparatus comprising diaphragm pumps for the movement of both dialysate and blood, and under the control of a controller, is capable of detecting blood flow conditions that give rise to an alarm and implement procedures to adjust, pause, or halt the pumping of dialysate and/or blood. The controller can direct the application of a time-varying pressure to fluid in the control chamber of a blood pump, and monitor the resulting pressure waveform during a fill stroke of the blood pump. A deviation of the measured pressure variation from an expected value can give rise to an alert to a user and to the initiation of an adjustment, pause, or cessation of the dialysate pump's activity.

The invention relates to a dialysis machine having a fluid system that has an inflow line for providing fresh dialyzing solution to a dialyzer and an outflow line for removing used dialyzing solution from the dialyzer, wherein the fluid system has a balancing system arranged between the inflow and outflow lines to balance the fluid volumes flowing through the lines, and wherein the fluid system has an ultrafiltration line that branches off from the outflow line between the dialyzer and the balancing system and has an ultrafiltration pump to be able to remove a defined volume of used dialyzing solution from the balance, and wherein an additional balancing chamber is provided that is arranged in a section of the inflow line disposed between the balancing system and the dialyzer or in a section of the outflow line disposed between the dialyzer and the branching of the ultrafiltration line.

Hemodialysis and similar dialysis systems including a variety of systems and methods that make hemodialysis more efficient, easier, and/or more affordable, and include new fluid circuits for fluid flow in hemodialysis systems and a reciprocating diaphragm pump for pumping fluids. The reciprocating diaphragm pump includes a flexible diaphragm, a first rigid body having a curved pumping chamber wall, a second rigid body having an opposing curved control chamber wall. The diaphragm is interposed between the pumping chamber wall and the control chamber wall to define a pumping chamber and a control chamber. The diaphragm of the pump has a peripheral bead arranged to locate the diaphragm between the first rigid body and the second rigid body and a diaphragm body having a curved, semi-spheroid or domed shape. The diaphragm is pre-formed or molded so that during a delivery stroke of the pump, the elastic force of the diaphragm resisting its deployment into the pumping chamber prevents a peripheral portion of the diaphragm body from fully contacting the pumping chamber wall.

A pumping cassette including a housing having at least two inlet fluid lines and at least two outlet fluid lines. At least one balancing pod within the housing and in fluid connection with the fluid paths. The balancing pod balances the flow of a first fluid and the flow of a second fluid such that the volume of the first fluid equals the volume of the second fluid. The balancing pod also includes a membrane that forms two balancing chambers. Also included in the cassette is at least two reciprocating pressure displacement membrane pumps. The pumps are within the housing and they pump the fluid from a fluid inlet to a fluid outlet line and pump the second fluid from a fluid inlet to a fluid outlet.

A blood circuit assembly for a dialysis unit may include an organizing tray, a pair of pneumatic pumps mounted to the organizing tray for circulating blood received from a patient through a circuit including a dialyzer unit and returned to the patient, an air trap mounted to the organizing tray arranged to remove air from blood circulating in the circuit, a pair of dialyzer connections arranged to connect to the inlet and outlet of a dialyzer unit, and a pair of blood line connectors, one inlet blood line connector for receiving blood from the patient and providing blood to the pneumatic pumps and the other outlet blood line connector for returning blood to the patient.

A hybrid hemodialysis (HD)/peritoneal dialysis (PD) system includes: a reservoir; a weigh scale operably coupled with the reservoir; and at least one controller programmed to run (i) an HD treatment in which blood is pumped to a blood compartment of a dialyzer, fresh HD dialysis fluid is pumped to a dialysis fluid compartment of the dialyzer, and used HD dialysis fluid is pumped from the dialysis fluid compartment of the dialyzer to the reservoir, and at a different time (ii) a PD treatment in which fresh PD dialysis fluid is pumped to a patient and used PD dialysis fluid is pumped from the patient to the reservoir.

Hemodialysis and similar dialysis systems including a variety of systems and methods that make hemodialysis more efficient, easier, and/or more affordable, and include new fluid circuits for fluid flow in hemodialysis systems and a blood pump. The blood pump is configured to pump blood to a dialyzer of a hemodialysis apparatus and comprises a pneumatically actuated or controlled reciprocating diaphragm pump. The diaphragm of the pump comprises a flexible membrane formed or molded to conform to a curved inner wall of a pumping chamber or control chamber of the pump, and the diaphragm is pre-formed or molded to have a control side taking a convex shape, so that any elastic tension on the diaphragm is minimized when fully extended into a control chamber of the pump.