A method for determining the dry weight of a patient after dialysis therapy, wherein the patient's blood volume is monitored and blood volume values are output. The blood volume values are recorded and evaluated for a predetermined period of time after reaching an ultrafiltration volume appropriately predetermined for the patient, wherein the dry weight of the patient then is determined on the basis of the rate of change of the blood volume during the predetermined period of time.

An extracorporeal blood treatment apparatus is provided comprising a filtration unit (2) connected to a blood circuit (17) and to a dialysate circuit (32), a preparation device (9) for preparing and regulating the composition of the dialysis fluid; a control unit (12) is configured for receiving a conductivity or sodium concentration set point for the dialysis fluid and for calculating a mass transport of a substance at an instant t of a treatment session based on said set value of the parameter for the dialysis fluid in the dialysis supply line (8).

Described are devices and methods for use in connection with organ replacement or organ assist therapy in a patient.

The present disclosure describes a novel therapeutic apheresis system and, more specifically, methods and an apparatus for performing therapeutic apheresis. The present disclosure provides highly efficient methods for therapeutic apheresis that modulate the immune system, thereby resulting in treatment of one or more underlying immunological disease processes. In some embodiments, the disclosed methods return at least a portion of blood from an extracorporeal circuit to a patient in pulsatile flow, where the portion of blood that is returned is augmented. In other embodiments, the disclosed methods and apparatus use the central arterial system to exchange volumes of plasma to immunomodulate disease processes. The disclosed methods combine concepts of intermittent flow and continuous flow therapeutic apheresis with established cardiovascular concepts. In addition, the disclosed methods reduce the amount of time spent by patients in therapeutic apheresis sessions and decrease patients' dependence on immunological drugs that may have detrimental adverse effects.

A cartridge is provided for dialysis or other blood processing therapy. In the cartridge, fibers may be substantially uniformly distributed near a midplane, but near an end, in the inter fiber space, there may be void flow channels, which may cause fluid flow in the inter fiber space to transition within a short region to uniform flow with minimal stagnation zones. Void flow channels may be be radially oriented, introducing fluid from the outer circumference, or axially oriented, introducing fluid along the axial direction through passageways through the potting material. The fluid flow in the inter fiber space may be perpendicular to the fibers, or radial with respect to a cartridge longitudinal axis. The cartridge may have blood flow in the inter fiber space, and flow of dialysate or ultrafiltrate in the lumens of the fibers, or the opposite situation.

A CRRT apparatus comprising a filtration unit (2), a blood circuit (17), a blood pump (21), a dialysate line (13) and one or more lines (8; 51; 57; 58; 63; 69; 67; 74) to transfer a respective solution into blood; a fluid source for each of said one or more lines, wherein said solution comprises at least one buffer agent in the form of bicarbonate or bicarbonate precursor. A control unit (12) is configured to receive a patient prescription and to determine a parameter (J.sub.buffer_load/BW) indicative of a steady state acid-base balance in the blood of the patient who has to undergo a CRRT blood treatment, wherein said parameter is determined as a function of the concentration of said buffer agent in said fluid source and as a function of the estimated or calculated patient systemic steady state concentration of bicarbonate and/or bicarbonate precursors.

In one aspect, a system includes a blood treatment machine; a dialyzer configured to be coupled to the blood treatment machine, the dialyzer including a dialyzer housing defining a blood inlet and a blood outlet; a bundle of hollow fibers within an interior of the dialyzer housing; a pumping device drivable to force blood received from the blood inlet through lumens of the bundle of hollow fibers and out the blood outlet; a dialysate inlet port in fluid communication with a dialysate flow path that includes space in the interior of the dialyzer housing between the bundle of hollow fibers; and a dialysate outlet port in fluid communication with the dialysate flow path. The system further includes a fluid conditioning system configured to (i) prepare and supply fresh dialysate to the dialyzer via the dialysate inlet port, and (ii) receive spent dialysate from the dialyzer via the dialysate outlet port, recycle the spent dialysate, and supply the recycled dialysate to the dialyzer via the dialysate inlet port.

A blood filtration system may include blood circuit configured to transmit a fluid within one or more lumens. The system may include an optical sensor configured to couple with the blood circuit. The optical sensor may measure one or more optical characteristics of the fluid in the blood circuit. The one or more optical characteristics may include a first optical characteristic corresponding to a concentration of an imaging substance in the fluid within the blood circuit. The system may include a controller in communication with the optical sensor. The controller may include a sampling module configured to record the one or more optical characteristics. The controller may include a physiological characteristic identification module configured to determine a plasma volume of the patient with the recorded optical characteristics of the imaging substance.

In some examples, a filtration assembly for hemodiafiltration therapy includes a filtration body connector configured to removably mechanically connect the filtration assembly and a dialyzer. In examples, the filtration assembly is configured to remain substantially stationary relative to the dialyzer when the filtration assembly mechanically mates with the dialyzer. The filtration body connector is configured to removably mechanically connect the filtration assembly with a plurality of different types of dialyzers, which may be selected based on a prescription for a particular patient.

A hysteroscopic fluid management system includes a saline source with an electrolyte concentration, at least one pressure mechanism for circulating saline to and from a targeted site and through a filter having filter characteristics back to the source, and a controller. The controller provides a saline inflow in a first flow path to the site and a saline outflow in a second flow path from the site through the filter and back to the source at a controlled flow rate. A diagnostic or therapeutic procedure is performed at the site in the presence of the saline. The filter characteristics and the controlled flow rate are selected to (1) cause substantially no change in the electrolyte concentration in the saline, (2) to prevent hemolysis of greater than 5% of filtered red blood cells exposed to the saline, and/or (3) to minimize effect on prothrombin time of plasma exposed to the filter.