A renal failure therapy system for performing a peritoneal dialysis therapy is disclosed. The renal failure therapy system performs a plurality of peritoneal dialysis cycles for a patient and tracks an amount of dialysis fluid provided by a dialysis fluid pump during the plurality of peritoneal dialysis cycles. The renal failure therapy system also determines, as an initial drain volume, how much dialysis fluid resides in the patient's peritoneal cavity at a start of a next dialysis treatment and determines an initial drain flow for the next dialysis treatment. The renal failure therapy system generates an alert when it is determined from the initial drain flow that a low drain flow or a drain flow stoppage could occur before the initial drain volume is recovered for the start of the next dialysis treatment.

A hemodialysis system is disclosed. The hemodialysis system includes a dialyzer and an online dialysate generation system comprising a water inlet line and a drain line. The hemodialysis system also includes a disposable set comprising a supply tube fluidly connected to online dialysate generation system and a dialysate pumping tube fluidly connected to the dialyzer. The hemodialysis system further includes a dialysis instrument comprising a dialysate pump head and a motor positioned and arranged to operate the dialysate pump head. The dialysis instrument operates the dialysate pump head to move fresh dialysate from the online dialysate generation system through the dialysate pumping tube to the dialyzer.

A microfluidic device for increasing convective clearance of particles from a fluid is provided. A network of first channels can be separated from a network of second channels by a first membrane. The network of first channels can also be separated from a network of third channels by a second membrane. Fluid containing an analyte can be introduced in the network of first channels. Infusate can be introduced into the network of second channels, and waste-collecting fluid can be introduced into the network of third channels. A pressure gradient can be applied in a direction perpendicular to the direction of fluid flow in the network of first channels, such that the analyte is transported from the network of first channels into the network of third channels through the second membrane.

A method for priming a renal therapy machine is disclosed. The method includes communicating a source of a physiologically compatible solution with a blood circuit and moving the physiologically compatible solution from the source to the blood circuit. The method also includes moving the physiologically compatible solution through the blood circuit to prime the blood circuit. The method further includes moving the physiologically compatible solution from the blood circuit though porous fibers of a blood filter, causing air to be purged from the blood circuit and into a dialysis fluid circuit portion of the blood filter.

A method is presented for checking the integrity of a hollow-fibre fluid filter, in particular a hollow-fibre dialyzer (1), which is constructed from a plurality of hollow fibres (15) enclosed by a membrane, with the steps of: perfusing the inside or outside of the hollow fibres (15) with a fluid, supplying the outside or inside of the hollow fibres (15) with a gas, wherein the gas has a higher pressure than the fluid, and determining a quantity of the gas which penetrates into the fluid through holes in the membrane. The method is characterized in that, after flowing through the hollow-fibre fluid filter (1), the fluid is channelled through a bubble trap (30), and in that a volume of gas (41) collecting in the bubble trap (30) during a predefined or predefinable reference period is determined. Furthermore, equipment for checking the integrity of a hollow-fibre fluid filter (1) is presented.

A sensing system for detecting a substance in a dialysate. The system includes a hydrophobic barrier capable of allowing the substance in the dialysate to equilibrate through the barrier to a gas. The system also includes a detector capable of detecting the gas and an interface disposed between the hydrophobic barrier and the detector and configured to allow transport of the gas between the hydrophobic barrier and the detector following a concentration gradient of the gas along the interface.

A renal therapy machine includes a blood filter including a plurality of porous fibers; a blood circuit in communication with the blood filter; and a dialysate circuit in communication with the blood filter and operable with at least one pump, wherein the renal therapy machine is configured to perform a priming sequence in which a physiologically compatible solution, other than dialysate, primes the blood circuit and is flowed within the fibers and through pores in the fibers of the blood filter, and the pump of the dialysate circuit vents air from the blood filter into the dialysate circuit.

The present invention relates to novel co-polymers and their use in the manufacture of porous membranes for haemodialysis application. In particular, such a co-polymer comprises a first segment comprising recurring units poly(aryl ether sulfone) [PAES recurring units], and a second segment comprising-recurring units poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) [PVP recurring units], wherein said first segment and said second segment are linked together via a group of formula O-Ph-NHC(O)C(CH.sub.3).sub.2CH.sub.2.

A dialysis system includes a dialysis instrument including a blood pump actuator, a dialyzer, a heparin pump, and a disposable cassette including a blood pumping portion operable with the blood pump actuator of the dialysis instrument, the blood pumping portion including an inlet and an outlet, the inlet of the blood pumping portion of the disposable cassette positioned and arranged to receive blood from an arterial line of an extracorporeal circuit, the outlet of the blood pumping portion of the disposable cassette positioned and arranged to deliver the blood to the dialyzer and to receive heparin from the heparin pump.

A renal failure therapy system for performing a peritoneal dialysis therapy is disclosed. The renal failure therapy system performs a plurality of peritoneal dialysis cycles for a patient and tracks an amount of dialysis fluid provided by a dialysis fluid pump during the plurality of peritoneal dialysis cycles. The renal failure therapy system also determines, as an initial drain volume, how much dialysis fluid resides in the patient's peritoneal cavity at a start of a next dialysis treatment and determines an initial drain flow for the next dialysis treatment. The renal failure therapy system generates an alert when it is determined from the initial drain flow that a low drain flow or a drain flow stoppage could occur before the initial drain volume is recovered for the start of the next dialysis treatment.