This invention is directed to system and methods for the oxygenation of the blood of a patient, comprising an extracorporeal blood circulation path adapted to be coupled to the patient's vascular system, and comprising apparatus for oxygenating blood flowing therein and withdrawing CO2 therefrom, wherein the flow rate of blood flowing in said extracorporeal blood circulation path does not exceed 2/5 of the patient's blood flow. The extracorporeal blood circulation path preferably comprise a cartridge including an oxygenator and at least one cannula.

Simple-to-use systems, methods, and devices for priming replacement blood treatment devices, for swapping the blood treatment devices out, for replacing swapped-out blood treatment devices, and other related operations are described. In embodiments, a blood treatment device can be primed while a therapy is still running. When the replacement blood treatment device is needed, the therapy can be stopped momentarily (less than a minute) for the rapid and safe swap of the blood treatment device. Blood loss can be minimized. The down time from therapy can be minimized.

A method and apparatus are provided for use with a pump. The method includes, (a) placing liquid in a tube coupled to the pump, (b) injecting an air bubble into the tube in a manner that does not increase pressure within the tube, and such that there is a predetermined volume of liquid between the air bubble and the pump, (c) using the pump to advance the air bubble along the tube to the bubble detector of the pump, (d) using the pump, assessing accuracy of the pump by automatically measuring the volume of liquid pumped to advance the air bubble to the bubble detector, and (e) using the pump to continue advancing the air bubble along the tube, past the bubble detector, and using the pump to measure a volume of the air bubble. Other applications are also described.

A method for filling and venting a device for extracorporeal blood treatment is disclosed, such as a patient module in a heart-lung machine, without attached patient. A filling liquid from a filling liquid container located higher than the device flows by gravity via a venous side of the system into a reservoir and flows onwards into a blood pump located at the lower end of the reservoir, wherein a first controllable valve (HC1) for a venting line of a filter is opened and, after the response of an upper filling level sensor in the reservoir, is closed. An upper level of the filter is positioned higher than the upper filling level sensor, and a start-stop motion of the blood pump is performed, as a result of which a stepped flooding of the filter is made providing for an advantageous de-airing of the device.

An extracorporeal blood treatment apparatus comprises a blood treatment device (2), an extracorporeal blood circuit, a blood pump (8) configured to be coupled to a blood withdrawal line (6) of the extracorporeal blood circuit. A closed fluid line (10) is connected to an inlet port (4a) and to an outlet port (4b) of a fluid chamber (4) of the blood treatment device (2), wherein the closed fluid line (10) together with the fluid chamber (4) forms a recirculation loop. An evacuation line (15) departs from the closed fluid line (10). A warming device (13) and a recirculation pump (17) are coupled or configured to be coupled to the closed fluid line (10). At least one temperature sensor (22) is operative on the extracorporeal blood circuit and it is configured to sense a blood temperature (Tb). A control unit (25), connected to the warming device (13), to the recirculation pump (17) and to the temperature sensor (22), is configured to execute the following procedure: receiving from the temperature sensor (22) at least a signal correlated to the blood temperature (Tb); adjusting the blood temperature (Tb) by controlling at least one of the warming device (13) and the recirculation pump (17).

The invention relates to a method of purging gas bubbles from at least one target zone of an extracorporeal blood circuit, preferably of an extracorporeal blood circuit of a dialysis machine, with a flushing liquid, wherein the flow rate and/or the pressure of the flushing liquid in the extracorporeal blood circuit is/are inconstant at least at times during the flushing process; and/or wherein the flow rate of the flushing liquid in the extracorporeal blood circuit lies above a range of possible flow rates at least at times during the flushing process, which range is used during the treatment for the blood. The invention furthermore relates to an extracorporeal blood treatment unit having an extracorporeal blood circuit, a pump and a control unit, with the control unit being configured to carry out a flushing process in accordance with the invention. The invention furthermore relates to an extracorporeal blood treatment unit having an extracorporeal blood circuit, a pump and a control unit, with the control unit being configured such that the conveying speed for blood is slowly increased after a standstill of the pump or after an operation of the pump at throttled speed.

A deaerating device set allows a priming circuit to be deaerated fully automatically using a deaerating unit and a priming control unit, a priming liquid container and preferably a priming pump or a priming compressor. A blood pump is operated in a pulsatile manner during the pumping of a priming fluid.

A blood purification device includes a chamber, a liquid feed line, an air introduction unit, a liquid level adjustment unit, and a control unit. The chamber is provided on a blood circuit for extracorporeally circulating patient's blood and introduces purified plasma obtained by purifying plasma separated by a plasma separator provided on the blood circuit, or a replenishing liquid for replenishing the plasma separated by the plasma separator, into the blood circuit. The liquid feed line is capable of sending the purified plasma or the replenishing liquid to the chamber. The air introduction unit is capable of introducing air into the liquid feed line. The liquid level adjustment unit is capable of adjusting a liquid level height in the chamber. At the end of blood purification treatment, the control unit performs a liquid recovery process for sending the purified plasma or the replenishing liquid to the chamber via the liquid feed line while introducing air into the liquid feed line by the air introduction unit and maintains the liquid level height in the chamber at a predetermined liquid level height by the liquid level adjustment unit.

An extracorporeal blood treatment device and a method for automatic priming of an extracorporeal blood treatment device. The device includes an extracorporeal circuit, a dialyser, a dialysis liquid circuit and a control unit. The control unit is designed to control the priming such that a liquid is delivered from the dialysis liquid circuit via a membrane of the dialyser to the extracorporeal circuit, and to actuate valves and/or pumps in the dialysis liquid circuit such that pressure builds up in the dialyser on the dialysis liquid side. The control unit actuates a flow machine in the extracorporeal circuit to perform a push cycle, in which the flow machine pushes air into the extracorporeal circuit, and a pull cycle, in which the flow machine draws air out from the extracorporeal circuit, to assist a transfer of the liquid through the membrane of the dialyser during the priming process.

Simple-to-use systems, methods, and devices for priming replacement blood treatment devices, for swapping the blood treatment devices out, for replacing swapped-out blood treatment devices, and other related operations are described. In embodiments, a blood treatment device can be primed while a therapy is still running. When the replacement blood treatment device is needed, the therapy can be stopped momentarily (less than a minute) for the rapid and safe swap of the blood treatment device. Blood loss can be minimized. The down time from therapy can be minimized.