Microbubbles detached from a blood circuit and a blood purification unit are discharged with the use of a backflow generated at the instant that a roller of a blood pump releases a squeezable tube. In a normal rotation step, a region filled with a priming solution after a priming step is closed by a closing unit, and a rotor of a blood pump is rotated normally until a roller of the blood pump releases a squeezable tube to generate a backflow. After the backflow is generated at the release of the squeezable tube by the roller of the blood pump, bubbles are moved by reversely rotating the rotor while disabling the closing by the closing unit. Thus, the bubbles are discharged through a discharge unit.

A dialysis system may include a blood circuit, a cassette, a subsystem having a processor, a sensor, and a blood pumping mechanism, a housing in which the subsystem is arranged, a movable support arranged in the housing and configured to hold the sensor and/or the blood pumping mechanism of the subsystem, a cassette holder configured to removably receive the cassette, and a loading system. The loading system may be configured to move the movable support, e.g. by an axial movement, to a first position and to a second position relatively to the housing while the cassette holder is fixedly arranged in the housing. The loading system may have an electric motor controlled by the processor, a drive assembly coupled to the electric motor, and a guiding assembly configured to cooperate with the drive assembly.

An adapter set that is attached to artery-side and vein-side shunt connectors-that are provided on a blood circuit. The adapter set includes: an artery-side adapter that has one end thereof connected to the artery-side shunt connector, has the other end thereof connected to a drainage port that is provided on the outside of the blood circuit, and thereby connects the artery-side shunt connector and the drainage port fluid tight; and a vein-side adapter that has one end thereof connected to the vein-side shunt connector, has the other end thereof connected to a supply port that is provided on the outside of the blood circuit, and thereby connects the vein-side shunt connector and the supply port fluid tight. The structure of the other end of the artery-side adapter and the structure of the other end of the vein-side adapter are different.

Extracorporeal blood flow circuit devices can be used during medical procedures such as on-pump open-heart surgery. For example, extracorporeal heat exchange and oxygenation devices can be used to facilitate surgical procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafting. In some embodiments, such an oxygenation device can include an integrated air removal structure. In particular embodiments, the air removal structure can comprise one or more porous hollow fibers.

The present invention relates to a method for disconnecting two fluid-conducting line sections of a medical device which are detachably interconnected, wherein a first line section of the two line sections has at least partially an elastic property. The method comprises the steps of enclosing a fluid volume in the two line sections, generating a reduced pressure in the two line sections, as a result of which elastic deformation from a starting position into a tensioned position takes place in and/or on the first line section, wherein a fluid volume contained in the first line section is lower in the tensioned position than a fluid volume contained in the starting position, and detaching the connection of the line sections, wherein the fluid volume contained in the first line section in the tensioned position increases. Furthermore, the invention relates to a medical device which is configured to carry out a method of this kind.

Dialysis systems comprising actuators that cooperate to perform dialysis functions and sensors that cooperate to monitor dialysis functions are disclosed. According to one aspect, such a hemodialysis system comprises a user interface model layer, a therapy layer, below the user interface model layer, and a machine layer below the therapy layer. The user interface model layer is configured to manage the state of a graphical user interface and receive inputs from a graphical user interface. The therapy layer is configured to run state machines that generate therapy commands based at least in part on the inputs from the graphical user interface. The machine layer is configured to provide commands for the actuators based on the therapy commands.

The present disclosure relates to a dialysis apparatus comprising a membrane having at least one protein from the lipocalin family bound thereon. The disclosure further relates to methods of removing non-polar, hydrophobic and/or protein bound uremic toxins from a target subject utilizing the dialysis apparatus described herein as well as methods of extracorporeal detoxification.

A blood circulation system for an extracorporeal blood treatment machine includes: an arterial circulation section; a venous circulation section; a dynamic bubble trap; and an air separator. The blood circulation system conducts blood, during the operation of a blood pump of the extracorporeal blood treatment machine, from a patient to a dialysis unit and from the dialysis unit to the patient. The blood circulation system also includes a recirculation or branch line connected to the bubble trap in order to return part of the blood that flows into the bubble trap into the blood circulation system, upstream of the bubble trap. An extracorporeal blood treatment machine includes the blood circulation system.

A fluid processing system includes a fluid processing device and a fluid flow circuit. The device includes a pump configured to convey a priming fluid through the circuit. The pressure in a conduit of the circuit is measured while the pump is operated at a particular rate. When the magnitude of the pressure is less than the magnitude of a predetermined pressure at the end of a time interval, the pump is operated at an increased rate. When the magnitude of the pressure is greater than the magnitude of the predetermined pressure at the end of the time interval, the pump is instead operated at a decreased rate. The magnitude of the pressure in the conduit is again compared to the magnitude of the predetermined pressure after the pump has operated at the increased or decreased rate for the time interval to determine how to next adjust the operational rate.

In one aspect, a valve actuation system includes a drive unit including an actuator configured to engage and move multiple valves disposed within a fluid cassette to selectively open and close each valve of the multiple valves and a positioning frame disposed adjacent the fluid cassette and along which the drive unit can be moved in three dimensions to align the actuator with a selected valve of the multiple valves.