Device comprising a multi-lumen tube and its use

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus comprising at least one multi-lumen tube, wherein the tube has a first group of lumens and a second group of lumens wherein the lumens of the second group are arranged around the lumen(s) of the first group, and wherein the lumen(s) of the first group serve the transportation of at least one first fluid, and wherein the lumens of the second group are filled with at least one functional fluid, wherein the apparatus furthermore comprises at least one actuator which is in communication with at least one of the second lumens and is configured such that at least one property of the functional fluid can be changed by means of the actuator.

Claims

1. A device useful in blood treatment comprising an extracorporeal circuit formed at least sectionally by a multi-lumen tube having a second lumen arranged about a first lumen, wherein the second lumen is one lumen or a group of lumens and the first lumen is one lumen or group of lumens, wherein the first lumen is arranged in the circuit to transport a blood fluid, and wherein the second lumen is arranged in the circuit to transport a functional fluid to and from the device for affecting the blood fluid in the first lumen, at least one pressure sensor arranged at the end of the second lumen transporting functional fluid back to the dialysis machine and configured to determine a pressure loss of the at least one functional fluid when in the second lumen, and an actuator in communication with the second lumen and the at least one pressure sensor, wherein the actuator is configured to increase the pressure of the functional fluid when in the second lumen, when a loss in the pressure of the functional fluid is determined by the at least one pressure sensor indicative of a kinking of the multi-lumen tube by the second lumen, in such a way that the kinking of the multi-lumen tube by the second lumen is remedied.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the functional fluid is a gas or a liquid.

3. A method of operating a device in accordance with claim 1, with the method comprising changing the pressure of the functional fluid in the second lumen by increasing pressure in the second lumen when a kinking of the multi-lumen tube is detected.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3, characterized in that the kinking of the tube is detected in that the functional fluid is conducted through at least one lumen of the second lumen and a pressure drop of the functional fluid is measured on the throughflow, with provision being made that at least two lumens of the second lumen are connected to one another, with the functional fluid flowing through a lumen of the at least two lumens in a first direction and subsequently through a further lumen of the at least two lumens in a second direction opposite to the first direction and with the pressure drop of the functional fluid being measured on the throughflow of the lumen and the further lumen of the at least two lumens.

5. A method in accordance with claim 3, characterized in that the pressure of the functional fluid in the second lumen is increased for so long until the measured pressure drop falls below a specific limit value.

6. A method in accordance with claim 3, characterized in that the method comprises the step of transferring information and/or energy by a pressure change or by pressure pulses of the functional fluid.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6, characterized in that at least one valve is provided which is arranged such that it is actuated by the pressure change of the functional fluid.

8. A method in accordance with claim 3, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of measuring the pressure of the fluid flowing through the first lumen and changing the pressure of the functional fluid in dependence thereon.

9. A dialysis machine comprising a device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the second lumen is filled with the functional fluid.

10. A method of operating the device in accordance with claim 2, with the method comprising heating a blood return line to a patient during dialysis treatment of the patient, wherein the blood return line comprises the first lumen, and wherein a heating fluid flows through the second lumen to heat blood returning to the patient in the first lumen to a required temperature.

11. A dialysis machine in accordance with claim 9 having a patient blood return line, wherein the return line comprises the first lumen, such that, when heating fluid flows through the second lumen, blood returning to the patient through the first lumen is heated.

12. A dialysis machine in accordance with claim 11 wherein the second lumen is connected to an internal heating fluid reservoir, the second lumen is connectable to a heating fluid reservoir and an internal pump for conveying the fluid to the second lumen, or the second lumen is connected to an internal heating element for temperature control of the heating fluid.

13. A dialysis machine in accordance with claim 12, characterized in that the internal pump is a non-used dialysate pump or substitute pump, and the internal heating element is a non-used heating element or a substitute heating element.

14. A blood treatment machine for therapeutic apheresis comprising the device according to claim 1 and having a patient blood return line, wherein the return line comprises the first lumen, such that, when heating fluid flows through the second lumen, blood returning to the patient through the first lumen is heated, in particular for therapeutic apheresis.

Description

(1) Further details and advantages of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to a plurality of embodiments described in the following. The Figures show:

(2) FIG. 1: a conventional therapeutic system for plasma purification using a known acute dialysis machine; and

(3) FIG. 2: a system representation with the blood treatment device in accordance with the invention for plasma purification.

(4) The embodiment relates to a dialysis machine having an extracorporeal blood circuit which comprises one or more tubes which comprise(s) a multi-lumen tube in total or section-wise.

(5) The tube has a single inner lumen which is flowed through by blood as well as a plurality of lumens which are arranged around it and surround the inner lumen. Six lumens of the second group can be provided overall, for example, which surround the central lumen.

(6) The dialysis machine furthermore has at least one actuator by means of which the pressure in the outer lumens can be changed. At least one pressure sensor is furthermore provided which detects the pressure of the functional fluid.

(7) Provision is made in this respect that at least two of the outwardly disposed lumens are connected to or communicate with one another such that the functional fluid flows, starting from the dialysis machine, through one of the second lumens, then undergoes a reversal of direction, and subsequently flows through another one of the second lumens back to the dialysis machine. The pressure sensor detects the pressure loss over this flow path or at least the pressure at the end of the second lumen through which the functional fluid flows back to the dialysis machine,

(8) If it is detected that the pressure loss is too large, a conclusion is drawn on the kinking of the multi-lumen tube.

(9) The dialysis machine thereupon activates the actuator which increases the pressure in the outwardly disposed lumens, whereby the multi-lumen tube experiences a greater stability and the kink pint is effectively removed.

(10) The functional fluid, which can be air or water, for example, can also take over other tasks such as the transfer of information between the patient and the dialysis machine or the transfer of energy, for example for actuating a valve, etc.

(11) An alternative application case of the multi-lumen tube set in accordance with the invention is shown in FIG. 2. The illustration shows a system setup with an acute dialysis machine 100 that is used for plasma purification.

(12) As in the representation of FIG. 1, the blood is conveyed from the patient through the blood pump 20 to the dialyzer 30. The plasma filtered there by means of the filtrate pump 40 enters into the device 5 for purification from where it is fed back into the blood line returning to the patient after the purification. Unlike in the prior art, however, no external heating device is required; a multi-lumen tubing set 50 is used instead. The purified blood to be returned to the patient flows in one lumen 50b of the tubing set 50; the other lumen 50a transports a heated saline solution to heat the blood in the lumen 50b to a specific temperature.

(13) The saline solution originates from an internal reservoir 60 of the dialysis machine 100 and is brought to the desired temperature level by means of a pump (actuator) 70 present in the acute dialysis machine and previously unused and by means of a heating element 80. The pump 70 and the heating element 80 typically serve the heating of the substituate or of a dialysis solution in standard acute dialysis processes. The use of this apparatus 60, 70 contrary to its purpose for a heating fluid that heats the patient blood to be returned by means of the tubing set 50, through pressure sensor 110 and valve 120, makes an external heating device superfluous in therapeutic processes using plasma replacement. The heating fluid moves from the tubing set 50 back to the reservoir 60 again.

(14) In the representation, blood and heating fluid flow through the lumens 50a, 50b in the same direction; however a counter-flow process is likewise conceivable. More than one lumen can furthermore also be provided for the flowing through of the tube piece 50 with heating fluid.