Abstract
A device for extracorporeal blood treatment, in particular a dialysis device, including an internal fluidic system for a treatment liquid, in particular for a dialysis liquid, the internal fluidic system having at least two liquid connectors for connecting a substantially cylindrical filter element, in particular a dialyzer, to the internal fluidic system for passing a treatment liquid through the filter element, and including a mounting for exchangeably holding the filter element in such a way that the filter element can be connected to the liquid connectors of the internal fluidic system and to an extracorporeal blood line in an intended manner, wherein the mounting for holding the filter element is designed in such a way that a cylinder longitudinal axis of the filter element is substantially horizontally aligned.
Claims
1. A device for extracorporeal blood treatment, the device comprising: a housing having an internal fluidic system for a treatment liquid, a first housing liquid connector, and a second housing liquid connector, the first and second housing liquid connectors configured to convey a treatment liquid through the internal fluidic system, the housing further comprising a front operating surface forming a user interface; a cylindrical filter element that extends along a cylinder longitudinal axis from a first end to a second end and has a first treatment liquid connector at the first end and a second treatment liquid connector at the second end; a mounting configured to hold the cylindrical filter element, wherein the mounting is oriented such that a cylinder longitudinal axis of the cylindrical filter element is substantially horizontally aligned when the cylindrical filter element is held by the mounting, and wherein the mounting is configured such that the cylindrical filter element is rotatable about the cylinder longitudinal axis while in the mounting between a first orientation in which the first treatment liquid connector and the second treatment liquid connector face upwards and a second orientation in which the first treatment liquid connector and the second treatment liquid connector face downwards; the mounting being rotatably attached to the front operating surface of the housing, the mounting being rotatable relative to the front operating surface about a swivel axis, the swivel axis extending orthogonal to the front operating surface of the housing, the swivel axis also extending orthogonal to the cylinder longitudinal axis and through a midsection of the cylindrical filter element when the cylindrical filter element is held by the mounting, the cylindrical filter element being rotatable in the mounting and about the swivel axis between a first angle of inclination in which the cylinder longitudinal axis is horizontal and a second angle of inclination in which the cylinder longitudinal axis is inclined relative to horizontal; a first flexible line section connecting the first treatment liquid connector to the first housing liquid connector and having a first flexible line length selected to allow the first flexible line section to be connected between the first treatment liquid connector and the first housing liquid connector when the cylindrical filter element is in the first orientation and in the second orientation; and a second flexible line section connecting the second treatment liquid connector to the second housing liquid connector, and having a second flexible line length selected to allow the second flexible line section to be connected between the second treatment liquid connector and the second housing liquid connector when the cylindrical filter element is in the first orientation and in the second orientation.
2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the mounting has at least one horizontally aligned contact surface for the cylindrical filter element.
3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the mounting can be pivoted on the front operating surface about the swivel axis in an angular range of about 5 about the swivel axis.
4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the mounting can be pivoted on the front operating surface about the swivel axis in an angular range of about 2 about the horizontal axis.
5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the mounting can be pivoted on the front operating surface about the swivel axis in an angular range of about 1 about the horizontal axis.
6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the mounting can be pivoted on the front operating surface about the swivel axis in an angular range of about 0.5 about the horizontal axis.
7. The device according to claim 3, wherein the mounting is coupled to a drive for pivoting the mounting in the angular range about the swivel axis.
8. The device according to claim 3, wherein the mounting is prestressed in or against a direction of the pivoting by a spring element.
9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the mounting comprises at least one clamping device for holding the cylindrical filter element.
10. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a first blood connector or the first end and a second blood connector for the second end.
11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the housing has a third housing liquid connector and a fourth housing liquid connector, the third housing liquid connector and the fourth housing liquid connector being fluidly connected to each other, and wherein the first flexible line length is selected to allow the first flexible line to connect between the first housing liquid connector and the third housing liquid connector, but not between the first housing liquid connector and the fourth housing liquid connector, and wherein the second flexible line length is selected to allow the second flexible line to connect between the second housing liquid connector and the fourth housing liquid connector, but not between the second housing liquid connector and the third housing liquid connector.
12. The device of claim 1, wherein the cylindrical filter element is a dialyzer.
13. The device according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical filter element is biased toward the first angle of inclination when the cylindrical filter element is held by the mounting and pivoted about the swivel axis toward the second angle of inclination, so as to always return the cylindrical filter element to a position in which the cylinder longitudinal axis is horizontal.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The invention is best understood from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. Included in the drawings are the following figures:
(2) FIG. 1 is a view of a known device for extracorporeal blood treatment,
(3) FIG. 2 is a view of another known device for extracorporeal blood treatment,
(4) FIG. 3 is a view of another known device for extracorporeal blood treatment,
(5) FIG. 4 is a view of another known device for extracorporeal blood treatment,
(6) FIG. 5 is a view of another known device for extracorporeal blood treatment,
(7) FIG. 6 is a view of another known device for extracorporeal blood treatment,
(8) FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a housing front of a device according to aspects of the invention,
(9) FIG. 8 is a schematic partial view of a device according to aspects of the invention with a filter element taken up during therapy or a priming process,
(10) FIG. 9 is a schematic partial view of a device according to aspects of the invention with a filter element received during emptying,
(11) FIG. 10 is a schematic partial view of a device according to aspects of the invention during disinfection,
(12) FIG. 11 is a schematic partial view of a device according to aspects of the invention with received filter element comprising a first arrangement of liquid connectors on the device in the context of the invention,
(13) FIG. 12 is a schematic partial view of a device according to aspects of the invention with received filter element comprising a second arrangement of liquid connectors on the device in the context of the invention, and
(14) FIG. 13 is a schematic partial view of a device according to aspects of the invention with received filter element comprising a third arrangement of liquid connectors on the device in the context of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
(15) FIGS. 1 to 6 each show a prior art dialysis machine 1 as an example of a device 1 for extracorporeal blood treatment with an exchangeably arranged filter element 2 in the form of a dialyzer 2 which is fluidically connected to and exchangeably arranged on an internal fluidic system not shown in the Figures. In all known devices 1 which are shown, the dialyzer 2 is arranged in each case substantially vertically on a housing 4 of the device 1 by means of a mounting 3 in such a way that its longitudinal axis 5 drawn into the Figures is substantially vertically aligned.
(16) FIG. 7 shows in a schematic elevation view an arrangement of the filter element/dialyzer 2 on a front 6 of a housing 4 of a device 1 according to aspects of the invention. FIG. 7 shows the horizontal X and the vertical Z for better orientation. The housing front 6 forms a kind of operating surface or operating space, quasi as an interface between a user/operator and the machine. In addition to the dialyzer 2, a blood pump 7, a heparin pump 8, a concentrate receptacle 9, one or two air sensors 10, a hematocrit sensor 11 and a venous hose shut-off clamp (SAKV), and possibly an arterial hose shut-off clamp (SAKA) 12 are accessible to the user at the front. FIG. 7 also shows an extracorporeal blood line 13 comprising an arterial connector 14 and a venous connector 15. As indicated in FIG. 7, the extracorporeal blood line 13 is inserted into the blood pump 7, here in the form of a peristaltic pump 7, so that the blood pump 7 transports blood from the arterial connector 14 to the venous connector 15. The heparin pump 8 is fluidically connected to the extracorporeal blood line 13 via a heparin line 16. In addition, an air bubble trap 17, two arterial pressure sensors 18 and a venous pressure sensor 19 are integrated in the blood line 13.
(17) The internal fluidic system (not shown in FIG. 7) of the device 1 is arranged and hidden behind the housing front 6. A treatment liquid connector 20 for the supply of a treatment/dialysis liquid, a treatment liquid connector 21 for the discharge of a treatment/dialysis liquid and two flushing connectors 22, 23 are integrated or installed in the housing front 6. A mounting 24 for the filter element 2 is also located in its vicinity. Said mounting is designed as a clamping device and comprises a first clamping arm 25 and a second clamping arm 26, which form a mounting space between them for the filter element 2. The clamping arms 25, 26 are each made of plastic and have claw-like end sections with retaining, contact or support surfaces 38 facing the filter element 2 and with spring elastic properties in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis 5 of filter element 2. The contact surface 38 is aligned so as to be essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis 5 of the cylinder. The filter element 2 can thus be inserted into the receiving space between the clamping arms 25, 26 in a manner known per se under elastic deformation and is held in the claw-like end sections by their elastic re-deformation.
(18) FIG. 7 clearly shows that the longitudinal axis 5 of the filter element 2 arranged and held in the mounting 24 is essentially horizontally aligned. As a result of the mounting in the claw-like end sections of the clamping arms 25, 26 on or at their support surfaces 38, it can be rotated about its cylinder longitudinal axis 5. In addition, the mounting 24 can be rotated in an inclination angle range a about a swivel axis that is aligned orthogonally to the longitudinal axis 5 and in FIG. 7 orthogonally to the drawing plane. The angle of inclination a is within an angle range of approx. 5 around the horizontal, preferably of approx. 2 around the horizontal, preferably of approx. 1 around the horizontal, most preferably of approx. 0.5 around the horizontal, wherein at an angle of inclination of 0 the longitudinal axis 5 is aligned exactly in the horizontal.
(19) The filter element 2 has a substantially cylindrical shape and comprises a cylindrical central section 31 on both ends of which end caps 32, 33 are arranged, which form a blood inlet 34 and a blood outlet 35. A dialysate input 28 is formed in the left axial end section of the middle section 31 and a dialysate output 30 is formed in the right axial end section of the middle section 31.
(20) FIGS. 8 to 13 are described by way of example using a dialysis device 1 with a dialyzer 2 as filter element and dialysate as treatment liquid. Other treatment applications are in the field of the invention.
(21) FIG. 8 shows a schematic representation of a filter element incorporated according to aspects of the invention during a therapy or a priming process. The dialysate connector 20 for the supply of dialysis liquid, the dialysate connector 21 for the discharge of dialysis liquid and the two flushing connectors 22, 23 are each arranged near and above filter element 2. As shown in the Figure, the two flushing connectors 22, 23 are fluidically connected inside by means of a line 37, which is part of the internal fluidic system. The dialysate connector 20 for the supply of dialysis liquid is fluidically connected to the dialysate input 28 of filter element 2 by means of a first line segment/connecting hose/hose segment 27. The dialysate connector 21 for the discharge of dialysis liquid is fluidically connected to the dialysate outlet 30 of filter element 2 by means of a second line segment/connecting hose/hose segment 29. The hose segments 27, 29 are attached to the respective liquid connectors 20, 21 by means of quick-release couplings 36. Their lengths and the arrangement of the dialysate connector 20 for the supply of dialysate fluid, the dialysate connector 21 for the discharge of dialysate liquid and the two flushing connectors 22, 23 are such that the hose segment 27 can only connect the dialysate connector 20 to the flushing connector 22, but not the dialysate connector 20 to the flushing connector 23. Similarly, the hose segment 29 can only connect the dialysate connector 21 to the flushing connector 23, but not the dialysate connector 21 to the flushing connector 22. In FIG. 8, the dialysate flows through the filter element 2 from left to right and blood flows from right to left, i.e. in countercurrent operation.
(22) FIG. 9 shows a schematic representation during emptying the filter element. The filter element 2 is fluidically connected to the internal fluidic system of the device as described in FIG. 8. However, compared to the representation of FIG. 8, it is rotated by about 180 about its longitudinal axis 5, so that the dialysate inlet 28 and the dialysate outlet 30 point downwards and facilitate the outflow of dialysate from filter element 2 and thus its emptying.
(23) FIG. 10 shows a schematic representation of a device according to aspects of the invention during a disinfection of the internal fluidic system. The filter element 2 is decoupled from the internal fluidic system and removed from the mounting 24. The hose segment 27 is attached to the flushing connector 22 so that the latter is connected to the dialysate connector 20. The hose segment 29 is attached to the flushing connector 23 so that the latter is connected to the dialysate connector 21.
(24) FIG. 11, FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 each show the arrangement of liquid connectors on the device relative to filter element 2 in a schematic diagram. In the embodiment of FIG. 11, both the dialysate connectors 20 and 21 and the flushing connectors 22, 23 are arranged above the mounting 24, see also the description in FIG. 8. FIG. 12 shows an alternative arrangement in which both the dialysate connectors 20 and 21 as well as the flushing connectors 22, 23 are arranged below the mounting 24. In both variants, the flushing connectors 22, 23 are located between dialysate connectors 20 and 21. FIG. 13 shows another variant in which both the dialysate connectors 20 and 21 and the flushing connectors 22, 23 are arranged above the mounting 24, but different from the design of FIG. 11, the flushing connectors 22, 23 are arranged outside and the dialysate connectors 20 and 21 inside between the flushing connectors 22, 23. All embodiments have in common that an incorrect connection of the hose segments 27, 29, as described above with reference to FIG. 8, is not possible.
