HEATING DEVICE

Abstract

The present invention relates to a heating device for one or more components of an extracorporeal circuit of a blood treatment device, in particular of a dialyzer, an adsorber or a filter, wherein the heating device has at least one reception region for the named component and at least one heating element for heating the component located in the receiver, wherein the heating device has a plurality of layers, with at least one layer being a flexible layer or elastically deformable layer.

Claims

1. A heating device for one or more components of an extracorporeal circuit of a blood treatment device, in particular of a dialyzer, a filter or an adsorber, wherein the heating device has at least one reception region for the named component and at least one heating element for heating the component located in the receiver, characterized in that the heating device has a plurality of layers, with at least one layer being a flexible layer or an elastically deformable layer.

2. A heating device in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the heating device has at least one elastically deformable layer and at least one flexible layer.

3. A heating device in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the heating device has at least one rigid layer.

4. A heating device in accordance with claim 3, characterized in that the rigid layer has a Young's modulus of 700 N/mm.sup.2 or more.

5. A heating device in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the heating device has at least one rigid layer, at least one elastically deformable layer and at least one flexible layer.

6. A heating device in accordance with claim 5, characterized in that the elastically deformable layer is arranged between the rigid layer and the flexible layer.

7. A heating device in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the heating device has at least a or the named elastically deformable layer whose compressive force at 25% compression is in the range from 0.01 N/mm.sup.2 to 0.7 N/mm.sup.2.

8. A heating device in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the heating device has at least a or the named flexible layer whose maximum bending resistance with respect to the width of the film is at 6.75 N/mm.sup.2/mm or less.

9. A heating device in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the elastically deformable layer has a greater thickness than the rigid layer and/or than the flexible layer.

10. A heating device in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the flexible layer comprises silicone, polyimide, carbon or aluminum, in particular an aluminum film, or comprises one or more of these components.

11. A heating device in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the elastically deformable layer is formed from rubber or foam, in particular as silicone foam, or comprises one or both of these components.

12. A heating device in accordance with claim 3, characterized in that the rigid layer consists of plastic, in particular PP, PET, aluminum or hard foam or comprises one or more of these components.

13. A heating device in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the wall of the reception region is formed by the flexible layer or by the rigid layer or by the elastic layer.

14. A heating device in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the elastic layer or the flexible layer is formed by a floating support.

15. A heating device in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that at least one component of an extracorporeal circuit, in particular a dialyzer, a filter or a tube, is received in the receiver.

16. A heating device in accordance with claim 15, characterized in that the outer dimension of the component corresponds to the inner dimension of the receiver or exceeds it.

17. A heating device in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the heating element is arranged between two of the named layers or in at least one layer of the heating device; and/or in that the heating element is arranged in the flexible layer.

18. A blood treatment device, in particular a dialysis machine, having at least one heating device in accordance with claim 1.

Description

[0036] Further details and advantages of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to an embodiment described in the drawing. There are shown.

[0037] FIG. 1: a sectional view through a heating device in accordance with the invention; and

[0038] FIG. 2: a further sectional view through a heating device in accordance with the invention.

[0039] FIG. 1 shows by the reference numeral 10 the outer side or rear side of the heating device in accordance with the invention that is remote from the reception region A and that, for example, comprises a plate such as a metal plate or plastic in a shape of shell geometry.

[0040] The reception region A preferably serves the reception of a disposable of a blood treatment device to be heated such as a filter or a dialyzer or an adsorber.

[0041] An elastically deformable layer 20 that e.g. comprises a silicone foam adjoins this rigid layer 10. The layer 20 can, for example, have a thickness in the range between 5 mm and 15 mm and can preferably have a thickness of 10 mm.

[0042] This layer is followed by a flexible inwardly disposed layer 30 that forms the heating element and the heated inner side of the heating device. The flexible layer 30, for example, comprises silicone having integrated heating wires or a heatable carbon film and has a smaller thermal resistance than the elastic layer 20.

[0043] In addition, further flexible layers can be present for electrical insulation or mechanical surface strength.

[0044] As can be seen from FIG. 1, the layers 10, 20, 30 are concentrically arranged with respect to one another in the detail shown, i.e. at the level of the reception region A.

[0045] It can furthermore be seen from FIG. 1 that the thickness of the elastic layer 20 is larger than the thickness of the layer 10 and than the thickness of the layer 30.

[0046] The rigid housing 10 establishes the mechanical stability of the heating device and presses the flexible element 30 indirectly via the elastically deformable component 20 toward the component located in the reception region A, such as toward a dialyzer. It is achieved by the elastic layer 20, on the one hand, and by the flexible layer 30, on the other hand, that the heating element—in the form of the flexible layer 30—can adapt easily to the surface and to any irregularities located thereon such that a particularly efficient heat transfer from the heating device to the component and thus ultimately a particularly efficient heating of the blood flowing in the component can take place.

[0047] FIG. 2 shows the total heating device of which a detail is shown in the region of the reception region A in FIG. 1.

[0048] Reference numeral 10 characterizes the housing that has a concave section 12 in which the deformable layer 20 and the flexible layer 30 are located. The concave section is adjoined at the top and at the bottom by straight sections 14 that are formed without the layers 20, 30 and that, for example, form fastening sections by means of which the heating device can e.g. be fastened to a dialysis machine.

[0049] In the embodiment shown in the Figures, the heating device represents a receiver that, for example, hold and fixes the dialyzer, nestles up to it and compensates tolerances.

[0050] The heating device in accordance with the embodiment shown comprises a flexible, flat element for coupling to the dialyzer or the like and comprises an elastic, thicker layer. The flexible, flat element, that, for example, comprises silicone or polyimide or carbon or aluminum film, has a smaller thermal resistance than the elastic, deformable thicker element that can, for example, be designed as foam, e.g. as silicone foam.

[0051] A rigid housing gives the heating device the sufficient mechanical stability. It can, for example, consist of PP or PET or also of a metal such as aluminum or of hard foam. It presses the deformable heating component, i.e. for example the flexible layer toward the component to be heated such as to the surface of a dialyzer, filter, etc.

[0052] This component can, for example, represent a plastic housing having small thermal conductivity or a housing having high thermal conductivity such as a housing composed of a thermally conductive plastic or of other materials. The housing of the component such as the filter housing or the dialyzer housing is preferably rigid.

[0053] Provision is made in a further embodiment of the invention that the heating device is made up of a rigid element that serves the coupling to the component to be heated and of an elastic element. The rigid element, that can be formed from aluminum or plastic, for example, can have a smaller thermal resistance than the elastic element that can e.g. consist of rubber or of foam.

[0054] In a further embodiment of the invention, the receiver for the component to be heated is rigid. It is floatingly supported in an elastic element or flexible element. This element can, for example, be located at the housing and in particular at the machine plate of a dialysis machine.

[0055] A good coupling, a simple insertion of the component to be heated and an efficient use of area are made possible by the present invention.

[0056] The heating device preferably has a temperature sensor and a temperature regulation unit that maintains the temperature at a specific value or in a specific range.