AUTOMATED CONTROL MECHANISMS IN A HEMODIALYSIS APPARATUS

• Main Authors: Grant, Kevin L, Tracey, Brian D, Demers, Jason A, Dale, James D, Wilt, Michael J, Van der Merwe, Dirk A, Flynn, Catherine N
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 07.05.2020
• Subjects: BLASTING; DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROMTHE BODY; HEATING; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; PIPE-LINE SYSTEMS; PIPE-LINES; POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS; STORING OF DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS; WEAPONS

Systems for monitoring fluid flow in an extracorporeal blood circuit are described. The blood circuit of such systems can include plod pump having a pumping chamber of the blood pump separated from a control chamber of the blood pump by a flexible diaphragm. The control chamber can be configured to transmit positive or negative pressure to operate the diaphragm. The system can include a pressure sensor configured to measure pressure in the control chamber of the blood pump, and a controller configured to receive information from the pressure sensor and to control the delivery of pressure to the control chamber of the blood pump. The controller can also be configured to cause the application of a time-varying pressure waveform on the blood pump diaphragm during a fill-stroke of the blood pump, and to monitor a pressure variation in the control chamber measured by the pressure sensor. When so configured, such controller can transmit a value representing a magnitude of the measured pressure variation to a display associated with the extracorporeal blood circuit.