Blood purification device and priming method in a blood purification device

Abstract

The present invention provides a blood purification device that can suppress the excessive rise in the liquid level of the priming fluid in the air trap chamber by simple means. [Solution] In the blood purification device 1, during priming, the liquid level adjustment unit P2 fills the air trap chamber 60 with air via the air filling and discharge line L4 while the priming liquid is inside the air trap chamber 60, until the bubble detector S2 detects bubbles, and then discharges air from inside the air trap chamber 60 via the air filling and discharge line L4 until a certain period of time has elapsed since the bubble detector S2 detected bubbles.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a blood purification apparatus and a priming method in the blood purification apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Before performing blood purification therapy that extracorporeally circulates blood, priming, which is a preparatory operation using a priming solution such as physiological saline or dialysate, is performed. In priming, the interiors of a blood circuit and a dialyzer as a blood purifier are washed to remove residues, air bubbles and the like. In priming, the interiors of the blood circuit and the dialyzer are replaced with the priming solution.

[0003] Priming methods include an overflow method, a single-pass method, and the like. In the single-pass method, priming is performed by discharging the priming solution from an arterial line and a venous line. As a document disclosing such a technique, there is the following Patent Document 1.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, for example, the venous line is provided with an air trap chamber that stores a certain amount of blood and air, in order to prevent air bubbles mixed into the line, coagulated blood and the like from flowing into the body, and to measure venous pressure. A venous pressure monitor line for measuring venous pressure is connected to the air trap chamber.

[0006] During priming, if the priming fluid level in the air trap chamber rises, the priming fluid may reach the venous pressure monitoring line. If the priming fluid reaches the venous pressure monitoring line and wets the air filter placed on the venous pressure monitoring line, accurate measurement of venous pressure becomes difficult. Furthermore, it may necessitate changing the blood circuit, which not only increases the workload for healthcare professionals but also delays the start of dialysis treatment. The same problem of priming fluid reaching the venous pressure arises when the air trap chamber is located on the arterial side and arterial pressure is being monitored.

[0007] To solve this problem, a technology has been proposed that involves installing a detection device to detect the liquid level of the priming fluid in the air trap chamber. However, installing such a detection device increases the cost of the blood purification system.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a blood purification device and a priming method in a blood purification device that can suppress the excessive rise of the priming fluid level in the air trap chamber by simple means. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The blood purification apparatus of the present invention comprises a blood circuit for circulating a patient's blood outside the body; a blood purifier provided in the blood circuit; an air trap chamber provided in the blood circuit for separating air bubbles contained in the incoming liquid; a bubble detector provided on the side of the blood circuit where liquid flows out of the air trap chamber for detecting air bubbles in the blood circuit; a liquid level adjustment unit for adjusting the liquid level in the air trap chamber by filling and discharging air; an air filling and discharge line, one end of which is connected to the liquid level adjustment unit and the other end of which is connected to the air trap chamber; and a control unit, wherein the control unit, in the priming process, fills the air trap chamber with air via the air filling and discharge line until the bubble detector detects air bubbles, and operates the liquid level adjustment unit to discharge air from the air trap chamber via the air filling and discharge line until a certain period of time has elapsed since the bubble detector detected air bubbles.

[0010] The priming method in the blood purification device of the present invention comprises the steps of: filling the air trap chamber with air while the priming fluid is in the air trap chamber until a bubble detector, which is provided on the side of the blood circuit where the priming fluid flows out of the air trap chamber, detects a bubble; and discharging air from the air trap chamber until a certain period of time has elapsed since the bubble detector detected the bubble. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a blood purification device and a priming method in a blood purification device that can suppress the excessive rise of the liquid level of the priming fluid in the air trap chamber by simple means. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of a blood purification device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]This diagram shows the operation during the water removal process in a blood purification device. [Figure 3] This diagram shows the operation during the fluid replacement (backfiltration) process in a blood purification device. [Figure 4] This diagram shows the operation during the priming process in reverse filtration in a blood purification device. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart showing the flow of liquid level adjustment in the priming method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram of a blood purification device that has an online fluid replacement line for pre-dilution. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram of a blood purification device with an online fluid replacement line for post-dilution. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of a blood purification device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Blood purification device 1 is a device that purifies the blood of patients with renal failure and other conditions. Blood purification device 1 also removes excess water from the blood and replenishes it as needed. Removing excess water from the blood is called dehydration, and replenishing it is called fluid replacement.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the blood purification device 1 comprises a blood circuit 20 for circulating blood, a blood purifier 5, a dialysate circuit 30, and a control unit 50.

[0016] The blood circuit 20 includes an arterial line L2, a venous line L3, an air-filled discharge line L4, and a drug line L5. The arterial line L2, the venous line L3, the air-filled discharge line L4, and the drug line L5 are all mainly composed of flexible, soft tubes through which liquid can flow.

[0017] One end of the arterial line L2 is connected to a blood inlet 5a of a blood purifier 5 described later. The arterial line L2 is provided with an arterial connection portion 21a, an arterial air bubble detector S1, and a blood pump P1. The arterial connection portion 21a is disposed on the other end side of the arterial line L2. A needle to be punctured into a blood vessel of a patient is connected to the arterial connection portion 21a. The arterial air bubble detector S1 detects the presence or absence of air bubbles in the liquid flowing inside the arterial line L2. The blood pump P1 is disposed on the blood purifier 5 side relative to the arterial air bubble detector S1 in the arterial line L2. The blood pump P1 delivers liquid such as blood and priming solution inside the arterial line L2 by squeezing the tube constituting the arterial line L2 with a roller. The blood pump P1 is capable of switching between normal rotation for causing liquid to flow toward the blood purifier 5 side and reverse rotation for causing liquid to flow toward the arterial connection portion 21a side, and changing the rotation speed.

[0018] One end of the venous line L3 is connected to a blood outlet 5b of the blood purifier 5 described later. The venous line L3 is provided with a venous connection portion 22a, a venous air bubble detector S2, an air trap chamber 60, and a venous clamp C3. The venous connection portion 22a is disposed on the other end side of the venous line L3. A needle to be punctured into a blood vessel of a patient is connected to the venous connection portion 22a. The venous air bubble detector S2 detects the presence or absence of air bubbles in the liquid flowing inside the arterial line L2.

[0019] The air trap chamber 60 is disposed on the blood purifier 5 side relative to the venous air bubble detector S2. The air trap chamber 60 stores a certain amount of blood in order to remove air bubbles, coagulated blood and the like mixed into the venous line L3, and to measure venous pressure. The venous clamp C3 is disposed closer to the venous connection portion 22a than the venous air bubble detector S2. The venous clamp C3 is controlled according to the air bubble detection result by the venous air bubble detector S2, and opens and closes the flow path of the venous line L3.

[0020] One end of the air-filling and discharging line L4 is connected to the air trap chamber 60. The air-filling and discharging line L4 includes a pressure detection unit 41, an air pump P2 as a liquid level adjustment unit, and an air filter (not shown). The pressure detection unit 41 and the air pump P2 are located at the other end of the air filling and discharge line L4. The pressure detection unit 41 detects the venous pressure, which is the pressure inside the air trap chamber 60. The air filling and discharge line L4 also functions as a venous pressure monitoring line. The air pump P2 supplies air to the air trap chamber 60 (fills it with air) or degassssing the air from the air trap chamber 60 (discharges air) through the air filling and discharge line L4. The air filter is positioned on the air trap chamber 60 side of the pressure detection unit 41 in the air filling and discharge line L4. The air filter prevents infection caused by blood flowing from the air filling and discharge line L4 into the blood purification device 1.

[0021] The drug line L5 supplies the necessary drugs to the arterial line L2 during hemodialysis. One end of the drug line L5 is connected to the drug solution pump P3, which delivers the drugs, and the other end is connected to the arterial line L2. The drug line L5 is also equipped with a clamping mechanism (not shown), and the flow path is closed by the clamping mechanism except when injecting drugs.

[0022] The blood purifier 5 is capable of removing water from the blood. The blood purifier 5 comprises a cylindrical container body 51 and a dialysis membrane (not shown) housed inside the container body 51. The inside of the container body 51 is divided into a blood-side flow path and a dialysate-side flow path by the dialysis membrane (neither of which are shown). The container body 51 has a blood inlet 5a and a blood outlet 5b that communicate with the blood-side flow path, and a dialysate inlet 5c and a dialysate outlet 5d that communicate with the dialysate-side flow path.

[0023] According to the blood circuit 20 and blood purifier 5 described above, blood taken from the artery of the subject (dialysis patient) is introduced into the blood-side flow path of the blood purifier 5 via the arterial line L2 by the blood pump P1. The blood introduced into the blood purifier 5 is purified by the dialysate flowing through the dialysate circuit 30, which will be described later, via the dialysis membrane. The blood purified in the blood purifier 5 is returned to the subject's vein via the venous line L3.

[0024] In this embodiment, the dialysate circuit 30 is composed of a so-called sealed volume control type dialysate circuit 30. This dialysate circuit 30 includes a dialysate introduction line L6, a dialysate outlet line L7, a dialysate supply line L8, a dialysate drain line L9, a dialysate delivery unit 31, and a dialysate pressure sensor S3.

[0025] The dialysate delivery unit 31 delivers dialysate via the blood purifier 5 to perform fluid replacement by ultrafiltration or reverse filtration. The dialysate delivery unit 31 comprises a dialysate chamber 311, a bypass line 312, and an ultrafiltration / reverse filtration pump 313. The dialysate chamber 311 is a rigid container capable of holding a certain volume (for example, 300 ml to 500 ml) of dialysate, and the inside of this container is divided into a fluid supply section 3111 and a drainage section 3112 by a flexible diaphragm. Bypass line 312 connects dialysate outlet line L7 and dialysate drain line L9.

[0026] The water removal / reverse filtration pump 313 is located in the bypass line 312. The water removal / reverse filtration pump 313 is a pump that is driven to deliver the dialysate inside the bypass line 312 in a direction that flows toward the dialysate drain line L9 (water removal direction) and in a direction that flows toward the dialysate outlet line L7 (reverse filtration direction).

[0027] The dialysate supply line L8 is connected at its proximal end to a dialysate supply device (not shown) and at its tip end to the dialysate chamber 311. The dialysate supply line L8 supplies dialysate to the fluid delivery and storage section 3111 of the dialysate chamber 311.

[0028] The dialysate introduction line L6 connects the dialysate chamber 311 to the dialysate inlet 5c of the blood purifier 5, and introduces the dialysate contained in the fluid delivery section 3111 of the dialysate chamber 311 into the dialysate side flow path of the blood purifier 5.

[0029] The dialysate outlet line L7 connects the dialysate outlet 5d of the blood purifier 5 to the dialysate chamber 311, and leads the dialysate discharged from the blood purifier 5 to the drain collection section 3112 of the dialysate chamber 311.

[0030] The dialysate drain line L9 has its proximal end connected to the dialysate chamber 311 and drains the dialysate contained in the drain collection section 3112.

[0031] The dialysate pressure sensor S3 is used to measure the dialysate pressure in the dialysate circuit 30 and is installed in the dialysate outlet line L7.

[0032] According to the dialysate circuit 30 described above, by partitioning the inside of the rigid container constituting the dialysate chamber 311 with a flexible diaphragm, the amount of dialysate discharged from the dialysate chamber 311 (fluid delivery storage section 3111) and the amount of drainage collected in the dialysate chamber 311 (drainage storage section 3112) can be made equal. This allows the flow rate of dialysate introduced into the blood purifier 5 and the amount of dialysate (drainage fluid) discharged from the blood purifier 5 to be equal when the water removal / reverse filtration pump 313 is stopped.

[0033] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, when the ultrafiltration / reverse filtration pump 313 is driven to deliver fluid in the ultrafiltration direction at an ultrafiltration rate F (ml / min), the amount of dialysate flowing through the dialysate outlet line L7 is the sum of the amount of dialysate recovered into the dialysate chamber 311 (i.e., the amount of dialysate flowing through the dialysate inlet line L6) and the amount of dialysate flowing through the bypass line 312. As a result, the amount of dialysate flowing through the dialysate outlet line L7 is greater than the amount of dialysate flowing through the dialysate inlet line L6 by the amount of dialysate (drainage) discharged to the dialysate drain line L9 through the bypass line 312. In other words, when the ultrafiltration / reverse filtration pump 313 is driven to deliver fluid in the ultrafiltration direction, a predetermined amount of ultrafiltration is removed from the blood at an ultrafiltration rate F in the blood purifier 5.

[0034] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 3, when the ultrafiltration / reverse filtration pump 313 is driven to deliver fluid in the reverse filtration direction at a reverse filtration rate R (ml / min), a portion of the wastewater discharged from the dialysate chamber 311 is recovered back into the dialysate chamber 311 through the bypass line 312 and the dialysate outlet line L7. Therefore, the amount of dialysate discharged from the blood purifier 5 is the amount recovered into the dialysate chamber 311 (i.e., the amount of dialysate flowing through the dialysate inlet line L6) minus the amount of dialysate flowing through the bypass line 312. As a result, the amount of dialysate discharged from the blood purifier 5 is less than the flow rate of dialysate flowing through the dialysate inlet line L6 by the amount of dialysate (wastewater) recovered back into the dialysate chamber 311 through the bypass line 312. In other words, when the ultrafiltration / reverse filtration pump 313 is driven to deliver fluid in the reverse filtration direction, a predetermined amount of dialysate is injected (reverse filtered) into the blood circuit 20 at a reverse filtration rate R in the blood purifier 5.

[0035] The control unit 50 is composed of an information processing device (computer) and controls the operation of the blood purification device 1 by executing a control program. The control unit 50 controls the operation of various pumps, clamps, etc., arranged in the blood circuit 20 and the dialysate circuit 30 to execute various processes performed by the blood purification device 1, such as the priming process, blood withdrawal process, dialysis process, and blood return process.

[0036] In the priming process, the blood circuit 20 and the blood purifier 5 are cleaned and purified using reverse filtration dialysis fluid as the priming solution. In the blood withdrawal process, the patient's blood is drawn and used to fill the arterial line L2 and the venous line L3. After the blood withdrawal process, the dialysis process is performed. The dialysis process continues until the scheduled dialysis time (e.g., 4 hours) is reached, during which the ultrafiltration process (see Figure 2) purifies the patient's blood and removes excess fluid. After the dialysis process is complete, a blood return process is performed to return the blood to the patient. In addition to the ultrafiltration process, the dialysis process may also include a fluid replacement process (see Figure 3) in which reverse filtration dialysis fluid is injected into the patient as replacement fluid.

[0037] The control unit 50 described above is installed in the console 100, which serves as the main body of the blood purification device. In addition to the control unit 50, the console 100 is equipped with various pumps and sensors, including a blood pump P1, a pressure detection unit 41, an air pump P2, a drug solution pump P3, a dialysate chamber 311, and a water removal / reverse filtration pump 313.

[0038] The priming process, one of the various processes performed by the blood purification device 1, will be explained in detail below. In this embodiment, during the priming process, as shown in Figure 4, the control unit 50 supplies dialysate from the dialysate chamber 311 to the blood purifier 5 at a rate of 500 ml / min through the dialysate introduction line L6, and drives the water removal / reverse filtration pump 313 to pump at a rate of 400 ml / min in the reverse filtration direction. As a result, 400 ml / min of dialysate is injected (reverse filtered) into the blood circuit 20 in the blood purifier 5. The control unit 50 also drives the blood pump P1 to pump at a rate of 200 ml / min in the reverse direction. As a result, the dialysate injected into the blood purifier 5 is discharged at a rate of 200 ml / min from the arterial line L2 and the venous line L3, respectively.

[0039] In this embodiment, the control unit 50 includes a liquid level control unit 50A that controls the liquid level of the priming fluid in the air trap chamber 60 during the priming process. The liquid level control unit 50A adjusts the liquid level in the air trap chamber 60 by controlling the filling of air into the air trap chamber 60 and the discharge of air from the air trap chamber 60 via the air filling and discharge line L4 using the air pump P2. During the priming process, the liquid level adjustment speed of the air pump P2 is controlled to be lower than the delivery speed of the priming fluid flowing from the blood purifier 5 to the venous line L3 (200 ml / min) (for example, 100 ml / min).

[0040] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the control flow by the liquid level control unit 50A during the priming process. In Figure 5 and the following description, ST1 refers to step ST1. The same applies to ST2 and subsequent steps.

[0041] (ST1) In ST1, the liquid level control unit 50A drives the air pump P2 to fill the air trap chamber 60 with air via the air filling and discharge line L4. When air is being filled, the priming fluid is present in the air trap chamber 60, and the priming fluid continues to flow into the air trap chamber 60. As air fills the air trap chamber 60, the liquid level of the priming fluid gradually decreases. When the liquid level drops to the bottom of the air trap chamber 60, air begins to mix with the priming fluid flowing through the venous line L3.

[0042] (ST2) In ST2, the liquid level control unit 50A determines whether the venous bubble detector S2 has detected a bubble. If a bubble is detected, the determination in ST2 is YES. If the determination is YES, the step proceeds to ST3. If no bubble is detected, the determination in S2 is NO. If the determination is NO, the step returns to ST1. ST1 is the liquid level lowering step. That is, the liquid level lowering by filling with air continues until a bubble is detected.

[0043] (ST3) In ST3, the liquid level control unit 50A drives the air pump P2 to discharge air from the air trap chamber 60 via the air filling and discharge line L4. As a result, the liquid level of the priming fluid rises due to the discharge of air.

[0044] (ST4) In ST4, the liquid level control unit 50A determines whether a certain amount of time has elapsed since the start of air discharge. If a certain amount of time has elapsed, the determination in ST4 becomes YES. If the determination is YES, the process ends. That is, the liquid level raising by air discharge ends. If a certain amount of time has not elapsed, the determination in ST4 becomes NO. If the determination is NO, the process returns to ST3. ST3 is the liquid level raising step. That is, the liquid level raising by air discharge continues until a certain amount of time has elapsed.

[0045] Here, "a certain amount of time" can be the time required for the liquid level to rise to a desired height. The desired height can be, for example, a height less than the height at which the air-filled discharge line L4 is connected to the air trap chamber 60. This allows priming to be performed without adverse effects such as wetting the air filter located in the air-filled discharge line L4 or wetting its tubing.

[0046] As described above, the liquid level raising in ST3 is initiated after bubbles are detected in ST2. In other words, the liquid level raising is triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined phenomenon corresponding to the liquid level height. This makes it possible to keep the liquid level height constant when the liquid level raising is initiated. Since the liquid level height at the start of liquid level raising is constant, by keeping the time from the start to the end of liquid level raising constant, the final liquid level can be kept constant. In other words, without installing a detection device to detect the liquid level of the priming liquid, it is possible to prevent the liquid level of the priming liquid in the air trap chamber 60 from rising too high simply by managing the time of liquid level raising.

[0047] As described above, in the blood purification device 1 of this embodiment, with the venous line L3 filled with priming fluid, the liquid level in the air trap chamber 60 is lowered to a certain position until the bubble detector downstream of the air trap chamber 60, i.e., the venous bubble detector S2, detects air. After the liquid level has dropped to a certain position, the liquid level is raised. This ensures that the liquid level raising can always be started from a constant height, for example, from the lowest surface of the air trap chamber 60. Therefore, the liquid level can be adjusted to an appropriate height simply by controlling the time of liquid level raising. In other words, the liquid level adjustment of the air trap chamber 60 can be achieved using existing configuration requirements, i.e., existing device configurations, without the need to separately provide a liquid level detection mechanism such as a liquid level sensor.

[0048] In particular, the liquid level at the start of automatic priming may vary each time, such as when the liquid level is manually adjusted before the priming process, or when automatic priming is performed again after the liquid level has been adjusted by automatic priming. If the liquid level at the start of automatic priming is not constant, it is difficult to control the liquid level to below a predetermined height by controlling the time of liquid level rise alone. In the blood purification device 1 of this embodiment, as described above, the liquid level at the start of automatic priming can be kept constant. Therefore, the liquid level can be adjusted to an appropriate position by controlling the time of liquid level rise alone.

[0049] Furthermore, since the air filling the air trap chamber 60 is filled at a rate lower than the flow rate of the priming fluid delivered from the blood purifier 5 to the venous line L3, the air does not flow towards the blood purifier 5, and the filled air is discharged from the venous line L3. Furthermore, the air discharged from the air trap chamber 60 via the air filling and discharge line L4 is discharged at a speed lower than the delivery speed of the priming fluid delivered from the blood purifier 5 to the venous line L3. Therefore, no air from outside the blood circuit is drawn in from the venous line L3, and the priming fluid flows into the air trap chamber 60 from the blood purifier 5 side. Furthermore, if no bubbles are detected for a predetermined time, there may be a problem with the installation of the bubble detector. Therefore, the liquid level control unit 50A may be equipped with a notification function that notifies the user if, for example, no bubbles are detected for a predetermined time. Alternatively, a maximum time (for example, a time calculated from the maximum volume of the air trap chamber and the air filling speed) may be set for bubble detection, and if no bubbles are detected after the maximum time has elapsed, the process may proceed to the next liquid level raising step. In other words, the process may proceed to ST3 after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of ST1.

[0050] One embodiment of the present invention has been described above. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications, variations, and combinations are possible. For example, in this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a blood purification device 1 that injects a priming solution by reverse filtration, but it is not limited to this. That is, the present invention may be applied to an online blood purification device 1A having a pre-dilution fluid replacement line L61 as shown in Figure 6, or to an online blood purification device 1B having a post-dilution fluid replacement line L62 as shown in Figure 7.

[0051] As shown in Figure 6, the pre-dilution online blood purification device 1A includes, in addition to the configuration of the blood purification device 1 shown in Figure 1, a fluid replacement line L61, a fluid replacement pump P4, and a fluid replacement clamp C61. One end of the fluid replacement line L61 is connected to the dialysate introduction line L6, and the other end is connected between the blood pump P1 and the blood purifier 5 in the arterial line L2. The fluid replacement pump P4 is located in the fluid replacement line L61. The fluid replacement clamp C61 is located near the connection point between the fluid replacement line L61 and the arterial line L2, and opens and closes the fluid replacement line L61. With the pre-dilution online blood purification device 1A, by driving the fluid replacement pump P4 and the water removal / reverse filtration pump 313 (reverse filtration direction), a portion of the dialysate discharged from the dialysate chamber 311 can be supplied to the arterial line L2 as replacement fluid or priming fluid.

[0052] As shown in Figure 7, the online blood purification device 1B, which uses post-dilution, includes, in addition to the configuration of the blood purification device 1 shown in Figure 1, a fluid replacement line L62, a fluid replacement pump P4, and a fluid replacement clamp C62. One end of the fluid replacement line L62 is connected to the dialysate introduction line L6, and the other end is connected between the blood purifier 5 and the air trap chamber 60 in the venous line L3. The fluid replacement pump P4 is located in the fluid replacement line L62. The fluid replacement clamp C62 is located near the connection point between the fluid replacement line L62 and the venous line L3, and opens and closes the fluid replacement line L62. With the online blood purification device 1B, by driving the fluid replacement pump P4 and the water removal / reverse filtration pump 313 (reverse filtration direction), a portion of the dialysate discharged from the dialysate chamber 311 can be supplied to the venous line L3 as replacement fluid or priming fluid.

[0053] Furthermore, the air trap chamber 60 is not limited to being installed in the venous line L3. The air trap chamber 60 may also be installed in the arterial line L2. When the air trap chamber 60 is installed in the arterial line L2, bubble detection can be performed by the arterial bubble detector S1 instead of the venous bubble detector S2.

[0054] The way each line is connected to the air trap chamber 60 is not limited to the configuration shown in Figure 1. In the example shown in Figure 1, the line carrying the priming fluid into the air trap chamber 60 is connected to the top of the air trap chamber 60, and the line carrying the priming fluid out of the air trap chamber 60 is connected to the bottom of the air trap chamber 60. For example, if the air trap chamber 60 is provided for the arterial line L2, both the line carrying the priming fluid into the air trap chamber 60 and the line carrying the priming fluid out of the air trap chamber 60 may be connected to the bottom of the air trap chamber 60. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1, 1A, 1B Blood purification device 5. Blood Purifier 20 Blood circuit 50 Control Unit 51 Liquid level control unit 60 Air trap chamber L4 Air Filling and Discharge Line P2 Air pump (liquid level adjustment unit) S2 Venous bubble detector (bubble detector)

Claims

1. A blood circuit that circulates the patient's blood outside the body, A blood purifier provided in the blood circuit, The blood circuit includes an air trap chamber for separating air bubbles contained in the incoming liquid, A bubble detector is provided on the side of the blood circuit where liquid flows out of the air trap chamber, and detects air bubbles in the blood circuit. A liquid level adjustment unit that adjusts the liquid level in the air trap chamber by filling and discharging air, An air-filling and discharge line, one end of which is connected to the liquid level adjustment section and the other end of which is connected to the air trap chamber, A blood purification device comprising a control unit, The control unit, during priming, With the priming fluid in liquid form inside the air trap chamber, air is filled into the air trap chamber via the air filling and discharge line until the bubble detector detects bubbles. A blood purification apparatus comprising a liquid level control unit that operates the liquid level adjustment unit to discharge air from the air trap chamber via the air filling and discharge line until a certain period of time has elapsed since the bubble detector detected a bubble.

2. The blood purification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the priming fluid flows into the air trap chamber during the filling of the air and the discharge of the air.

3. A priming method in a blood purification device, With the priming fluid inside the air trap chamber, the step is to fill the air trap chamber with air until a bubble detector, located on the side of the blood circuit where the priming fluid flows out of the air trap chamber, detects bubbles. A priming method comprising the step of discharging air from the air trap chamber until a certain period of time has elapsed since the bubble detector detected a bubble.

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