Blood treatment systems and methods

Abstract

To provide a dialysis system equipped with a plurality of actuators cooperating to execute a dialysis function and a plurality of sensors cooperating to monitor the dialysis function.SOLUTION: A dialysis system includes a user interface model layer, a treatment layer lower in order than the user interface model layer, and a machine layer lower in order than the treatment layer. The user interface model layer manages a state of a graphical user interface and receives input. The treatment layer executes a state machine for generating a treatment command on the basis of the input from the graphical user interface. The machine layer provides a command to actuators on the basis of the treatment command.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2A

Claims

1. In a balanced circuit, A balancing pod, a first rigid chamber having a first liquid port; a second rigid chamber having a second liquid port; a balancing pod comprising a membrane captured between the first rigid chamber and the second rigid chamber, the membrane moving between a first position where the membrane is proximate an interior wall of the first rigid chamber and the balancing pod is substantially filled with a first fluid and a second position where the membrane is proximate an interior wall of the second rigid chamber and the balancing pod is substantially filled with a second fluid; a blood leak sensor disposed to detect a characteristic of a fluid in the balancing pod, the blood leak sensor configured to generate a signal to detect blood in the first fluid when the balancing pod is substantially filled with the first fluid and to generate a signal to detect the absence of blood in the second fluid when the balancing pod is substantially filled with the second fluid; A balancing circuit, wherein the blood leak sensor comprises an luminescent material configured to emit light into the balancing pod and a photodetector configured to detect the light emitted by the luminescent material, the photodetector and the luminescent material being positioned such that a straight line path from the luminescent material to the photodetector passes through the balancing pod.

2. 2. The balancing circuit of claim 1, wherein the blood leak sensor is configured to measure a first level of the first fluid when the balancing pod is substantially filled with the first fluid, and to measure a second level of the second fluid when the balancing pod is substantially filled with the second fluid, and to compare the first and second levels to each other to determine whether blood is present in the first fluid.

3. 3. The balancing circuit of claim 2, wherein the blood leak sensor is configured to measure the first level when the balancing pod is substantially filled with the first fluid and substantially empty of the second fluid, and to measure the second level when the balancing pod is substantially filled with the second fluid and substantially empty of the first fluid.

4. 4. The balancing circuit of claim 3, wherein the membrane is configured to contact the inner wall of the first rigid chamber when the balancing pod is substantially filled with the first fluid and to contact the inner wall of the second rigid chamber when the balancing pod is substantially filled with the second fluid.

5. 2. The balancing circuit of claim 1, wherein the luminescent material and the photodetector are positioned such that light emitted from the luminescent material and received by the photodetector passes through the membrane.

6. 2. The balancing circuit of claim 1, wherein the luminescent material and the photodetector are positioned such that light emitted from the luminescent material and received by the photodetector passes through the first rigid chamber and the second rigid chamber.

7. The balancing circuit of claim 1 , wherein the membrane is transparent and the blood leak sensor is configured to detect light transmitted through the balancing pod and at least a portion of the membrane.

8. The balancing circuit of claim 7 , wherein the luminescent material is disposed outside the balancing pod and the photodetector is disposed outside the balancing pod.

9. 10. The balancing circuit of claim 1, wherein the blood leak sensor is configured to detect blood in a blood-containing dialysis solution at a concentration of 25% hematocrit blood, which is equivalent to approximately 0.35 ml of blood per liter of the dialysis solution.

10. 2. The balancing circuit of claim 1, wherein the balancing pod is a balancing chamber configured to receive spent dialysate from a dialysis machine into the second liquid port and to receive cleaned dialysate in the first liquid port for delivery to the dialysis machine.

11. 11. The balancing circuit of claim 10, wherein the blood leak sensor is configured to determine the presence of blood by comparing a light level detected when the balancing pod is substantially filled with used dialysate to a light level detected when the balancing pod is substantially filled with cleaned dialysate.

12. The balancing circuit of claim 1 , wherein the balancing pod has a substantially spherical shape and the membrane has a substantially hemispherical shape.

13. The balancing circuit of claim 1 , wherein the luminescent material and the photodetector are disposed on diametrically opposed sides of the balancing pod.

14. A method of operating a dialysis system for detecting blood in a dialysate circuit of the dialysis system under control of a system controller, comprising: the system controller delivering spent dialysate received from a dialysis machine to the first portion of a chamber comprising a first portion, a second portion, and a movable membrane fluidically separating the first portion from the second portion; the system controller measuring a characteristic of the used dialysate in the first portion using a light emitting material and a light detector disposed on opposite sides of the chamber; the system controller supplying cleaned dialysate to the second portion of the chamber, thereby substantially emptying the first portion of the chamber of used dialysate; the system controller measuring a characteristic of the purified dialysate using the light emitting material and the light detector located on opposite sides of the chamber; and the system controller determining whether blood is present in the used dialysate in the first portion based on a comparison between the measured characteristic of the used dialysate in the first portion and the measured characteristic of the cleaned dialysate in the second portion.

15. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the properties measured for the used dialysate and the cleaned dialysate include absorption of light by the used dialysate.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the system controller measures the characteristics of the used dialysis fluid when the first portion is substantially filled with the used dialysis fluid and the second portion is substantially empty, and measures the characteristics of the purified dialysis fluid when the second portion is substantially filled with the purified dialysis fluid and the first portion is substantially empty.

17. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the chamber is a balance chamber of the dialysate circuit in the dialysis system.

18. A method of operating a dialysis system for detecting blood in a dialysate circuit of the dialysis system under control of a system controller, comprising: detecting, by the system controller, a characteristic of the purified dialysate in the second portion of the chamber using a blood leak sensor arranged to detect a characteristic of fluid in a chamber comprising a first portion, a second portion, and a membrane separating the first portion from the second portion, the blood leak sensor comprising a light emitting material configured to emit light into the chamber, and a photodetector configured to detect the light emitted by the light emitting material, the photodetector and the light emitting material being arranged such that a straight line path from the light emitting material to the photodetector passes through the chamber; the system controller detecting, with the blood leak sensor, a characteristic of spent dialysate received from a dialysis machine in the first portion of the chamber; and the system controller uses the detected characteristics of the cleaned dialysate and the detected characteristics of the used dialysate to determine whether blood is present in the used dialysate.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of the system controller detecting a characteristic of the purified dialysis fluid using the blood leak sensor includes the system controller detecting the characteristic of the purified dialysis fluid using the blood leak sensor while the second portion of the chamber is substantially filled with purified dialysis fluid and the first portion is substantially empty.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of the system controller detecting a characteristic of the purified dialysis fluid using the blood leak sensor includes the system controller transmitting light through the purified dialysis fluid to detect the characteristic of the purified dialysis fluid.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of the system controller using the detected characteristics of the purified dialysis fluid includes the system controller comparing the characteristics of the purified dialysis fluid and the used dialysis fluid to determine whether blood is present in the used dialysis fluid.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the system controller detects the characteristics of the purified dialysis fluid when the second portion is substantially filled with the purified dialysis fluid and detects the characteristics of the used dialysis fluid when the first portion is substantially filled with the used dialysis fluid.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the system controller operates the chamber to alternately fill the first portion substantially with used dialysis fluid and fill the second portion substantially with purified dialysis fluid; detecting, by the system controller using the blood leak sensor, a characteristic of the cleaned dialysate for each of a plurality of operations that substantially fill the second portion with cleaned dialysate; 23. The method of claim 22, further comprising: the system controller determining whether blood is present for each of a plurality of operations that substantially fill the first portion with used dialysate using the detected characteristic of the cleaned dialysate for each of the plurality of operations.

24. The method described in claim 21, wherein light transmitted through the used dialysis fluid and the purified dialysis fluid passes through the first and second portions of the chamber and the membrane so that the system controller detects the characteristic.

25. A method of operating a dialysis system for detecting blood in a dialysate circuit of the dialysis system under control of a system controller, comprising: the system controller operating the dialysis system by circulating dialysate at least partially through a dialysate circuit including a balance chamber and a dialyzer; a blood leak sensor configured to determine the presence of blood in used dialysate flowing from the dialysis machine to the balance chamber, the blood leak sensor comprising: a light emitting material configured to emit light into the balance chamber; and a photodetector configured to detect the light emitted by the light emitting material, the photodetector and the light emitting material positioned such that a straight line path from the light emitting material to the photodetector passes through the balance chamber; and a system controller using the blood leak sensor to measure a characteristic of the purified dialysate while it is in the balance chamber and to measure a characteristic of the used dialysate while it is in the balance chamber.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising the steps of: said system controller operating said dialysate circuit to substantially fill said balance chamber alternately with cleaned dialysate and used dialysate; 26. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of the system controller using the blood leak sensor to measure a characteristic of the cleaned dialysate flowing to the balancing chamber comprises the system controller activating the blood leak sensor to measure the characteristic of the cleaned dialysate in the balancing chamber when the balancing chamber is substantially filled with cleaned dialysate.

27. ​​The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of the system controller using the blood leak sensor to detect the presence of blood in the balance chamber when the balance chamber is substantially filled with spent dialysis fluid received from the dialysis machine.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the system controller determines the presence of blood in the balance chamber based on a comparison of characteristics of used dialysis fluid measured by the blood leak sensor to the characteristics measured for purified dialysis fluid when the balance chamber is substantially filled with used dialysis fluid.

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