Blood Purification Apparatus Substitution Fluid Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing blood purification apparatuses face challenges in accurately measuring the amount of substitution fluid consumed during simultaneous pre-substitution and post-substitution processes, leading to flow rate errors and increased heating bag costs due to the need for hard materials or multiple heating bags.
Innovation Solution
A blood purification apparatus with a control unit that manages substitution pumps and includes a heating bag positioned between the first substitution pump and the branching point of the pre-substitution and post-substitution lines, along with an air-trap chamber to prevent bubble formation, allowing for accurate fluid measurement and reduced heating bag costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If substitution pumps are provided in both pre-substitution line and post-substitution line to enable simultaneous pre-substitution and post-substitution, then the treatment method can be flexibly switched among HD, HF, and HDF, but the flow rate errors from multiple pumps accumulate making it difficult to accurately measure the amount of substitution fluid consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the measurement function from the substitution pumps and places it in a separate substitution fluid amount measurement unit. This unit independently measures the amount of substitution fluid consumed from the substitution fluid source, preventing accumulation of flow rate errors from multiple pumps while maintaining the ability to perform HD, HF, and HDF treatments.
2Reliability
If heating bags are provided in both pre-substitution line and post-substitution line to prevent bubble formation, then bubble prevention is ensured, but the cost increases due to requiring hard material or multiple heating bags
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces an air-trap chamber as an intermediary device between the substitution fluid source and the blood circuit. This chamber collects and traps bubbles before they can enter the blood circuit, eliminating the need for multiple heating bags while maintaining reliable bubble prevention. The air-trap chamber serves as a mediator that handles bubble management separately from the heating function.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise control of substitution fluid flow during simultaneous pre- and post-substitution, reducing errors and heating bag costs by using a single heating bag and effectively trapping bubbles, ensuring accurate fluid management.
Implementation Method 1
a heating bag positioned between the first substitution pump and the branching point of the pre-substitution and post-substitution lines
Implementation Method 2
an air-trap chamber to prevent bubble formation
Data Source
AI summary
A blood purification apparatus capable of performing pre-substitution and post-substitution simultaneously is provided. A patient's blood flows through an arterial blood circuit and reaches a dialyzer. The blood purified by the dialyzer flows through a venous blood circuit and returns into the patient. A first substitution pump delivers substitution fluid through a substitution line to a branching point. A pre-substitution line connects the branching point and the arterial blood circuit to each other and is provided with a second substitution pump at a halfway position thereof. A post-substitution line connects the branching point and the venous blood circuit to each other and is provided with a check valve at a halfway position thereof. When the two pumps are activated simultaneously, the substitution fluid is supplied to the arterial blood circuit (pre-substitution). When only the first substitution pump is activated, the substitution fluid is supplied to the venous blood circuit (post-substitution). When the flow rate of the second substitution pump is set higher than the flow rate of the first substitution pump, pre-substitution and post-substitution are performed simultaneously.