Control of fluid temperature in a dialysis system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dialysis systems face challenges in maintaining consistent fluid temperature during renal replacement therapy, particularly in non-heated reservoirs, leading to patient hypothermia and increased complexity with current mitigations like pre-heating or inline warmers.
Innovation Solution
A dialysis system with a supply sub-system that uses a sequence of time-separated fluid boluses heated by a heating device to achieve a target temperature in a non-heated reservoir, without requiring dedicated heating equipment within or around the reservoir.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a non-heated reservoir is used to store treatment fluid, then the system complexity is reduced and cost is lowered, but the fluid temperature becomes unstable and patient hypothermia occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic bolus injection of fresh treatment fluid into the reservoir at scheduled intervals. This periodic action replenishes the fluid volume and maintains temperature by replacing cooled fluid with warmer freshly prepared fluid, achieving temperature stability without continuous heating equipment in the reservoir.
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares treatment fluid in advance in a separate heating system before it enters the reservoir. By pre-heating the fluid to the desired temperature before reservoir storage, the system avoids the need for heating equipment within the reservoir itself, reducing complexity while maintaining temperature control.
2Temperature
If pre-heating or inline warming equipment is added to maintain fluid temperature, then patient body temperature consistency is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the heating function from the reservoir system and relocates it to a separate fluid preparation system. The reservoir itself remains non-heated and simple, while temperature control is achieved externally through controlled bolus injection of pre-heated fluid, separating the storage function from the heating function.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses freshly prepared treatment fluid as an intermediary medium to transfer thermal energy to the reservoir fluid. Instead of directly heating the reservoir contents, warm boluses are injected as intermediaries that mix with and heat the cooler reservoir fluid, achieving temperature control without direct heating elements in the reservoir.
3Ease of operation
If treatment fluid is stored at room temperature to simplify storage, then storage simplicity is improved, but fluid cooling occurs during treatment leading to hypothermia
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuous temperature control by implementing ongoing periodic bolus injections throughout the treatment period. This continuous action ensures that as fluid cools in the reservoir, fresh warm boluses are continuously supplied to replenish and maintain temperature, preventing the accumulation of excessive cooling that would cause hypothermia.
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
This method stabilizes fluid temperature in non-heated reservoirs, ensuring consistent patient body temperature during dialysis treatment, applicable to any type of reservoir, and is simple to implement on existing or future systems.
Implementation Method 1
a heating device for heating the fluid
Implementation Method 2
the reservoir is non-heated. In the absence of appropriate countermeasures, fluid held in a non-heated reservoir will lose heat to the surroundings and gradually cool down
Data Source
AI summary
A dialysis system comprises a supply sub-system, a storage sub-system, a treatment sub-system, and a control device. The supply sub-system is arranged to supply a fluid to the storage sub-system and comprises a heating device for heating the fluid. The storage sub-system comprises a non-heated reservoir for receiving the fluid from the supply sub-system. The treatment sub-system is configured to obtain the fluid from the storage sub-system for use in dialysis treatment. The control device operates the supply sub-system to perform a sequence of fluid supply cycles causing a sequence of time-separated boluses of the fluid to be supplied to the reservoir, with each fluid supply cycle being assigned a target temperature and comprising a predefined number of boluses. The supply sub-system is operated to achieve, through the predefined number of boluses, the target temperature of the fluid in the reservoir for the respective fluid supply cycle.