Effluent Bag Valve Assembly for Electrical Isolation During Emptying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing effluent bags used in blood treatment processes require manual intervention for fluid separation and risk electrical conductive contact during emptying, posing safety concerns and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A valve device and effluent bag system with integrated components for automated fluid control, ensuring electrical insulation and preventing conductive contact, allowing for simultaneous filling and emptying operations without manual disconnection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a valve device is provided inside a dialysis machine, then the risk of cross-contamination between patients is reduced, but the complexity of the device increases and requires frequent sterilization
Solution Approach 1:
The valve device is divided into a reusable housing and a disposable valve assembly. The housing remains with the dialysis machine and is sterilized between uses, while the valve assembly is discarded after a single use, eliminating cross-contamination risk without requiring the entire machine to be sterilized frequently.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve assembly is designed as a single-use disposable component that is discarded after one patient treatment. This eliminates the need for frequent sterilization of the entire valve device while maintaining patient safety, as each new patient receives a fresh, sterile valve assembly.
2Reliability
If a valve device is provided inside a dialysis machine, then patient safety is improved, but the cost of the treatment increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the valve device into reusable and disposable portions, the system maintains high patient safety through sterile single-use valve assemblies while reducing overall cost by reusing the expensive housing component multiple times.
Solution Approach 2:
The disposable valve assembly provides the necessary safety function at low cost, while the reusable housing amortizes its higher cost over multiple uses, resulting in a more cost-effective solution compared to making the entire valve device disposable or requiring frequent sterilization of the complete assembly.
3Reliability
If a sterile barrier is placed between the patient blood line and the dialysate, then cross-contamination is prevented, but the pressure differential across the barrier may cause ballooning or bursting
Solution Approach 1:
The valve assembly incorporates a pressure relief feature that locally manages the pressure differential across the sterile barrier. This prevents excessive pressure buildup that could cause ballooning or bursting while maintaining the barrier's integrity for cross-contamination prevention.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a valve device (700) for connection to an outlet tap (401) which is associated with an effluent outlet opening (400b) of an effluent bag (400). The valve device (700) has an actuating element (401c) and is located in or on an effluent discharge line (403) or an attachment therefor. The actuating element (401c) of the outlet tap (401) can be brought into two different positions which can block or allow the flow out of the effluent outlet opening (400b) along the effluent discharge line (403). The valve device (700) has a holding portion (701), an insert portion (709) and a blocking element (713) which can be switched between positions by means of which the second fluid line (711) can be acted on directly or indirectly in order to prevent a flow along the second fluid line (711) and to interrupt an electrically conductive liquid column in the second fluid line (711) in an electrically insulating manner or to allow a flow to pass. The invention also relates to an effluent bag, a set, a method for preparing the effluent bag and a method for emptying the effluent bag, and a blood treatment device.