Hydraulic Bladder Chamber for Portable Peritoneal Dialysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) machines are cumbersome, costly, and require daily disposable sets, which are space-consuming and time-consuming to set up, limiting their portability and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A reusable APD machine with a plastic or metal chamber and an inflatable bladder, using hydraulic pressure control and a syringe pump with a linear actuator, combined with a control unit for precise fluid management and a disposable flexible container, allowing for accurate volume determination using the ideal gas law.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If automated peritoneal dialysis machines are designed with traditional components, then they can perform dialysis functions, but they become cumbersome, costly, and require space-consuming daily disposable sets
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by placing a flexible bladder inside a rigid chamber, creating a compact integrated structure. The bladder can be collapsed when not in use, allowing the entire system to be stored in a small portable case, eliminating the need for bulky traditional dialysis machines and daily disposable sets
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid chamber serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, contains the flexible bladder, maintains pressure during dialysis, and acts as a portable storage container when the bladder is collapsed. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed, simplifying the overall system while maintaining dialysis effectiveness
2Reliability
If daily disposable sets are used, then hygiene and safety are improved, but setup time and space requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible bladder is pre-packaged in a sterile state within the rigid chamber before use. The patient simply needs to add dialysis fluid and activate the system, eliminating the need for complex daily setup procedures. The pre-prepared configuration reduces setup time from multiple minutes to just seconds while maintaining sterility
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible bladder is designed as a disposable component that is discarded after a single use, ensuring hygiene without requiring complex cleanup or sterilization procedures. This single-use design maintains high reliability for infection prevention while minimizing the time and effort needed for setup and disposal compared to reusable systems
3Reliability
If traditional APD machines are used, then dialysis treatment can be provided, but they are costly and require frequent replacement of disposable sets
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the dialysis machine into reusable and disposable components: the rigid chamber with pressure control mechanisms is reusable and expensive, while the flexible bladder is disposable and inexpensive. This segmentation allows the expensive parts to be used repeatedly, reducing overall treatment costs while maintaining reliability through consistent performance of the reusable components
Solution Approach 2:
By making only the flexible bladder disposable rather than entire disposable sets, the system reduces per-treatment costs significantly. The expensive pressure control and chamber components are reused across multiple treatments, while only the simple, low-cost bladder is replaced, making treatment more affordable without compromising effectiveness
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
The system provides a compact, cost-effective, and portable APD machine with precise pressure control, reducing the need for daily disposables and enhancing patient convenience.
Implementation Method 1
A source of motive fluid pressure, such as hydraulic pressure is fluidly connected to the chamber. The motive fluid is incompressible in one embodiment.
Implementation Method 2
The control unit is programmed to determine volumes of fluids using the ideal gas law
Implementation Method 3
Waste, toxins and excess water pass from the patient's bloodstream, through the capillaries in the peritoneal membrane, and into the dialysis fluid due to diffusion and osmosis
Implementation Method 4
Waste, toxins and excess water pass from the patient's bloodstream, through the capillaries in the peritoneal membrane, and into the dialysis fluid due to diffusion and osmosis, i.e., an osmotic gradient occurs across the membrane
Data Source
AI summary
A peritoneal dialysis system includes a chamber, a hydraulic pump including or operating with a hydraulic fluid storage area, an inflatable bladder located within the chamber and in hydraulic fluid communication with the hydraulic pump, and a control unit configured to cause known amounts of hydraulic fluid to be reuseably (i) pulled from the inflatable bladder into the hydraulic fluid storage area in a draw stroke in which fresh or used dialysis fluid is pulled into the flexible container, and (ii) pushed from the hydraulic fluid storage area into the inflatable bladder in a discharge stroke in which fresh or used dialysis fluid is pushed from the flexible container.