Intraperitoneal Pressure Sensing for Reusable Dialysis Circuits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) systems generate significant disposable waste, requiring cumbersome setup procedures and daily replacement of disposable items, which can be costly and space-consuming, and often involve multiple steps that may lead to errors.
Innovation Solution
The APD system converts fluid-carrying components into reusable parts that are disinfected after use, reducing the need for disposable items and incorporating a reusable dialysis fluid pump, heater, and tubing system with a control unit for precise pressure and temperature control during treatment and disinfection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If disposable items are used in APD systems, then hygiene and contamination prevention are improved, but waste generation and setup complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a disinfection system that recovers and reuses the dialysis fluid and system components after treatment by subjecting them to high-temperature disinfection (e.g., 95°C for 30 minutes), allowing the same components to be used for subsequent treatments without disposal, thereby reducing waste while maintaining hygiene standards
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the temperature parameter of the disinfection process to achieve sterilization without requiring disposable items. By heating the fluid and components to elevated temperatures (e.g., 70-95°C), the system effectively eliminates contaminants and enables reuse of components that would otherwise be discarded
2Loss of substance
If disposable items are replaced with reusable components, then waste is reduced and costs decreased, but disinfection complexity and system reliability challenges increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the disinfection function with the existing heating elements and fluid circulation system already present in the APD machine. The same heater used to warm dialysis fluid to body temperature is repurposed to disinfect components by operating at higher temperatures, and the same pump used for fluid delivery is used to circulate disinfectant solutions, thereby integrating disinfection into the existing system architecture and avoiding additional complex subsystems
3Loss of time
If reusable components are used, then setup time and space requirements are reduced, but pressure control precision and fluid handling accuracy may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary disinfection of all reusable components at the end of each treatment cycle, ensuring they are ready for immediate reuse in the next treatment without requiring setup or preparation time. The pump system is pre-flushed with disinfectant solutions and pre-heated to the required temperature, eliminating setup delays while maintaining precision through consistent pre-conditioning of components
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 approach minimizes waste, simplifies setup, reduces costs, and enhances treatment efficiency by using reusable components that maintain accurate fluid handling and disinfection protocols, thereby improving patient convenience and reducing potential errors.
Implementation Method 1
dialysis fluid pump... pressure sensor providing pressure feedback to the control unit, the pressure feedback used by the control unit to control a pressure of the PD fluid pumped by the dialysis fluid pump
Implementation Method 2
dialysis fluid inline heater... temperature sensor providing temperature feedback to the control unit, the temperature feedback used by the control unit to control a temperature of the PD fluid heated by the dialysis fluid inline heater
Implementation Method 3
pressure sensor providing pressure feedback to the control unit
Implementation Method 4
temperature sensor providing temperature feedback to the control unit
Data Source
AI summary
A peritoneal dialysis (“PD”) system includes a housing, a dialysis fluid pump, a dual lumen patient line extending from the housing, and a filter set including a filter located along a first line. A second line of the filter set is parallel with the first line, where the first line is in fluid communication with a first lumen of the dual lumen patient line and the second line is in fluid communication with a second lumen of the dual lumen patient line. The PD system also includes a pressure sensor positioned to sense a static or substantially static negative PD fluid pressure in the first lumen while used PD fluid is pulled through the second lumen of the dual lumen patient line. A control unit is configured to use the sensed static or substantially static negative PD fluid pressure in a pressure control routine for the dialysis fluid pump.