Volume-based priming of dialysis machines

Inventors

Plahey, Kulwinder S. • Thiebaud, Pierre • Biewer, John A.

Assignees

Debiotech SA • Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Inc

Abstract

A dialysis system may include a dialysis machine (e.g., a peritoneal dialysis machine) having a fluid system for delivering fluid (e.g., dialysate) to a patient. The dialysis machine may include at least one processor and a memory coupled to the at least one processor, the memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, may cause the at least one processor to determine volume information for a fluid system of a dialysis machine, wherein the volume information may comprise a patient line volume and an accuracy adjustment volume, and to determine a priming volume to prime the fluid system with a fluid based on the volume information. Other embodiments are described.

Core Innovation

A dialysis machine includes at least one processor and memory with instructions that determine volume information for a fluid system of the dialysis machine. The fluid system comprises non-primed elements, and the volume information comprises a patient line volume and an accuracy adjustment volume, where the accuracy adjustment volume comprises a volume measurement error for measuring a volume of the fluid required to fill the fluid system.

Based on the determined volume information, the processor determines a priming volume to prime the fluid system with a fluid according to Priming volume=volume patient line max+accuracy adjustment max−volume non-primed elements. The fluid system volume information therefore includes a worst-case combination of a maximum patient line volume, a maximum accuracy adjustment representing measurement error, and a subtraction of volumes of non-primed elements.

The disclosed approach is implemented as processor-executed logic in a dialysis machine that controls a pump to prime using the determined priming volume. Volume information is derived from system element information, including patient line tubing characteristics and volumes of non-patient line elements, and the logic flow includes determining the priming volume and determining a priming patient line, including separate consideration of a warmer pouch and an optional integrity testing for non-primed elements.

Claims Coverage

The independent claims cover two aspects: a dialysis machine that computes fluid-system volume information and determines a worst-case priming volume using a patient-line maximum and an accuracy adjustment representing volume measurement error, and a corresponding method to prime a fluid system using the same priming-volume relationship. Across the independent claims, there are three main inventive computational features.

Across the independent claims, the core claim coverage centers on computing fluid-system priming volume from volume information that includes a patient line volume and an accuracy adjustment volume representing volume measurement error, and a priming-volume relationship that adds maximum patient line volume and maximum accuracy adjustment and subtracts the volume of non-primed elements.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications