Patent ID: 6110384
Filing Date: 2000-08-29
Classification: A61M

Abstract:
Method of determining a parameter indicative of the effectiveness of an extracorporeal blood treatment, the parameter being chosen from the group consisting of D, K, Kt/v, Cbin, the method comprising:flowing blood through a first compartment of a membrane exchanger;flowing treatment liquid through a second compartment of a membrane exchanger, the second compartment having an inlet connected to an upstream flow path and an outlet connected to downstream flow path;controlling contents of the upstream flow path to cause an initial substantially constant conductivity value (Cd) in the upstream flow path;measuring and storing in memory, data sufficient to define a downstream conductivity baseline;purposefully inducing a conductivity perturbation in the second compartment by varying the conductivity value (Cd) in the upstream flow path for a discrete time period, after which discrete time period the upstream conductivity value is stabilized at the substantially constant conductivity value (Cd);measuring and storing in memory, during the perturbation, a plurality of downstream perturbation conductivity values defining a downstream curve;calculating with respect to the downstream baseline, an area bounded by the downstream curve; andcalculating, as a function of both the area bounded by the downstream curve and a known area associated with a corresponding upstream curve, the parameter indicative of the effectiveness of a treatment.