Patent ID: 6077443
Filing Date: 2000-06-20
Classification: A61M

Abstract:
A method of monitoring a vascular access during a dialysis treatment using a dialyzer subdivided into a blood chamber by a semipermeable membrane into a blood chamber and a dialysis fluid chamber, the method comprising:passing blood through an arterial blood line of an extracorporeal blood circulation path into the blood chamber and returning the blood from the blood chamber through a venous blood line of the extracorporeal blood circulation path;providing fresh dialysis fluid via a dialysis fluid inlet line of a dialysis fluid path to the dialysis fluid chamber and removing spent dialysis fluid from the dialyzer via a dialysis fluid drain line of the dialysis fluid path;generating first pressure pulses in the dialysis fluid path during operation of the dialyzer; andmonitoring a waveform of second pressure pulses in the extracorporeal blood circulation path, induced by the first pressure pulses generated in the dialysis fluid path so that a faulty vascular access is deduced when a characteristic change in the second pressure pulses waveform is detected.