Patent Description:
Conventionally, there is a method for removing harmful substances from a blood filtrate in an ultrafiltration type blood purification apparatus.

The method for removing harmful substances employs two or more adsorbers which are filled with nitrogen containing fibrous activated carbon adsorbent alternately or in a predetermined order to adsorb harmful substances with one or more adsorbers. Harmful substances are desorbed (regeneration of the adsorber) from the one or more adsorbers which have adsorbed the harmful substances and are not currently being utilized for adsorption. That is, adsorption of the harmful substances by the adsorbers and desorption of the harmful substances from the adsorbers are alternately conducted during treatment in which a patient's blood is circulated through an ultrafiltration membrane (refer to Patent Document <NUM> or <NUM>).

The method for removing harmful substances from adsorbers in a conventional conventional blood purification apparatus requires a large and complex apparatus, and it is difficult to change the installation location of such a blood purification apparatus.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for regenerating an adsorber, which has a porous body and does not have an enzyme, is provided. The method for regenerating an adsorber includes:.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a method for regenerating an adsorber and a dialysis system that facilitates changing installation locations of a blood purification apparatus.

Hereinafter, a first aspect (hereinafter, referred to as "first embodiment") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the same elements will be denoted by the same reference numbers or reference symbols throughout the entirety of the description of the embodiments. Note that in the following description, unless otherwise specified, the term "treatment" refers to a state in which the blood of a patient <NUM> is being circulated through a dialyzer <NUM> in a blood circulation unit <NUM>, and the term "regeneration" refers to a state in which the blood of the patient <NUM> is not being circulated in the blood circulation unit <NUM>. Note that although the present embodiment shows an example applied to hemodialysis, the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration. The present disclosure may be applied to all blood purification treatments such as hemofiltration and hemofiltration dialysis. Note that in the following description, the term "dialysis" refers to dialysis treatment.

<FIG> is a diagram for explaining a dialysis system <NUM> according to a first embodiment during treatment, and <FIG> is a diagram for explaining the dialysis system <NUM> according to the first embodiment during regeneration.

The dialysis system <NUM> according to the first embodiment is a blood purification apparatus for performing hemodialysis treatment. The dialysis system <NUM> performs hemodialysis by guiding the blood of the patient <NUM> to the dialyzer <NUM>, which is external of the patient's body, and returning purified blood to the body of the patient <NUM>.

In greater detail, the dialysis system <NUM> is equipped with a dialysate circulation unit <NUM> which is connected to the blood circulation unit <NUM> via the dialyzer <NUM>, an adsorber <NUM> (adsorption column) having a porous body, and a regenerating water flow unit <NUM>, as illustrated in <FIG>.

The blood circulation unit <NUM> is a component for circulating blood between a shunt <NUM> which is applied to the body of the patient <NUM> and the dialyzer <NUM> which is provided external of the body of the patient <NUM>. The blood circulation unit <NUM> includes an arterial blood circuit <NUM> and a venous blood circuit <NUM> that connect the dialyzer <NUM> to the shunt <NUM> via a first connection unit <NUM>. In addition, functional units such as a blood pump, a supplemental fluid supply line, an anticoagulant injection unit, an air trap chamber, a measuring instrument, and a monitoring device, which are not illustrated, are provided in the blood circulation unit <NUM> as appropriate.

The dialyzer <NUM> is an artificial kidney that purifies the blood of the patient <NUM> by exchanging substances between the blood of the patient <NUM> and a dialysate through the operations of diffusion and filtration through a semipermeable membrane. The dialyzer <NUM> is, for example, that in which a plurality of fine tubes formed by a semipermeable membrane, through which the blood of the patient <NUM> passes, are covered with a cylindrical body through which the dialysate passes, as a component of the dialysate circulation unit <NUM>.

The dialysate circulation unit <NUM> is a component for circulating the dialysate between the dialyzer <NUM> and the adsorber <NUM>. The dialysate circulation section <NUM> includes dialysate circuits <NUM> and <NUM> that connect the adsorber <NUM> to the dialyzer <NUM> via a third connection (not illustrated). In addition, functional units such as a dialysate pump, a dialysate supply line, a balance chamber, a heater, a drainage line, a measuring device, a monitoring device, and a dialysate control apparatus, which are not illustrated, are provided in the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> as appropriate.

The adsorber <NUM> includes a porous body which is capable of directly adsorbing uremic substances. That is, the adsorber <NUM> is an adsorber that can directly adsorb uremic substances. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, it is not practically necessary for the adsorber <NUM> to have an enzyme for decomposing urea, such as urease. Accordingly, in the present specification, the "adsorber <NUM> not having an enzyme" means that the adsorber <NUM> is practically free of an enzyme for decomposing urea. The expression "practically free of an enzyme for decomposing urea" means that an aspect that contains an enzyme for decomposing urea in an amount that does not practically function (for example, if an amount of urea which is adsorbed by the porous body is designated as X [g] and the amount of urea decomposed by an enzyme is designated as Y [g], the aspect is that in which Y/(X+Y)≦<NUM>) is not excluded. Note that in the following, it is assumed that the adsorber <NUM> does not contain any enzymes, including an enzyme for decomposing urea or an enzyme for another use, but may contain a small amount of an enzyme for another use.

In addition, the adsorber <NUM> may include a layer of the porous body which is capable of directly adsorbing uremic substances and layers of other elements. In this case, the layers of the other elements may contain enzymes. In this case, the "adsorber not having an enzyme" refers to the portion of the porous body layer which is capable of directly adsorbing the uremic substances in the adsorber <NUM>.

A carbon based adsorbent is an example of the porous body which is capable of directly adsorbing a uremic substance. The carbon based adsorbent may be, for example, an aggregate of natural products having a porous structure such as activated carbon particles, or an aggregate of formed products having a porous structure such as beads that have pores with an average pore diameter of about <NUM>. As described above, because the adsorber <NUM> has the carbon based adsorbent, the adsorbed uremic substance can be easily desorbed (removed) with regenerating water. Accordingly, it is possible for the adsorber <NUM> to be regenerated. Here, the uremic substances include urea, creatinine, potassium, etc..

Here, the regenerating water is water that practically does not contain urea. Examples of the regenerating water include: a liquid in which urea which is contained in utilized regenerating water has been electrolyzed; RO water; physiological saline; unused dialysate, or tap water. Tap water is utilized after being disinfected as appropriate. Note that with respect to the regenerating water that contains urea which is desorbed from the adsorber <NUM>, the urea is removed by electrolysis as will be described later. However, there are cases in which it is difficult to completely remove urea at this time. Therefore, there are cases in which the liquid, obtained by electrolyzing urea which is contained in the utilized regenerating water, contains urea at a certain concentration. In addition, basically, the lower the concentration of urea contained in the regenerating water, the higher the regeneration ability (the ability to desorb urea from the adsorber <NUM>) will become.

In addition, the adsorber <NUM> does not have an enzyme for decomposing urea. Therefore, it is not necessary to add or exchange enzymes in order to regenerate the activity of the enzymes that decreases accompanying the decomposition of urea over time. Therefore, the adsorber <NUM> can be maintained in a fixed state in the dialysate circulation unit <NUM>, and the dialysis system <NUM>, that is, the blood purification apparatus, can be made compact.

The regenerating water flow unit <NUM> is a flow channel for causing regenerating water to flow from a regenerating water control apparatus <NUM> to the adsorber <NUM>. Note that the first embodiment will be described as an example of a flow channel in which the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> circulates regenerating water by causing regenerating water to flow from the regenerating water control apparatus <NUM> to the adsorber <NUM> and returning the regenerating water to the regenerating water control apparatus <NUM>. Alternatively, the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> may be a flow channel that causes fresh regenerating water, which is supplied by waterworks, etc., to the adsorber <NUM> and then discharges the regenerating water without circulating it, to discard the regenerating water. That is, the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> may be a flow channel that causes regenerating water to flow to the adsorber <NUM> without passing through the regenerating water control apparatus <NUM> and additionally without circulating the regenerating water.

The regenerating water control apparatus <NUM> is connected to respective connection switching units <NUM> at the upstream side of the adsorber <NUM> (the side at which the dialysate containing the uremic substance flows into the adsorber <NUM>) and the downstream side (the side at which the dialysate from which uremic substances are desorbed flows out from the adsorber <NUM>) via regenerating water circuits <NUM> and <NUM>. Note that the regenerating water circuits <NUM> and <NUM> may be equipped with second connection units <NUM> (not illustrated in <FIG>; refer to <FIG>) which are capable of being connected to the respective connection switching units <NUM> on the upstream side and the downstream side of the adsorber <NUM>. In addition, the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> is provided with functional units such as a regenerating water supply line, a regenerating water pump, and a drain line, as appropriate.

In addition, the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> is equipped with an electrolytic tank <NUM> for electrolyzing desorbed urea, that is, urea which is contained in the utilized regenerating water that flows in the regenerating water flow unit <NUM>. Specifically, the electrolytic tank <NUM> stores a portion of the regenerating water that circulates in the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> and causes DC current to flow to a portion of the stored regenerating water in order to electrolyze urea, which is dissolved in the regenerating water by being desorbed from the adsorber <NUM> and is a urotoxin. Note that the electrolytic tank <NUM> includes a gas discharge unit for discharging gas which is generated by electrolysis.

Thereby, the adsorbed urea, which is a urotoxin, can be effectively dissolved, so that the amount of regenerating water, which is generally about <NUM> liters, can be reduced approximately <NUM> liter, for example. In addition, the amount of regenerating water which is generally utilized is approximately <NUM> liters as a result of calculating the amount which is required when the regenerating water is caused to flow at a flow rate of <NUM>/min for <NUM> hours. In the case of the embodiment that includes the electrolytic tank <NUM>, it is only necessary for a priming volume (filling amount) of the adsorber <NUM> and the other components to be satisfied. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the volume of the required amount of regenerating water to approximately <NUM> liter.

Here, as shown in the change from the state illustrated in <FIG> to the state illustrated in <FIG>, the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> is connectable to the adsorber <NUM>. Specifically, for example, the adsorber <NUM> is equipped with the connection switching units <NUM> that have the function of switching valves that switch the connection between the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> and the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> on the upstream side and the downstream side of the dialysate circulation unit <NUM>, respectively.

The connection switching units <NUM> cut off the connection with the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> when connected to the dialysate circulation unit <NUM>, and cut off the connection with the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> when connected to the regenerating water flow unit <NUM>.

Note that the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> may be connectable to the connection switching unit <NUM> of the adsorber <NUM> by the second connection unit <NUM> which is provided in the regenerating water circuits <NUM> and <NUM>. Thereby, the adsorber <NUM> can be disconnected from the dialysate circuits <NUM> and <NUM> of the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> and connected to the regenerating water circuits <NUM> and <NUM> of the regenerating water flow section <NUM> between a dialysis step and a regeneration step.

Because the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> is connectable to the adsorber <NUM> in this manner, it is possible for the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> that includes the regenerating water control apparatus <NUM> to be separated from the dialysate circulation unit <NUM>. Therefore, as illustrated in <FIG>, during treatment, a space for installing the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> that includes the regenerating water control apparatus <NUM> adjacent to the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> is unnecessary, and it is only necessary to secure a space for installing each of the functional units which are provided in the blood circulation unit <NUM> and the dialysate circulation unit <NUM>. Accordingly, the dialysis system <NUM>, that is, the blood purification device can be made compact and can be easily installed in different locations.

Next, a method for regenerating the adsorber <NUM> that employs the dialysis system <NUM> of the first embodiment will be described.

The method for regenerating the adsorber <NUM> according to the present embodiment can be applied to the regeneration of the adsorber <NUM> having the porous body.

In the cleansing/disinfecting step, the adsorber <NUM> and the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> that includes the regenerating water circuits <NUM> and <NUM> may be independently cleansed and/or disinfected. Thereby, the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> can be reused.

Further, the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> that includes the dialysate circuits <NUM> and <NUM> may be cleansed and/or disinfected in the cleansing/disinfecting step in addition to the regenerating water flow unit <NUM>. Thereby, the regenerating water stream <NUM> and the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> can be reused.

Still further, the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> and the blood circulation unit <NUM> that includes the dialyzer <NUM>, the arterial blood circuit <NUM>, and the venous blood circuit <NUM> may be cleansed and/or disinfected in the cleansing/disinfecting step in addition to the regenerating water flow unit <NUM>. Thereby, the regenerating water flow unit <NUM>, the dialysate circulation unit <NUM>, and the blood circulation unit <NUM> can be reused.

(<NUM>) The adsorber <NUM> is connected to the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> to execute the dialysis step again.

(<NUM>) The dialysis step and the regeneration step are alternately repeated.

By performing the regeneration step after performing the dialysis step in this manner, the uremic substances which are adsorbed on the adsorber <NUM> can be desorbed and the adsorber <NUM> can be regenerated. Therefore, it is not necessary to separate the desorber <NUM> from the dialysate circulation unit <NUM>, the configuration of the dialysis system <NUM> need not be complex, and the operation for regenerating the adsorber <NUM> is simplified. Further, because the adsorber <NUM> can be regenerated a plurality of times by repeating the dialysis step and the regenerating step, it is not necessary to separate the desorber <NUM> from the dialysate circulation unit <NUM>, the configuration of the dialysis system <NUM> need not be complex, and the operation for regenerating the adsorber <NUM> is simplified.

Note that because there is a cleansing/disinfecting step between the regeneration step and the next dialysis step, not only RO water but also ordinary water such as non-disinfected tap water may be utilized as the regenerating water. Because tap water supplied from waterworks may be utilized, there are advantages that transport is not required as in the case that water stored in a physiological saline solution bag is utilized, and an RO water manufacturing apparatus is not required as in the case that RO water is utilized. It is only necessary to connect the dialysis system <NUM> to waterworks, which is simple.

Next, a second aspect (hereinafter, referred to as "second embodiment") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment mainly in the point that the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> is connectable to the first connection unit <NUM>. In addition, the regeneration method during regeneration differs between the second embodiment and the first embodiment. Descriptions of points which are the same as those of the first embodiment may be omitted.

<FIG> is a diagram for explaining a dialysis system <NUM> according to the second embodiment during treatment, and <FIG> is a diagram for explaining the dialysis system <NUM> according to the second embodiment during regeneration.

Similarly to the dialysis system <NUM> of the first embodiment, the dialysis system <NUM> of the second embodiment is equipped with a dialysate circulation unit <NUM> which is connected to a blood circulation unit <NUM> via a dialyzer <NUM>, an adsorber <NUM> (adsorption column) having a porous body, and a regenerating water flow unit <NUM>, as illustrated in <FIG>.

However, more specifically, the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> is connectable to the first connection unit <NUM>, which is for connecting blood circuits <NUM> and <NUM> of a blood circulation unit <NUM> to a shunt <NUM>, as shown in the change from the state which is illustrated in <FIG> to the state which is illustrated in <FIG>. Thereby, the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> is indirectly connectable to the adsorber <NUM> through the blood circulation unit <NUM> that includes the first connection unit <NUM>, and a dialysate circulation unit <NUM>. In addition, the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> is also indirectly connectable to the adsorber <NUM> by utilizing the first connection unit <NUM> for connecting to the shunt <NUM>. Therefore, the adsorber <NUM> does not require a special structure, such as a connection switching unit <NUM> for switching between a connection with the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> and a connection with the dialysate circulation unit <NUM>. Accordingly, the configuration of the adsorber <NUM> can be simplified.

Next, a method for regenerating the adsorber <NUM> that employs the dialysis system <NUM> of the second embodiment will be described.

Specifically, the first connection unit <NUM> of the blood circulation unit <NUM> is removed from the shunt <NUM> of the patient <NUM> and connected with a second connection unit <NUM> of the regenerating water flow unit <NUM>. Thereby, the adsorber <NUM> is indirectly connected to the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> via the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> and the blood circulation unit <NUM>.

Here, in greater detail, blood during treatment flows in order from the shunt <NUM>, the arterial piercing needle, the arterial blood circuit <NUM>, the dialyzer <NUM>, the venous blood circuit <NUM>, the venous piercing needle, and to the shunt <NUM>. The shunt <NUM> and the arterial piercing needle, a shunt connector between the arterial piercing needle and the arterial blood circuit <NUM>, the arterial blood circuit <NUM> and the dialyzer <NUM>, the dialyzer <NUM> and the venous blood circuit <NUM>, the shunt connector between the venous blood circuit <NUM> and the venous piercing needle, and the shunt connector between the venous piercing needle and the shunt <NUM> are attachable and detachable. For this reason, for example, the arterial blood circuit <NUM> may be detached from the arterial piercing needle, the venous blood circuit <NUM> may be detached from the venous piercing needle, the arterial blood circuit <NUM> and the venous blood circuit <NUM> may be connected to the piercing needles, and the blood circulation unit. <NUM> may be connected to the second connection unit <NUM> of the regenerating water flow part <NUM> via a shunt connector which is provided between the piercing needles and the blood circulation unit <NUM>. In addition, for example, the arterial piercing needle and the venous piercing needle may be withdrawn from the shunt <NUM>, and the arterial piercing needle and the venous piercing needle may be directly connected to the second connection unit <NUM> of the regenerating water flow unit <NUM>.

(<NUM>) Next, following the dialysis step, a regenerating water control apparatus <NUM> is driven, and uremic substances which are adsorbed on the adsorber <NUM> are desorbed by regenerating water that flows through the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> (regeneration step).

(<NUM>) The regenerating water that flows through the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> during the regeneration step is electrolyzed.

(<NUM>) Subsequently, after the regeneration step, the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> that includes the adsorber <NUM>, the blood circulation unit <NUM>, and the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> are cleansed and/or disinfected by heating, etc. (cleansing/disinfecting step). Note that as an alternative to disinfection by heating, disinfection by a chemical solution (sodium hypochlorite, peracetic acid, etc.) may be conducted. Thereby, the regenerating water flow unit <NUM>, the dialysate circulation unit <NUM>, and the blood circulating nit <NUM> can be reused.

(<NUM>) The adsorber <NUM> is connected to the shunt <NUM> of the patient <NUM> via the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> and the first connection unit <NUM> of the blood circulation unit <NUM> to execute the dialysis step again.

The method for regenerating the adsorber <NUM> according to the second embodiment utilizes the first connection unit <NUM> of the blood circulation unit <NUM> in the manner described above, and therefore, compared to the method for regenerating the adsorber <NUM> according to the first embodiment, the method for regenerating the adsorber <NUM> according to the second embodiment is more effective than that of the first embodiment, because there is no switching step for switching the connection by the connection switching unit <NUM> of the adsorber <NUM> between the connection with the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> and the connection with the dialysate circulation unit <NUM>. Therefore, the connection switching unit <NUM> is not necessary in the the adsorber <NUM>, and the operations involved in regeneration of the adsorber <NUM> can be simplified, and the configuration of the dialysis system <NUM> can be simplified.

Further, after the dialysis step is performed, by performing the regeneration step, the uremic substance adsorbed on the adsorber <NUM> can be desorbed and the adsorber <NUM> can be regenerated. There is no need to disconnect, the dialysis system <NUM> can be simplified, and the operation for regenerating the adsorber <NUM> is simplified. Further, because the adsorber <NUM> can be regenerated a plurality of times by repeating the dialysis step and the regenerating step, there is no need to separate the adsorber <NUM> from the dialysate circulation unit <NUM>, the dialysis system <NUM> can be simplified, and the operation for regenerating the adsorber <NUM> is simplified.

According to the method for regenerating the adsorber <NUM>, the adsorber <NUM> which has a porous body and does not have an enzyme is regenerated. The dialysis step in which the adsorber <NUM> is connected to the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> to adsorb uremic substances onto the adsorber <NUM> and, after the dialysis step, the regeneration step in which the uremic substances which are adsorbed on the adsorber <NUM> are desorbed by the regenerating water that flows through the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> are repeated. The regenerating water flow unit <NUM> can be spatially separated during treatment. Compared particularly to a dialysis system that presumes that desorption of uremic substances from the adsorber <NUM> (regeneration of the adsorber <NUM>) is performed simultaneously during treatment, the dialysis system <NUM> can be made compact during treatment. In addition, the blood purification apparatus which is constituted by the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> and the blood circulation unit <NUM>, excluding the regenerating water flow unit <NUM>, can be easily installed in different locations.

According to the dialysis system <NUM>, the dialysis system <NUM> is equipped with the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> and the adsorber <NUM> that is connected to the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> and has a porous body and does not have an enzyme. Because the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> is connectable to the adsorber <NUM>, the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> can be spatially separated during treatment. The dialysis system <NUM> during treatment can be made more compact compared to a dialysis system that presumes that desorption of the uremic substances (regeneration of the adsorber <NUM>) is performed simultaneously with treatment. The blood purification apparatus that includes the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> and the blood circulation unit <NUM>, excluding the regenerating water flow unit <NUM>, can be made compact, and the blood purification device can be easily installed in different locations.

Next, an embodiment, in which the dialysis system <NUM> of the first embodiment described above is not changed, but the method for regenerating the adsorber of the first embodiment is changed, will be described as a third embodiment.

The method for regenerating the adsorber <NUM> according to the present embodiment can be applied to the regeneration of the adsorber <NUM> having a porous body. The regeneration method of the adsorber <NUM> according to the present embodiment is different from the method for regenerating the adsorber described as the first embodiment in that the cleaning/disinfecting step after the regeneration step can be omitted or simplified. Hereinafter, the method for regenerating the adsorber <NUM> according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to <FIG> again.

However, in the present embodiment, during the regeneration step, the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> can be disinfected by utilizing hypochlorous acid which is generated as a byproduct when urea is electrolyzed, as described above. Therefore, it is possible to omit or simplify the cleansing/disinfecting step after the regenerating step described in (<NUM>).

Note that in the present embodiment as well, the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> that includes the dialysate circuits <NUM> and <NUM> may be cleansed and/or disinfected in the cleansing/disinfecting step in addition to the regenerating water flow unit <NUM>. Thereby, the regenerating water stream <NUM> and the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> can be reused.

Further, the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> and the blood circulation unit <NUM> that includes the dialyzer <NUM>, the arterial blood circuit <NUM>, and the venous blood circuit <NUM> may be cleansed and/or disinfected in the cleansing/disinfecting step in addition to the regenerating water flow unit <NUM>. Thereby, the regenerating water flow unit <NUM>, the dialysate circulation unit <NUM>, and the blood circulation unit <NUM> can be reused.

In this manner, the same effects as those of the first embodiment described above can be obtained by the third embodiment. Further, according to the third embodiment, by utilizing water that contains chloride ions as the regenerating water, it is possible to generate hypochlorous acid as a byproduct during the regeneration step when urea is electrolyzed. In addition, because the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> can be disinfected utilizing the hypochlorous acid, it is possible to omit or simplify the cleansing/disinfecting step after the regenerating step (in particular, the cleansing/disinfecting step related to the regenerating water flow unit <NUM>).

Next, an embodiment, in which the dialysis system <NUM> of the second embodiment described above is not changed, but the method for regenerating the adsorber of the second embodiment is changed, will be described as a fourth embodiment.

The method for regenerating the adsorber <NUM> according to the present embodiment can be applied to the regeneration of the adsorber <NUM> having a porous body. The regeneration method of the adsorber <NUM> according to the present embodiment is different from the method for regenerating the adsorber described as the second embodiment in that the cleaning/disinfecting step after the regeneration step can be omitted or simplified. Hereinafter, the method for regenerating the adsorber <NUM> according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to <FIG> again.

In the present embodiment, hypochlorous acid is generated during the regeneration step in this manner. Hypochlorous acid, as is widely known, is capable of being decomposed in aqueous solutions and can be utilized as a disinfectant. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the hypochlorous acid in the regenerating water can function as a disinfectant. Specifically, during the regeneration step as well, because the regenerating water that contains the hypochlorous acid flows through the regenerating water flow unit <NUM>, the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> can be disinfected.

Here, in the present embodiment, the blood circulation unit <NUM> is connected to the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> as illustrated in <FIG>. Therefore, the arterial blood circuit <NUM> and the venous blood circuit <NUM> within the blood circulation unit <NUM> can be disinfected by the hypochlorous acid which is contained in the regenerating water in addition to the regenerating water circuits <NUM> and <NUM> within the regenerating water flow unit <NUM>. In addition, the dialyzer <NUM> which is connected to the blood circulation unit <NUM> can also be disinfected. Further, the regenerating water that reaches the dialyzer <NUM> via the blood circulation unit <NUM> can further flow to the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> via the dialyzer <NUM>. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the dialysate circuit <NUM>, etc. within the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> can be disinfected by the hypochlorous acid which is contained in the regenerating water.

(<NUM>) Subsequently, after the regeneration step, the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> that includes adsorber <NUM>, the blood circulation unit <NUM>, and the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> are cleansed and/or disinfected by heating, etc. (cleansing/disinfecting step). Note that as an alternative to disinfection by heating, disinfection by a chemical solution (sodium hypochlorite, peracetic acid, etc.) may be conducted. Thereby, the regenerating water flow unit <NUM>, the dialysate circulation unit <NUM>, and the blood circulation unit <NUM> can be reused.

However, in the present embodiment, during the regeneration step, the dialysate circulation unit <NUM>, the blood circulation unit <NUM>, and the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> can be disinfected by utilizing hypochlorous acid which is generated as a byproduct when urea is electrolyzed, as described above. Therefore, it is possible to omit or simplify the cleansing/disinfecting step after the regenerating step described in (<NUM>).

(<NUM>) The adsorber <NUM> is connected to shunt <NUM> of the patient <NUM> via the dialysate circulation unit <NUM> and the blood circulation unit <NUM> to execute the dialysis step again.

In this manner, the same effects as those of the second embodiment described above can be obtained by the fourth embodiment. In addition, according to the fourth embodiment, by utilizing water that contains chloride ions as the regenerating water, it is possible to generate hypochlorous acid as a byproduct during the regeneration step when urea is electrolyzed. Because the dialysate circulation unit <NUM>, the blood circulation unit <NUM>, and the regenerating water flow unit <NUM> can be disinfected by utilizing the hypochlorous acid, it is possible to omit or greatly simplify the cleansing/disinfecting step after the regenerating step.

Next, the results of a test of electrolyzing urea will be described with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> is a graph that shows the results of a urea electrolysis test. In <FIG>, the horizontal axis represents processing time, and the vertical axis represents the concentration of urea. Temporal change properties in a column entrance concentration and temporal change properties in a column exit concentration are indicated.

In <FIG>, the column entrance concentration is the concentration of urea in the regenerating water immediately prior to passing through the column, and the column exit concentration is the concentration of urea in the regenerating water immediately following passing through the column.

As shown in <FIG>, the column entrance concentration decreases rapidly after processing is initiated. From this, it can be understood that electrolysis of urea is being efficiently realized. Note that the initial value of the column entrance concentration (the value when processing is initiated) is the same as the initial value of the column exit concentration (the value when processing is initiated), and is a concentration that substantially corresponds to the concentration of urea which is employed in the simulated treatment (<NUM>/dL). From this, it can be understood that desorption of urea from the column is initiated immediately by the regenerating water.

From <FIG>, it can be understood that the column exit concentration decreases as the processing progresses (as the processing time increases). From this, it can be understood that the urea which is adsorbed on the column decreases accompanying desorption of urea from the column by the regenerating water passing through the column. When the urea which is adsorbed on the column is substantially eliminated, the column exit concentration becomes approximately zero, and the column entrance concentration also becomes approximately zero. In this case, if the processing time becomes approximately seven hours, the column exit concentration and the column entrance concentration become approximately zero, and a state in which continued processing will not practically contribute to regeneration of the column is reached.

Here, the difference between the temporal change properties of the column entrance concentration and the temporal change properties of the column exit concentration corresponds to the concentration of urea which is removed from the column. Accordingly, the temporally integrated value of the difference between these two curves correlates to the total amount of urea removed from the column. From the results shown in <FIG>, when the total amount of urea removed from the column was calculated, it almost coincided with the total amount of urea which was adsorbed on the column. Therefore, substantially all of the urea which was adsorbed on the column was removed, and it was confirmed that the column was regenerated. That is, the effectiveness of the embodiment described above was confirmed.

Claim 1:
A method for regenerating an adsorber (<NUM>), which has a porous body and does not have an enzyme, said adsorber being part of a dialysis system including further a dialysate circulation unit (<NUM>) and a regenerating water flow unit (<NUM>) which is connectable to the adsorber (<NUM>), and which system is configured to perform a dialysis step in which the adsorber (<NUM>) is connected to the dialysate circulation unit (<NUM>) to adsorb uremic substances in a dialysate onto the adsorber (<NUM>), the method comprising:
a regenerating step following the dialysis step, in which the uremic substances which are adsorbed on the adsorber (<NUM>) are removed by regenerating water that flows in the regenerating water flow unit (<NUM>),
wherein the regenerating step includes
electrolyzing urea which is contained in the regenerating water that flows in the regenerating water flow unit (<NUM>).