Patent ID: 7147616

Claim:
A method for emptying an extracorporeal blood circuit comprising the steps of: providing a blood treatment device having a first compartment and a second compartment separated from one another by a semipermeable membrane, said first compartment being connected to a first pipe of an extracorporeal blood circuit and to a second pipe of said extracorporeal blood circuit, said first pipe and said second pipe being connected to a patient; performing an extracorporeal blood treatment session in which blood is withdrawn from said patient, circulated and treated in said blood treatment device, and returned to said patient; interrupting said blood treatment session; after interrupting said blood treatment session, disconnecting said first pipe from said patient, connecting said blood circuit to a source of a solution, and returning blood from said blood circuit to said patient; after said returning step, disconnecting said second pipe from said patient and forming a closed loop circuit, said closed loop circuit comprising said first compartment and a liquid, said liquid containing said solution and residual blood; transferring said liquid through said semipermeable membrane from said first compartment to said second compartment; and discarding said first pipe and said second pipe.