Patent ID: 7608043

Claim:
A system for monitoring changes in blood volume and microvascular pooling in animals, comprising: an extracorporeal blood treatment device comprising tubing having a first branch and second branch and a dialysis system, said first tubing branch conducting blood from an arterial segment of said blood system to said dialysis system, and said second tubing branch conducting blood from said dialysis system to a venous segment of said blood system; a diagnostic apparatus attached to said tubing of said extracorporeal blood treatment system wherein said diagnostic apparatus emits and receives an ultrasound wave and a light wave through blood flowing through said extracorporeal system; a signal processing system, wherein said signal processing system initiates and records ultrasound waves and light transmissions, determines phase shift between emitting and receiving ultrasound waves, monitors with high resolution sound velocity, density, compressibility, and optical density of blood, hematocrit, and plasma protein concentration, and assesses changes in said sound velocity, density, compressibility, optical density, hematocrit, and plasma protein concentration of modified blood at an equivalent temperature; an infusion system, said infusion system containing a known amount of an indicator fluid, said indicator fluid being infused into said blood system at an infusion connection located upstream of said dialysis system and diagnostic apparatus, wherein infusion of said indicator fluid into said blood system changes the density of said blood system as measured through said diagnostic apparatus and said signal processing system; a calibration system, said system including said signal processing system and a factory pre-calibrated probe; and a computing system for determining blood volume, changes in blood volume, changes in plasma protein concentration, and microvascular pooling from said hematocrit and density change.