Hemodialysis machine with one-touch volume replacement and one-touch hemodialysis completion

In order to encourage the spread of home hemodialysis, we have developed a hemodialysis machine that enables "one-touch" volume replacement and "one-touch" hemodialysis completion, by modifying a viscous pump-type hemodialysis machine. When emergency volume replacement is needed, pressing the volume replacement button will serve to transfer 200ml of dialysate to the blood side as a replacement fluid, at 100ml/min within the dialyzer. Pressing the completion procedure button when the hemodialysis is over causes 420ml of the dialysate to be transferred to the blood side, at 100ml/min within the dialyzer, so that the blood within the dialyzer and the blood tubing is replaced by the thus-transferred dialysate. The two puncture needles on the arterial and venous sides are then removed, and the hemodialysis completion procedure is finished. In a trial, the new hemodialysis machine, together with a cellulose triacetate membrane artificial kidney, was used a total of 144 times over a period of 4 months in three outpatients receiving maintenance hemodialysis. With the machine, 32 emergency volume replacements were performed. Both the hemodialysis completion and the emergency volume replacement procedure were performed uneventfully.