Abstract: A hollow fiber membrane and methods of making the hollow fiber membrane are described. The membrane includes a hydrophobic polymer such as polysulfone, a hydrophilic polymer such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and a fluropolymer additive, and optionally a stabilizer, for instance, to stabilize the fluoropolymer additive in the membrane, particularly during conditioning or E-beam sterilization or both. Further conditioning improvements to membrane manufacturing are disclosed. The membrane may be incorporated into a dialysis filter for use in hemodialysis and related applications. The membrane has improved hemocompatibility, charge stability, or middle molecule clearance compared to conventional membranes. Also disclosed is a method of evaluating membrane charge stability.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method for evaluating dialyzers used in different medical applications (e.g., hemodialysis). Red blood cell volume lost in a dialyzer is monitored by obtaining blood flowrate measurements and hematocrit measurements at input ports and output ports of the dialyzer. The flowrate and hematocrit measurements are used to determine an accumulation of red cell blood volume in the dialyzer. The measurements may be obtained in a lab environment with an in-vitro blood source or may be obtained in a clinical setting with an in-vivo blood source from a patient.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method for evaluating dialyzers used in different medical applications (e.g., hemodialysis). Red blood cell volume lost in a dialyzer is monitored by obtaining blood flowrate measurements and hematocrit measurements at input ports and output ports of the dialyzer. The flowrate and hematocrit measurements are used to determine an accumulation of red cell blood volume in the dialyzer. The measurements may be obtained in a lab environment with an in-vitro blood source or may be obtained in a clinical setting with an in-vivo blood source from a patient.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method for evaluating dialyzers used in different medical applications (e.g., hemodialysis). Red blood cell volume lost in a dialyzer is monitored by obtaining blood flowrate measurements and hematocrit measurements at input ports and output ports of the dialyzer. The flowrate and hematocrit measurements are used to determine an accumulation of red cell blood volume in the dialyzer. The measurements may be obtained in a lab environment with an in-vitro blood source or may be obtained in a clinical setting with an in-vivo blood source from a patient.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method for evaluating dialyzers used in different medical applications (e.g., hemodialysis). Red blood cell volume lost in a dialyzer is monitored by obtaining blood flowrate measurements and hematocrit measurements at input ports and output ports of the dialyzer. The flowrate and hematocrit measurements are used to determine an accumulation of red cell blood volume in the dialyzer. The measurements may be obtained in a lab environment with an in-vitro blood source or may be obtained in a clinical setting with an in-vivo blood source from a patient.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method for evaluating dialyzers used in different medical applications (e.g., hemodialysis). Red blood cell volume lost in a dialyzer is monitored by obtaining blood flowrate measurements and hematocrit measurements at input ports and output ports of the dialyzer. The flowrate and hematocrit measurements are used to determine an accumulation of red cell blood volume in the dialyzer. The measurements may be obtained in a lab environment with an in-vitro blood source or may be obtained in a clinical setting with an in-vivo blood source from a patient.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method for evaluating dialyzers used in different medical applications (e.g., hemodialysis). Red blood cell volume lost in a dialyzer is monitored by obtaining blood flowrate measurements and hematocrit measurements at input ports and output ports of the dialyzer. The flowrate and hematocrit measurements are used to determine an accumulation of red cell blood volume in the dialyzer. The measurements may be obtained in a lab environment with an in-vitro blood source or may be obtained in a clinical setting with an in-vivo blood source from a patient.

Abstract: An extracorporeal blood treatment system includes means for withdrawing blood from a patient, and means for transporting the blood through a calcium trap. The calcium trap includes a substrate having an immobilized species, the species being adapted to reduce the calcium concentration in the blood to a concentration that prevents blood clotting in the extracorporeal blood treatment system, thereby producing calcium-depleted blood. The extracorporeal blood treatment system also includes means for treating the calcium-depleted blood downstream of the calcium trap by an extracorporeal blood treatment device, thereby producing treated calcium-depleted blood, means for infusing calcium into the treated calcium-depleted blood downstream of the extracorporeal blood treatment device to add calcium to the treated calcium-depleted blood, and means for returning treated blood back to the patient.

Abstract: An extracorporeal blood treatment system includes means for withdrawing blood from a patient, and means for transporting the blood through a calcium trap. The calcium trap includes a substrate having an immobilized species, the species being adapted to reduce the calcium concentration in the blood to a concentration that prevents blood clotting in the extracorporeal blood treatment system, thereby producing calcium-depleted blood. The extracorporeal blood treatment system also includes means for treating the calcium-depleted blood downstream of the calcium trap by an extracorporeal blood treatment device, thereby producing treated calcium-depleted blood, means for infusing calcium into the treated calcium-depleted blood downstream of the extracorporeal blood treatment device to add calcium to the treated calcium-depleted blood, and means for returning treated blood back to the patient.

Abstract: A stimuli-responsive, hybrid hydrogel wherein the bulk of the polymer is made up of relatively inexpensive water soluble polymer strands crosslinked by protein domains. The responsiveness of the gel is controlled or modulated by the protein component. The physical and biological properties of the hydrogel are determined by specifically designed or engineered protein domains. The crosslinking of the protein domains to the water soluble polymers is by means of non-covalent bonding such as chelation or coordination bonding, biotin-avidin bonding, protein—protein interaction and protein-ligand interaction, or by means of covalent bonding. Methods of making and using the polymer-protein hydrogels are disclosed in this application.

Abstract: A blood tubing set such as an arterial-venous blood tubing set used in hemodialysis is coated with a copolymer having a hydrophobic segment and a hydrophilic segment. For example, the coating can be PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymer. The hydrophobic segment attaches to the tubing set, and the hydrophilic segment prevents or reduces unwanted sorption on the blood tubing set.

Abstract: A coating material and a method for coating a hydrophobic membrane with a copolymer that contains at least one hydrophilic segment and at least one hydrophilic segment, such as a PEO—PPO—PEO triblock copolymer, so that the surface of the membrane becomes hydrophilic. The hydrophilic coating helps repel biological molecules, thereby reducing the risk that these molecules will adsorb or deposit on the membrane surface. When the copolymers are modified with an active group, ligands can be immobilized on the copolymer through the active group so that specific molecules that will bind with the ligands can be targeted for immobilization on the copolymer coating, thereby improving the efficiency of the removal of specific targets.

Abstract: A modified surfactant of the PLURONIC.TM.-type compound and method for manufacture is disclosed. The surfactant compound has at least one PEO block attached at a first end to at least one PPO block, with at least one of the PEO block having an organic metal-chelating end group (R) attached to a second end, the remaining PEO blocks having an unmodified hydroxyl group at the second end. The metal-chelating group is charged with an metal-ion. A protein with a metal-affinity tag, e.g., a histidine tag, is then complexed with the metal-chelating group to form a complex of the modified surfactant, the metal ion, and the protein. The modified surfactant may be adsorbed upon a hydrophobic surface, charged with a metal ion, and then complexed with a protein with a metal-affinity tag. A surface with specific activity toward proteins is the presented, which is suitable for applications where a protein is immobilized upon a surface to give the surface specific protein activity.