Dialysis apparatus

Claim 1

IN EXCHANGE APPARATUS FOR FLUIDS, A CONDUIT ASSEMBLY WHICH COMPRISES: HOUSING MEANS; A TUBE OF COLLAPSIBLY INFLATABLE MATERIAL FORMING A CONDUIT FOR A FLUID AND HAVING AT LEAST ONE OPENING IN ITS WALL; A PAIR OF SPACED, ESSENTIALLY RIGID TUBE SHAPING MEANS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ADJACENT SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE TUBEAND HAVING PERIPHERAL PORTIONS SECURED TO SAID HOUSING MEANS, SAID TUBE BEING LOCATED BETWEEN SAID SHAPING MEANS WHEREBY UPON APPLICATION OF FLUID PRESSURE SAID TUBE IS INFLATED AGAINST THE SAID RIGID SHAPING MEANS FOR DEFINING THE THICKNESS OF FLUID WITHIN THE TUBE WHICH PRESSES THE TUBE WALL AGAINST THE SHAPING MEANS TO FLATTEN THE TUBE THEREBY TO INCREASE THE SURFACE AREA TO VOLUME RATIO THEREOF, AND TO LOCATE SAID OPENING IN A FLAT WALL PORTION; A HEADER LOCATED AT SAID WALL PORTION FOR PASSING FLUID, SAID HEADER COMPRISING A DISTRIBUTOR EXTENDING WITHIN THE TUBE AND HAVING AN APERTURE ALIGNED WITH SAID OPENING AND A CHANNEL EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID APERTURE AND THE INSIDE OF THE TUBE; MEANS FOR SEALING THE TUBE WALLS TO SAID DISTRIBUTOR; AND MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID APERTURE WITH A SUPPLY OF SAID FLUID.