Artificial kidney

Claim 2

An artificial kidney comprising: an inlet tube adapted to be connected to a patient''s artery and having a one-way valve permitting flow away from the artery only, and an outlet tube adapted to be connected to the patient''s vein and having a second one-way valve permitting flow into the vein only; a dialysis membrane container having inlet and outlet ports, the inlet port being connected to said inlet tube and the outlet port being connected with said outlet tube, the said membrane container being of a thin flexible material which is permeable to blood impurities and impermeable to blood cells; a fluidtight container containing said membrane and having ports for the membrane and also inlet and outlet ports for the flow of washing liquid; a supply of washing liquid connected by a supply tube and a return tube to said inlet and outlet ports, respectively, of said container; means to raise and subsequently lower the pressure of said washing liquid within said container; and means to control said pressure means to alternately raise and lower said pressure at predetermined times.

Claim 3

An artificial kidney as in claim 1 wherein said membrane is an elongated tube which is coiled, and the container is a drum.

Claim 4

An artificial kidney as in claim 1 wherein said pressure means includes two liquid pumps, one pump being in said washing liquid supply line and the second pump being in said washing fluid return line.

Claim 5

An artificial kidney as in claim 1 and further including a second inlet tube connected to the first inlet tube, said second inlet tube having a one-way valve, a second outlet tube connected to the first outlet tube having a one-way valve, a second dialysis membrane having inlet and outlet ports, the inlet port being connected to the said second inlet tube and the outlet port being connected to the said second outlet tube, the membrane being of a thin flexible material, a fluidtight container containing said second membrane and having ports for the second membrane and also inlet and outlet ports for the washing fluid supply tube, and a return tube connected to said inlet and outlet ports of said container to said supply container, meAns to pump said washing fluid from and to said second container, and means to raise and subsequently lower the pressure of said washing liquid within said second container, and means to control said pressure means to alternatively lower and raise said pressure at predetermined times which times alternate in cycle with the raising and lowering of the pressure in the first fluidtight container.

Claim 6

An artificial kidney as in claim 1 wherein the means to raise and subsequently lower the pressure of said washing fluid within said container consists of a piston operating within a cylinder, the said cylinder containing a portion of the said washing liquid and being in communication with the washing liquid within the said container.

Claim 7

An artificial kidney as in claim 5 wherein the supply tube and return tube each have therein a one-way valve and at least one of the tubes has an adjustable restrictive valve.

Claim 8

An artificial kidney as in claim 1 and also including a pump in series with the supply tube and return tube to pump liquid from said supply container to and from said fluidtight container.