FEATURE HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS


NEW DESIGNS FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT


From valves and sensors, to pumps and


controllers, those designing and manufacturing dialysis equipment need to specify components that provide the optimum performance.


Troy Stehr, industry account manager – Lab and Medtech for Bürkert, explains


I


n the UK in 2022, over 30,000 people were undergoing kidney dialysis, all of whom required precision machinery, either at home or in a dialysis centre, to remove metabolites and toxins from their blood. The treatment of kidney failure has evolved to a point where patients often have a choice in how it is delivered. The needle-free option of peritoneal dialysis offers greater flexibility, preserving the remaining kidney function and leading to enhanced transplant outcomes. Depending on where the dialysis machine is


going to be used, there are a number of different design requirements. Those used in centres need to offer the reliability to work all day, every day, while those for use in the home need to be smaller and offer a shorter recovery time. Nocturnal machines need to be particularly quiet. Home hemodialysis machines operate in the same way to equipment in communal treatment centres – they filter the blood using the same process, but are more compact and user friendly. Dialysis centres, however, also offer overnight dialysis, which has found to provide better blood pressure control and saves interference with a daytime schedule.


SPECIFYING THE RIGHT COMPONENTS Manufacturers of dialysis equipment adjust the


38 DESIGN SOLUTIONS MARCH 2025


design of the machines depending on the setting and the type of support that is required. This includes selecting suitable components, such as valves, sensors, pumps and controllers, for the fluid handling process to ensure optimum performance for the intended application. Combining multiple parts from various suppliers into a compact, efficient and cost- effective piece of equipment is a complex process, but this can be simplified by sourcing components from a single supplier. However, the design and assembly still need to be completed, unless this can be outsourced, preferably to the supplier of the components. While this may seem simple, achieving the


standards and documentation required for medical equipment requires considerable expertise and experience. Moreover, the ability to develop prototypes, test them and ramp up to full production with all the necessary approvals and certifications, reduces the number of contenders in the market.


FROM CONCEPT TO PRODUCTION Working in partnership with manufacturers, Bürkert has a network of specialised Systemhaus locations that support customers from concept to full-scale production. As an example, the company has supported Fresenius Medical Care in the development of


the innovative 6008 CAREsystem dialysis machine, which aims to ease the workload of nursing staff in a treatment hospital. The concept was to create a single-needle haemodialysis process that had a simplified connection process and minimal setup time. Bürkert developed a compact assembly


that consists of three valves, a pressure sensor, a condensate trap and a diaphragm pump that generates overpressure in one chamber and negative pressure in the second chamber. A valve then switches dynamically between the two chambers, making a hose reel pump superfluous. The other two valves serve as bleed valves in the event of a fault. The design means that staff only need to


connect the cassette, which is much faster and less prone to errors. Furthermore, its flexibility allows it to be used for double- needle applications as well and, if necessary, the equipment can be switched over without having to make any changes to the bloodline system, the company explains. All of the Bürkert components used in the machines are tested for durability and energy efficiency while also meeting stringent hygiene and biocompatibility requirements. In addition, the original housing, which was produced as a milled component for proof of concept, is now manufactured using injection moulding to satisfy the large production quantities required. At each step of the development process


Bürkert offers engineered solutions tailored to the project. Whisper quiet valves for machines that are used at home or for nocturnal dialysis, bespoke valve manifolds to save space, and fluidic control devices proven in medical, laboratory and analytical settings.


Bürkert Fluid Control Systems www.burkert.com/en


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