Patent · US Expired

Composition and methods for sterilizing dialyzers

US5628959A · kind A · utility

21Cited by
7References
26Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateApr 3, 1995
Grant dateMay 13, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 3, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61L2/18
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Compositions and methods are provided for sterilizing hemodialysis apparatus, particularly for reprocessing dialyzers in a manner that minimizes membrane perforations. The compositions contain a protic acid and a metal chlorite, and have a pH of at least about 2.3 and no greater than 4.2. Methods of this invention include contacting both the blood side and the dialysate side of a dialysis membrane with the composition, followed by first displacing the composition on the dialysate side with water or an aqueous alkali buffer having a pH in excess of about 6.0, such that the pH of the composition on the blood side of the dialysis membrane increases to at least about 5.0. The composition on the blood side is then displaced with saline. In a further embodiment, the composition has a pH ranging from 3.3 to 4.2, and the amount of chlorite ion in the form of chlorous acid ranges from 0.5% to 5.0% by weight of the total amount of chlorite ion in the composition. In this embodiment, the composition may be employed without associated membrane degradation by using existing hemodialysis set-up techniques, except that dialysate displacement on the dialysate side precedes saline displacement of b…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.