TITLE:
Study of Dialyzer Membrane (Polyflux 210H) and Effects of Different Parameters on Dialysis Performance
AUTHORS:
Md Shihamul Islam, Jerzy Szpunar
KEYWORDS:
Simulation, Dialysis; Axisymmetric Model; 3-Layered Membrane; Effective Diffusivity; Parameters; COMSOL Multiphysics 4.3
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nephrology,
Vol.3 No.3,
September
10,
2013
ABSTRACT:
Problems frequently encountered in kidney
malfunction include abnormal fluid levels in the body, increased acid levels,
abnormal levels of Urea, Glucose, Endothelin, β2-Microglobulin and Complement Factor D. Parameters characterizing
the structure of dialyzers are very important because they decide overall
clearance of toxin molecules and at the same time should allow retaining useful
molecules in the blood. In this paper, a cross sectional image of the dialyzer
membrane with details of the porosity is presented. A multilayered membrane
model with different porosity for each layer, describes the actual
structure of Polyflux 210H membrane. This model is developed using Finite
Element Software—COMSOL Multiphysics 4.3. A blood flow with substances like—Urea,
Glucose, Endothelin, β2-Microglobulin,
Complement Factor D and Albumin is introduced. For a certain blood flow rate, the
toxins diffuse through the membrane and on the other side of the membrane a
dialysate flow removes the toxins. Here, different parameters, such as flow
rate of blood and dialysate, length and radius of the fiber are changed to
simulate how these changes affect toxin clearance and the removal of useful
molecules.