Optimizing peritoneal dialysis using a patient hand-held scanning device

1. A handheld personal communication apparatus for a continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (“CAPD”) treatment, the apparatus comprising:

a reader configured to read markings displayed on dialysis fluid containers to acquire data concerning at least one of a dialysis fluid type or a dialysis fluid volume from the markings;

a processor communicatively coupled to the reader and configured to

receive a first patient weight signal,

use the at least one of the dialysis fluid type or the dialysis fluid volume from the markings in conjunction with the first patient weight signal to determine a first dialysis dwell time for a first dialysis dwell of a first cycle of a peritoneal dialysis therapy for a patient,

begin a timer upon receiving an indication of a start of the first dialysis dwell,

after the timer has reached the first dialysis dwell time, transmit a first output signal,

receive a second patient weight signal,

use the at least one of the dialysis fluid type or the dialysis fluid volume from the markings and the first dialysis dwell time in conjunction with the second patient weight signal to determine a second dialysis dwell time for a second dialysis dwell of a second cycle of the peritoneal dialysis therapy for the patient,

begin the timer upon receiving an indication of a start of the second dialysis dwell, and

after the timer has reached the second dialysis dwell time, transmit a second output signal; and

an output interface configured to, in response to the first output signal, provide a first indication to the patient of a completion of the first dialysis dwell time, and in response to the second output signal, provide a second indication to the patient of a completion of the second dialysis dwell time,

wherein the first and second indications each includes at least one of (i) a display of a visual notification on a screen of the output interface, (ii) an audio notification via a speaker of the output interface, or (iii) a tactile actuation via an actuator of the output interface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to:

determine an ultrafiltration trend based on the first and second patient weight signals; and

cause the output interface to display the ultrafiltration trend.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising a transceiver configured to transmit the ultrafiltration trend and the at least one of the dialysis fluid type or the dialysis fluid volume to a remotely located computer to enable the computer to use the ultrafiltration trend and the at least one of the dialysis fluid type or the dialysis fluid volume to track a therapy progress of the patient.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first and second patient weight signals each includes at least one of an actual patient weight or a weight of a dialysis fluid drain volume.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second patient weight signals each includes at least one of an actual patient weight or a weight of a dialysis fluid drain volume.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a start dwell input device communicatively coupled to the processor and configured to receive a first input from the patient corresponding to the indication of the start of the first dialysis dwell and receive a second input from the patient corresponding to the indication of the start of the second dialysis dwell.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the start dwell input device is provided by the output interface.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the reader includes (i) a barcode scanner, the markings displayed on the dialysis fluid containers comprising barcodes, (ii) a radio frequency identification (“RFID”) reader, the markings displayed on the dialysis fluid containers comprising RFID tags, or (iii) a camera of a smartphone.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the handheld personal communication apparatus includes a smartphone.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second dialysis dwell times each corresponds to a time to achieve at least one of (a) a specified ultrafiltration removal level for the cycle, (b) a urea removal level for the cycle, or (c) a creatinine removal level for the cycle.

11. A method for a continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (“CAPD”) treatment, the method comprising:

receiving, via a reader in a processor, at least one of a dialysis fluid type or a dialysis fluid volume from markings displayed on dialysis fluid containers;

receiving, in the processor, a first patient weight signal;

determining, via the processor, a first dialysis dwell time for a first dialysis dwell of a first cycle of a peritoneal dialysis therapy for a patient using the at least one of the dialysis fluid type or the dialysis fluid volume from the markings in conjunction with the first patient weight signal;

beginning, via the processor, a timer after receiving an indication of a start of the first dialysis dwell;

providing, via the processor and an output interface, a first indication to the patient of a completion of the first dialysis dwell time after the timer has reached the first dialysis dwell time;

receiving, in the processor, a second patient weight signal;

determining, via the processor, a second dialysis dwell time for a second dialysis dwell of a second cycle of the peritoneal dialysis therapy for the patient using the at least one of the dialysis fluid type or the dialysis fluid volume from the markings and the first dialysis dwell time in conjunction with the second patient weight signal;

beginning, via the processor, the timer after receiving an indication of a start of the second dialysis dwell; and

providing, via the processor and the output interface, a second indication to the patient of a completion of the second dialysis dwell time after the timer has reached the second dialysis dwell time,

wherein the first and second dialysis dwell times each corresponds to a time to achieve at least one of (a) a specified ultrafiltration removal level for the cycle, (b) a urea removal level for the cycle, or (c) a creatinine removal level for the cycle.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

determining that each of the dialysis fluid containers has at least one of a different dialysis fluid volume or different dialysis fluid type;

providing, via the processor and the output interface, a first container indication regarding which of the dialysis fluid containers should be used for the first cycle; and

providing, via the processor and the output interface, a second container indication regarding which of the dialysis fluid containers should be used for the second cycle.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first and second indications each includes at least one of (i) a display of a visual notification on a screen of the output interface, (ii) an audio notification via a speaker of the output interface, or (iii) a tactile actuation via an actuator of the output interface.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

determining, via the processor, an ultrafiltration trend based on the first and second patient weight signals; and

causing, via the processor, the output interface to display the ultrafiltration trend.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising transmitting, via a transceiver, the ultrafiltration trend and the at least one of the dialysis fluid type or the dialysis fluid volume to a remotely located computer to enable the computer to use the ultrafiltration trend and the at least one of the dialysis fluid type or the dialysis fluid volume to track a therapy progress of the patient.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first and second patient weight signals each includes at least one of an actual patient weight or a weight of a dialysis fluid drain volume.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the reader includes (i) a barcode scanner, the markings displayed on the dialysis fluid containers comprising barcodes, (ii) a radio frequency identification (“RFID”) reader, the markings displayed on the dialysis fluid containers comprising RFID tags, or (iii) a camera of a smartphone.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the reader, the processor, and the output interface are included within a smartphone.