Abstract. One objective of dialysis treatment is to normalize the blood
plasma electrolytes and remove waste products such as urea and creatinine
from blood. However, due to a shift in plasma osmolarity, a rapid or
excessive change of the electrolytes can lead to complications like
cardiovascular instability, overhydrating of cells, disequilibrium syndrome
and cardiac arrhythmias. Especially for critical ill patients in intensive
care unit with sepsis or multi-organ failure, any additional stress has to be
avoided. Since the exchange velocity of the electrolytes mainly depends on
the concentration gradients across the dialysis membrane between blood and
dialysate, it can be controlled by an individualized composition of dialysate
concentrations. In order to obtain a precise concentration gradient with the
individualized dialysate, it is necessary to continuously monitor the plasma
concentrations. However, with in-line sensors, the required hemocompatibility
is often difficult to achieve. In this work, we present a concept for
continuous in-line monitoring of electrolyte concentrations using
ion-selective electrodes separated from the blood flow by a dialysis
membrane, and therefore meeting the fluidic requirements for
hemocompatibility. First investigations of hemocompatibility with
reconfigured human blood show no increased hemolysis caused by the measuring
system. With this concept, it is possible to continuously measure the plasma
concentrations with a relative error of less than 0.5 %.