Wearable artificial kidney
According to results of a new clinical trial, a wearable artificial kidney may be a viable dialysis option that could give people having end-stage kidney disease the freedom to move around during treatment.
The new technology may become an alternative to hemodialysis for people with end-stage kidney disease. As of now the treatment generally requires 3 sessions a week on a stationary machine that restricts patients’ ability to walk around while it is attached and running.
In contrast, a wearable device would allow patients to be ambulatory and have longer sessions or more frequent days of dialysis.
The clinical trial of a prototype for such a device was performed with seven patients at University of Washington Medical Centre in the US. The patients were treated with the device for up to 24 hours. The US Food and Drug Administration-authorised trial was conducted to determine the safety and efficacy of the device. The device effectively cleared the blood of waste products, like urea, creatinine and and phosphorus, while also removing excess water and salt.
