Artificial kidney for permanent wear
The results of a pilot clinical study indicate that a portable artificial kidney designed to be worn on the patient's body is a viable and significantly more comfortable alternative to the traditional hemodialysis procedure.
Currently, patients with end-stage renal insufficiency need regular (usually three times a week) hemodialysis on stationary equipment in the clinic. Replacing this procedure with hemodialysis with a portable artificial kidney will not only increase the mobility of patients, but will also increase the duration and frequency of sessions.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a clinical trial of a prototype of such a device in the fall of 2015. In total, 7 patients who used a prototype of an external kidney for 24 hours took part in the study conducted by specialists of the University of Washington Medical Center.
One of the volunteers with an experimental sample of an artificial kidney
next to the equipment for inpatient hemodialysis
The aim of the study was to assess the safety and effectiveness of the device – its ability to partially take over the functions of the affected kidneys. The researchers also wanted to find out from the participants their impressions of the experimental therapy and compare them with their impressions of the standard dialysis procedure.
Examination of patients demonstrated the ability of the device to effectively purify the blood from decomposition products such as urea, creatinine and phosphorus, and at the same time remove excess water and salt from the body. All this is usually eliminated from the body by normally functioning kidneys.
Usually, patients on dialysis are forced to adhere to a strict diet. At the same time, when using an external artificial kidney, the content of electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, in the blood of patients, as well as the volume of fluid in the body remained within normal values without observing any dietary restrictions.
During the study, the patients tolerated the therapy well, which was not accompanied by any serious side effects. At the same time, the circulatory system functioned stably in all participants.
However, the study was suspended after the seventh patient due to technical problems with the device, which consisted in the excessive formation of carbon dioxide bubbles in the dialysis solution and temporary variations in the flow of the solution and blood.
The authors note that technical complications will be eliminated by refining and optimizing the device before further, longer studies are carried out. This will increase its safety and reliability, as well as allow patients to use the device independently at home. However, they add that the results obtained to date confirm the viability of a new approach to dialysis.
It should also be mentioned that the study participants noted greater satisfaction from the use of an external artificial kidney than from traditional dialysis in a clinic setting. And the results of earlier studies indicate that patients and their family members especially appreciate treatment methods that can be used at home, as they increase the degree of independence and freedom of movement.
Article by Victor Gura et al. A wearable artificial kidney for patients with end-stage renal disease is published in the journal JCI Insight.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the University of Washington Health Sciences/UW Medicine: Patient trial validates Wearable Artificial Kidney concept.
07.06.2016