Wearable Artificial Kidney Could Replace Conventional Dialysis

A wearable artificial kidney could be developed as a viable, new dialysis technology that allows patients to be mobile and untethered during treatment, results of a US Food and Drug Administration-authorised clinical trial suggest.

The technology may become an alternative to conventional hemodialysis for people with end-stage kidney disease.

Present-day treatment generally requires three 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 mobile and untethered. It could also provide additional treatment benefits from longer sessions or more frequent days of dialysis.

The trial of a prototype for such a device was performed with seven patients at University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle.

Those leading the trial included the inventor of the device, Wearable Artificial Kidney prototype, Victor Gura of Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles-read more