Wearable Battery-Operated Artificial Kidney Works In Early Tests

[RightSide]

Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wearable Kidney May One Day Replace Dialysis
Portable device would revolutionize treatment for thousands, researchers say
Posted August 20, 2009

THURSDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- A wearable artificial kidney may someday make life much easier for dialysis patients by eliminating the need to spend hours on a dialysis machine at a hospital every week, researchers say.

The portable device, which weighs about 10 pounds and is powered by two 9-volt batteries, would enable patients to undergo continuous, gentle dialysis as they go about their daily activities, according to a report published online Aug. 20 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Preliminary tests of the wearable artificial kidney have been successful, the researchers stated in a news release from the American Society of Nephrology.

"However, the long-term effect of this technology on the well-being of dialysis patients must be demonstrated in much-needed clinical trials," Dr. Victor Gura, of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in the news release.

If it does prove successful, the device could lead to a "paradigm change" in dialysis treatment, the researcher says. Currently, dialysis patients face major inconvenience and high rates of hospitalization and death. More than 400,000 people in the United States undergo dialysis at a cost of more than $30 billion a year.

"We believe that the wearable artificial kidney will not only reduce the mortality and misery of dialysis patients, but will also result in significant reduction in the cost of providing viable health care," Gura said.

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/08/20/wearable-kidney-may-one-day-replace-dialysis.html

[tyefly]

     Is this wearable kidney like doing PD......    I thought I read something like that somewhere..... Some of us can not do PD.......    I am excited about this as a new type of development and with a small portable device......   we could go backpacking again for a whole week.......      Its the freedom   that I will miss and something like this could add to that freedom......

[RichardMEL]

I hope you can take it off to you know.. shower, sleep(?), make love.. etc

does sound good.. but like all these reports you know that with all the testing and stuff they want to do that we're years away from seeing anything that might be available to the public. That's why I personally tend to treat a lot of these things with a grain of salt until it's something that *I* can actually use.

[Zach]

does sound good.. but like all these reports you know that with all the testing and stuff they want to do that we're years away from seeing anything that might be available to the public. That's why I personally tend to treat a lot of these things with a grain of salt until it's something that *I* can actually use.

Exactly!

Plus, many of these well placed advertisements articles are there to attract more investors.
When there is little or no medical information included, you know something is up.

[Rerun]

This will probably be like when someone invents a car that gets 100 mpg.  Big Oil buys the technology so it never happens.

To much money in dialysis the way it is. 

[Jie]

I read a report about a year ago about this device. There were some tests for it (like patients wearing it for one or two days).  There needs a big clinic trial.  I am not surprised if it is available within five years.

[peleroja]

Where exactly on your body do you attach 10 pounds?  I'm afraid I would have the same problem with two 9V batteries that I have with my cell phone, which I am forever forgetting to charge!  I can see me now, all of a sudden keeling over and dropping dead because I forgot to change the batteries in my artificial kidney. I foresee lots of little post it notes all over the house - "charge your cell phone" and "change batteries in kidney if you want to keep on living."

[Brightsky69]

Somethings got to give. I'd wear it!! Technology has got to catch up with us....there has got to be a better way. I hope this is it.

[jbeany]

I would like to be recruited for the clinical trial!  Don't think I'd mind the 10 pounds - heck, what does my purse weigh these days anyhow?  20 pounds, by the time I've finished loading in all my binders, glucose supplies, blood tester, etc.?

[petey]

I would like to be recruited for the clinical trial!  Don't think I'd mind the 10 pounds - heck, what does my purse weigh these days anyhow?  20 pounds, by the time I've finished loading in all my binders, glucose supplies, blood tester, etc.?

jbeany -- Marvin would participate in the clinical trial, too.  Who knows where we go to sign up?

[del]

  Here's an article about it.  I hope the pictures work!!

 Wearable Kidney May One Day Replace Dialysis
    Portable device would revolutionize treatment for thousands, researchers say

    A wearable artificial kidney may someday make life much easier for dialysis patients by eliminating the need to spend hours on a dialysis machine at a hospital every week, researchers say.

    The portable device, which weighs about 10 pounds and is powered by two 9-volt batteries, would enable patients to undergo continuous, gentle dialysis as they go about their daily activities, according to a report published online Aug. 20 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

    Preliminary tests of the wearable artificial kidney have been successful, the researchers stated in a news release from the American Society of Nephrology.

    "However, the long-term effect of this technology on the well-being of dialysis patients must be demonstrated in much-needed clinical trials," Dr. Victor Gura, of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in the news release.

    If it does prove successful, the device could lead to a "paradigm change" in dialysis treatment, the researcher says. Currently, dialysis patients face major inconvenience and high rates of hospitalization and death. More than 400,000 people in the United States undergo dialysis at a cost of more than $30 billion a year.

    "We believe that the wearable artificial kidney will not only reduce the mortality and misery of dialysis patients, but will also result in significant reduction in the cost of providing viable health care," Gura said.


[Image: kidney.jpg]
[Image: kidneydiagram.jpg]

[del]

Sorry pictures didn't work. Don't know if I'm supposed to do links but here it is.  Hope it works.
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/08/20/wearable-kidney-may-one-day-replace-dialysis.html

[RichardMEL]

There weren't any pictures with that linK?!?!

So I wonder how you hook this up? Via a catheter like with PD I would imagine.

I imagine if you did say 16-18 hious a day wearing it "gentle dialysis" then you would charge it overnight while you sleep. You'd still get much more benefit out of it rather than what you would with 3-5 hours of hemo 3x/week or PD exchanges.

I wonder about the fluids though - I mean I imagine you'd still have to change bags or something??? What about dialysate and all that stuff??

Interested to see how this develops. I'd love to have the "problem" of explaining to airport screeners that the batteries and stuff in this box are my kidney and I need to take it with me on the plane!!!!! 

[Zach]

I wonder about the fluids though -

You spit it out all day long.     

[del]

Hope this works for the pic.
file:///C:/Users/User/Documents/a%20wearable%20kidney_files/kidney.jpe

[del]

Here is a diagram of how it is supposed to work.  This is the only way I could get the images to work. You have to copy the link and paste it in your address box!!  Maybe on of the admins can fix it!!

http://io9.com/assets/resources/2007/12/kidneydiagram.jpg

[RichardMEL]

Thanks Del. So it's not going to be THAT portable. I mean you'll still have a couple of needles, or connections via catheter going to the body(obviously) and a fluid bag, plus you'd have to keep the heparin and dialysate sorted out too. Sounds like fun! I wonder if it will BEEP BEEP BEEP with some sort of alarm when you're walking down the street and people will think it's a bomb or something?!?! No wait, it's just telling me the heparin is out !

[Des]

I am sorry.... I am laughing my head off here....

the beep, beep, beep on a fat person (me) ..... they might think I am backing up or something.... so funny.

[RichardMEL]

Might be one way to clear a crowd out of the way. Set off your alarm and watch a sea of people part!!!!

I like the "reversing" idea too! 

this thing has all kinds of applications.... the least of which would be dialysis!!! 

[del]

It sounds good but I hope when they are ready to market it that it is a lot smaller.  Hubby's thought was the weight of the thing and if you would be able to take it off to sleep, bath or of course have sex!!  never thought of it beeping. Imagine being in a crowd and this thing starts beeping on you.  Bet you would get lots of people staring at you or even running away!!! 

[Chris]

I wouldn't say it would replace hemo in center or PD since some people as myself can't stick themselves with those big needles. Small insulin needles I'm fine with, insulin pump, a little trouble by hand, but had an injecting device (like a lancing device for glucose testing).

One idea, have a catheter to your bladder for the fluids to go to if it does not bother the body. That way your bladder stays active, doesn't shrink up, and the lining does not thicken over time, plus no need to cary a bag.


With all the beeping, just yell out my Hot Pocket (or other microwavable food) is done. Hot Stuff coming through! 

[RichardMEL]

just say it's a text message coming in 

[Chris]

just say it's a text message coming in 

And you don't want to know where my fax comes from! 

[Zach]

Here's a look at the prototype ... from the outside.

[paul.karen]

Not the fanny pack i was thinking it would look like.
Be hard to work and wear that thing.