Need a kidney? Can't find a donor? You may be in luck. Recent research at the University of Washington in Seattle is looking into a possible "portable kidney" which patients can wear on their belt. The kidney serves as a portable dialysis machine, a miraculous breakthrough for patients with chronic kidney failure, an irreversible condition requiring lifelong dialysis and/or kidney transplant. The device itself is called a Wearable Artificial Kidney or WAK. The device mimics other dialysis machines, but it differs in the fact that, like a normal kidney, it can perform hemodialysis (filtering of blood for toxins such as urea and creatinine) on a continuous basis, not just during dialysis visits. So what does this mean for patients with kidney failure? A few things. First, continuous hemodialysis means toxins are removed from the blood more quickly than they would be if they were just on regular dialysis, meaning that patients may feel more "normal" and have an overall sense of well being since the buildup of urea and creatinine in the blood is avoided. Second, treatment of chronic kidney failure is expensive, costing close to $32 billion a year. The introduction of the WAK could mean lower healthcare costs and less costly dialysis visits. Finally, the WAK may be the first major breakthrough in chronic kidney care since dialysis was first made available as a long-term treatment in the 1960s. There have not been many advancements in life expectancy and quality of life in chronic kidney failure patients since the 60s, so perhaps the WAK will improve patient outcomes.
The WAK is still in early, preliminary stages. However, with time, perhaps it will provide an opportunity for patients suffering from chronic kidney failure to live longer, more normal lives.
Source and to read more:
http://depts.washington.edu/givemed/magazine/2015/10/full-circle-revolutionizing-kidney-dialysis/
First of all, great pun. I have to say that this advancement is pretty incredible, my grandmother refused to go on dialysis and be tied down to a machine for hours so frequently and this would provide a means to solve that downfall. I think the fact that it is so portable can really help to ease patients into a more normal life. Dialysis proved to be a game changer back in the 60s so now that they are expanding on this idea and making it a continuous process allows for the system to be more efficient. It offers patients "freedom" like the article says and not only is it portable but it has the capacity to be "better" than dialysis pending trials and expansion. Technology and the advancement of medicine never ceases to amaze me.
ReplyDeleteI think it is fascinating that, as the author points out, the treatment here is coming before total understanding of the disease. I wonder if this means that we are not going to be doing the best job by just treating the symptoms. Conversely, this could be a very beneficial band-aid-sort of treatment until we understand the causes, or even a step toward further understanding, depending on what the clinical trials reveal.
ReplyDeleteI think it is fascinating that, as the author points out, the treatment here is coming before total understanding of the disease. I wonder if this means that we are not going to be doing the best job by just treating the symptoms. Conversely, this could be a very beneficial band-aid-sort of treatment until we understand the causes, or even a step toward further understanding, depending on what the clinical trials reveal.
ReplyDeleteI've heard about this treatment a while back but I didn't know they made such advancements on it already ! this is very exciting news for the medical world because dialysis can take up a great deal of time for the patients and their family. However, I was just wondering how long they can be on this machine for? Can this machine possible replace the need for a new kidney? Because even with a new kidney transplant, the patient's body can still reject it and this machine and eliminate that possibility.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it necessarily will replace a transplant, I think it is more comparable to a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) in heart patients awaiting a heart transplant. These devices help pump blood to the body, hence left ventricular assist, but they more just buy time for a heart transplant. Basically, it's the same idea in these kidney patients. The idea here is to get rid of the frequent visits for dialysis and instead allow patients more freedom and more efficient hemodialysis. If you look at it, the device is still pretty bulky and unless it continues to advance to a significantly smaller and more compact design, I think it's a solution to reduce dialysis visits but not to actually replace a real, functioning kidney like one would find from a transplant. Here's the info on the LVAD to help make the comparison: https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-treatments/l/lvad.html
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