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from the better-living-through-chemistry dept.
Medical researchers have received approval to begin safety and performance testing of the Wearable Artificial Kidney. The federal Food and Drug Administration and the University of Washington Institutional Review Board accepted the protocol for the clinical trial. Expected to start this autumn in Seattle, it will be the first human study in the United States to be conducted on the device.
The Wearable Artificial Kidney, also known as the WAK, is a miniaturized dialysis machine that can be worn on the body. The carrier resembles a tool belt; the device connects to a patient via a catheter. Like conventional dialysis machines, it is designed to filter the blood of people whose kidneys have stopped working. Unlike current portable or stationary dialysis machines, it can run continuously on batteries and is not plugged into an electrical outlet or attached to a water pipe. The present version weighs about 10 pounds, but future modifications could make it lighter and more streamlined.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Thursday September 25 2014, @02:42AM
Sounds like great progress, and I expect a great deal more economical than fullscale dialysis.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by EvilJim on Thursday September 25 2014, @03:19AM
I wonder if it'll be more economical than this? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2266412/Chinese-man-kept-alive-13-years-HOMEMADE-dialysis-machine.html [dailymail.co.uk]
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Thursday September 25 2014, @04:56AM
That's damned inventive too. But not very portable!
I'm thinkin' another big advantage of a wearable unit is that since it's not a twice-a-week thing, there won't be periodic toxic buildup, so there'll be less organ damage over time.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.