Wednesday 29 June 2016

Wearable artificial kidney passes initial test.

A wearable artificial kidney has been successfully tested in the USA in a clinical trial sponsored by the government (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02280005), offering hope for more comfort and flexibility to kidney failure sufferers so far constrained to hospital-based haemodialysis.

The device, developed by Cedar-Sinai Medical Center researcher Victor Gura, was tested on seven patients in a trial authorised by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and conducted by researchers from the University of Washington.

We've reported on this particular device (and several similar concepts) over the years, but this one is popping up on news sights a bit more. Which means it shows promise of becoming available. We noticed it being mentioned here and here in June this year. It's inventor is Dr. Victor Gura of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center says the wearable artificial kidney could perform dialysis without patients having to spend hours at dialysis centers.

A detailed report is published here at JCI Insight

The report mentions that the trial was stopped early after some technical problems, but there were no serious complications, and the scientists and doctors involved hope to conduct a follow-trial in a few years time.