Artificial kidney enables "dialysis-on-the-go"

Not like we haven't heard of at-home dialysis before, but a pair of researchers from UCLA and the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System concocted a design which would make the process even more portable. The AWAK (automated, wearable artificial kidney) would "avoid the complications patients often suffer with traditional dialysis" by being bloodless in nature; additionally, it would theoretically "reduce or even eliminate protein loss." Fittingly, UCLA-VA has already inked an agreement with Singapore-based AWAK Technologies in order to develop a commercial version, but there's no mention of how soon the creators expect said device to be widely available.

[Via Physorg]

[torqueo @ Jul 11th 2008 2:38PM]

'Portable"?

[Chuckles McGee @ Jul 11th 2008 6:35PM]

Seems a bit ""AWAKward" to me. Good step in the right direction though!

[whowhatme @ Jul 11th 2008 10:52PM]

yeah, a machine that doesn't require you to route _all the blood in your body through a machine_ ...sounds like a step in the right direction to me

[filpaul @ Jul 12th 2008 6:27PM]

I guess you forgot about ENIAC, let the guy work on this great project, it'll eventually be small enough to implant in place of a real kidney and fava beans.

[PGP-Protector @ Jul 11th 2008 2:38PM]

Cool, I can't even begin to think of the safety requirements for something like that though.

[broli @ Jul 11th 2008 2:40PM]

So that's what batman's belt was all along!

[EricR @ Jul 11th 2008 2:50PM]

Apparently after "weaponized hallucinogens" and all those wild parties he just needed a little help.

[kastonie @ Jul 11th 2008 2:42PM]

i could totally use something like that right now, because i really have to pee and the bathroom is way across the building from me....

[Dillon @ Jul 11th 2008 2:43PM]

I thought dialysis was supposed to be painful as hell. Why would one receiving dialysis want to walk around carrying the heavy machine on their belt while in excruciating pain?

[FleXit @ Jul 11th 2008 2:58PM]

No it is not painful, its just boring laying there for 3 to 5 hours staring at ugly nurses, and afterwards some might feel tired and little dizzy, but no pain..

[Marcela @ Jul 11th 2008 4:15PM]

I believe this should be the first step, maybe in the future the belt can be smaller and patients could go through the process during their day. Like a artificial kidney or something, THAT I think would make life a lot easier for people who need it.

[Wally @ Jul 12th 2008 11:53AM]

It's not painful, and I have hot nurses. The difficulty is not moving for hours at a time, and the risk of infection. The issue is effectiveness, power consuption and mechanical reliability.

[Quote the Raven @ Jul 11th 2008 2:43PM]

"Ok, did somebody call about some ghosts?"

[Dillon @ Jul 11th 2008 2:44PM]

I thought dialysis was supposed to be painful as hell. Why would one receiving dialysis want to walk around carrying the heavy machine on their belt while in excruciating pain?

[Dillon @ Jul 11th 2008 2:45PM]

Man... I wish Engadget supported editing and deleting comments.

[Dan @ Jul 11th 2008 2:54PM]

GO GO GADGET DIALYSIS!

[BigD145 @ Jul 11th 2008 3:04PM]

Who stole my kidneys?!

[TareX @ Jul 11th 2008 3:10PM]

A portable peritoneal ("bloodless", as engadget calls it) has been available for years. You can wear the bag under your clothes and go to work normally. However, the concerns of peritonitis (infection) still remain.

[JustYourAverageJoe @ Jul 11th 2008 3:13PM]

"It's not a bomb, I swear! It's a dialysis machine!"

[ozzzy @ Jul 11th 2008 3:26PM]

I can't even imagine how the TSA would react to someone wearing one of these.

[derX @ Jul 11th 2008 3:41PM]

That's what they all say. "Book 'em Lou."

[ozzzy @ Jul 11th 2008 3:25PM]

Oh no! Not another kidney dialysis gadget article. Engadget has turned into a medical blog for UCLA and there's no way to filter it.

(I'm just a little tired seeing the anti-iPhone coverage comments today.)

[Wormbolt @ Jul 11th 2008 3:29PM]

How do I connect it with iTunes?

[SugarDaddy @ Jul 11th 2008 3:40PM]

This is great for 7 foot tall terrorist masterminds. Now they don't have to worry about fitting such a large machine into their caves.

I think this doc is working with Bin Laden...

[Limp Noodle @ Jul 11th 2008 3:43PM]

one step closer to my dream of continuous beer consumption...Now if I could just figue out how to get rid of the beer gut...

[Clasifyd @ Jul 11th 2008 3:56PM]

Solution to beer-gut:
http://www.flowbee.com/

You can't tell me that's not an at-home liposuction kit.

[Shawn @ Jul 11th 2008 4:12PM]

That's your liver...

[Limp Noodle @ Jul 11th 2008 5:30PM]

no it's not, I am just happy to see you...

[Mike @ Jul 11th 2008 4:59PM]

They missed a few letters, it's supposed to be AWKWARD.

[Volite @ Jul 11th 2008 5:04PM]

Dave Thomas from Wendy's? I thought he had coronary heart issues. (and died)

[John H. @ Jul 11th 2008 6:12PM]

portable?

[MS @ Jul 11th 2008 6:28PM]

Can you use it as an iPhone dock?

[River @ Jul 11th 2008 7:12PM]

TareX, peritoneal dialysis does not involve a bag that you wear. It involves filling up your peritoneal cavity inside your abdomen with dialysis fluid or hooking yourself up to a cycler 9 hours a night. The latter is what I do, though I was on manual PD for the first three months that I was on dialysis. You have to carry bags of fluid with you to work if you're required to do manual exchanges in the daytime and do an exchange at least every 8 hours, 4 times or more per day in most cases. This is really an oversimplification, but you get the idea.

There is some pain in hemodialysis. Poking huge needles in your arm or having somebody else do it is no fun. However, several companies make special numbing creams that you can coat your arm with to minimize the pain. I avoid the needles entirely by being on PD.

Peritonitis is not such a big concern if you follow the techniques you're taught in training to the letter and do not cut corners. I am not really worried about it in my own case because I strictly follow what I was taught. There's a greater risk of infection from technicians and nurses cutting corners in a dialysis clinic. When you do dialysis at home, you're responsible.

I will be first in line for one of these portable kidneys when they are commercially available if I don't have a transplant by then, especially if they are smaller and lighter.

- a kidney patient

[Nikki @ Jul 13th 2008 5:57PM]

I was on peritoneal *omg, I can't even spell the damn word!* for about a year and now I have an ash cath but seriously, if it's similar to the P-word, I'd be willing to go under the knife again to be able to use the belt! The cath. I have now makes it really hard to do anything fun! I LOVE swimming in my pool but if this cath. gets wet then I'm in for a world of hurt! I HATE not being able to get wet! I can't even take showers without taping plastic over my catheder! I'm with you, man. First in line!