The device is a 4.5kg (10lb) miniature dialysis machine that a patient can wear around their body.
It
looks bulky at the moment, but researchers believe they can get the
weight down to just 2.3kg (5lb), as well as reduce its size.
It
connects to a large vein in the body through catheter which has filters
to separate water, salts and minerals out of the blood.
The filters have to be replaced once a week, and chemicals added once a day to clean the water filtered out.
Seven patients in Seattle, who had end-stage kidney disease, wore the device for 24 hours.
The
patients were also able to enjoy ice cream and cheesecake, which they
weren't able to do on dialysis because it could lead to a dangerous
build-up of minerals.
In
a previous trials, participants were able to sleep with the devices,
and were also be able to take showers and carry out other normal
activities, Gura said.
But there was one major flaw. Two patients stopped wearing the device before the trial ended because of technical issues.
The team said they are now working to fix the problem.
'All patients reported that they would switch to the WAK if the device were commercially available,' the authors wrote.
If
future trials prove successful, it has been given the green-light to be
fast-tracked through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval
process.
Daily Mail UK
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