The Wearable Artificial Kidney: Is Peritoneal Dialysis the Solution?

The evolution of technology in hemodialysis has a new challenge in the development of miniaturization, transportability and wearability of devices applicable for renal replacement therapy. Although we are not there yet, a new series of papers have recently been published showing promising results on the application of a wearable artificial kidney. Some of them use extracorporeal blood cleansing as a method of blood purification while others use peritoneal dialysis as a treatment modality. Many of the challenges imposed by an extracorporeal wearable artificial kidney can be overcome by the use of the PD technique in a wearable system. A PD-based wearable artificial kidney has been demonstrated to be feasible and potentially applicable in chronic patients. We should make an effort to make a quantum leap in technology making the wearable artificial kidney a reality rather than a dream. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel