Tiny-Dialysis Machines can Be Used to Treat Newborns with Kidney Defects

New miniature kidney dialysis machines can be used to treat babies born with severe kidney problems, say researchers.

Italian scientists developed the Cardio-Renal Pediatric Dialysis Emergency Machine (CARPDEM) that helps overcome the disadvantages of the traditional dialysis machines that can be used only in adults and must undergo modifications for using in pediatric treatments. The new device is a tiny version of the continuous-renal replacement therapy (CRRT) machine with a small catheter that can draw and filter blood in small babies and infants weighing between two to 10 kilograms. Unlike the devices these do not draw too much fluids resulting in loss of blood and dehydration.

The CARPDEM are built to handle low amount of blood from infants and prevent any damage to blood vessels during dialysis.

This device was first tested in August 2013 on a baby born in a Hospital in Italy weighing about 2.9 kilograms. The patients responded to the treatment very well and doctors stopped the device use after 20 days. The child was discharged from the hospital within 50 days after recovering organ function.

"We have shown how the technical challenges of providing CRRT can be overcome without relying on the adaptation of technology used in adult settings, and that a CRRT device designed specifically for use in neonates and small children can be used to safely and effectively treat acute kidney injury in small pediatric patients," said Claudio Ronco, study author from San Bortolo Hospital in Vicenza, Italy, in a news release.

"We hope that our success will encourage the development of other medical technologies (eg, catheters, fluids, and monitors) specifically designed for infants and small children, " she said.

The study reports suggest nearly 18 percent of the babies born with low-birth weight are affected by serious kidney disorders. About 20 percent of children are hospitalized and admitted to intensive care units due to the increase in the prevalence of kidney failure and related diseases.

The authors believe further research is needed to assess the safety of the device.

More information is available online in the journal The Lancet.