| Theme | Progress and Future in Blood Purification | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Future of dialysis machine -- Possibility of miniaturization | |
| Publish Date | 1999/01 | |
| Author | Takashi Shibamoto | Department of Blood Purfication, Tokyo Medical and Dental University / clinical engineer |
| Author | Takashi Akiba | Department of Blood Purfication, Tokyo Medical and Dental University |
| [ Summary ] | The development of dialysis machines started with an automated dialysate supplying system with dialysate concentrates containing sodium acetate. Dialysate concentration was monitored and controlled by sensing the conductivity of the solute with electrodes, which could be contaminated or denaturalized by the dialysate itself. The Century 2 (Cobe, Colorado), single-pass personal dialysis machine, was the first equipped with an ultrafiltration monitor. The recent introduction of a highly permeable dialyzers has necessitated the development of ultrafiltration control systems.Though transluminacence monitoring of blood lines was used as an air bubble detector, the deference in sound impedance between air bubbles and blood can be detected in newer dialysis machines with increased sensitivity to micro bubbles through electrical function-monitoring. Blood-leek monitors also detect the increased absorbance of dialysate. The size of dialysis machines will be determined by the demands of users, technical improvements, and finally dialysate flow rates. Japanese manufactures have developed smaller dialysis machines than European or American manufactures, due to the limited space for dialysis units. They have accepted the historically fixed rate of dialysate flow of 500ml/min, without a fundamental review and the introduction of new blood purification technology. New machines with single-flow batch systems with dialysate flow of 250ml/min, have been developed by Fresenius achieving successful miniaturization. Miniaturization of dialysis machines might lead to the future dialysis machines, which could be easily transportable. |
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