Dialysis is an effective but time consuming procedure. The project will seek to produce a dialysis acceleration device which will increase dialysis efficiency. This could allow for a reduction of dialysis duration and for more effective dialysis for patients who made need more clearance. The mechanism to be employed is to increase molecular diffusion rates through dialysis membranes by application of acoustic and/or vibrational energy at the filter surface. The approach will be to define an excitation device which can be used as an adjunct to existing dialysis hardware, requiring very little modification to dialysis machines or filters, or none if possible. The result will be a stand alone product for use with existing dialysis machines and standard or very slightly modified dialyzers. Three basic types of dynamic excitation will be evaluated over frequencies ranging from tens of hertz to ultrasonic. Laboratory excitation device(s) will be fabricated and their ability to increase, for example, shear rates at the filtration surfaces will be measured.. The effectiveness of thes3e excitations to enhance dialysis efficiency will be determined by measurement of clearance rates for creatine and B-12 in a saline solution using standard dialysis equipment.
This technology could reduce the time necessary for dialysis and potentially save thousands of man hours for physicians, nurses, technicians, and patients, with enormous economic impact. The dynamic dialysis accelerator device will be a stand alone product which could be purchased separately from and used with standard dialysis machines, making the potential market several hundred thousand worldwide. If disposable parts are necessary the market would be larger.
