New Form of Dialysis Discovered

The traditional dialysis treatments are not successful at removing toxic chemicals and some patients experienced significant side effects. To overcome this, researchers developed a new dialysis method.

A new method called expanded dialysis that removes a broader range of toxins from the body has been developed. It can improve the quality of life in chronic kidney disease patients who struggle with the side effects of traditional dialysis.

In a clinical trial led by Dr Chris McIntyre, Nephrologist at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and Scientist at Lawson, dialysis patients at LHSC were administered expanded dialysis through a new dialyzer made by Baxter International Inc.

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‘A new form of expanded dialysis improves the quality of life in chronic kidney disease patients.’

The dialyzer, called THERANOVA, has precisely-made pores that allow larger sized toxic chemicals to be filtered from the blood while retaining essential molecules such as albumin.

These larger molecules that the THERANOVA dialyzer is able to filter out are believed to be associated with inflammation, cardiovascular disease, and chronic symptoms like fatigue.

As part of the clinical trial, a patient with chronic kidney disease was administered dialysis through the THERANOVA dialyzer. After this, patient started to notice a positive difference immediately.

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Later the study continued for three months with 28 patients. Along with receiving the expanded dialysis treatment, the participants were also monitored through the London Evaluation of Illness (LEVIL) app, developed by Dr. McIntyre with the help of patient input.

By using the LEVIL app, they were able to determine that patients had a poorer quality of life at the start of the study significantly improved in the areas of general well being, energy, and sleep after approximately four to eight weeks of expanded dialysis.

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Now that the first phase of this study has been completed and published in Kidney Medicine.

The next phase will include 60 dialysis patients for up to six months of treatments using the THERANOVA dialyzer. This second phase will be a multicentered clinical study led by Lawson, University of Toronto and Humber College.

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Source-Medindia