In the world’s first such breakthrough, scientists have developed a miniature kidney dialysis machine capable of treating the smallest babies and have also for the first time used it to safely treat a newborn baby with multiple organ failure.
The new continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) machine — named CARPEDIEM (Cardio-Renal Pediatric Dialysis Emergency Machine) — was created to overcome the problems of existing dialysis machines that are only designed for adults and have to be adapted for use in newborns.
“Such modifications make adult devices inaccurate when used in infants who weigh less than 15 kg and can result in complications with fluid management and treatment delivery,” It is estimated that 18% of low-birth weight infants are affected by acute kidney injury and it is increasingly common in children admitted to hospital with an incidence of almost 20% in children admitted to intensive care.
Ronco therefore developed a miniature device for kidney support in newborns and infants weighing between 2 kg and 10 kg
