Dutch Kidney Foundation tests first portable dialysis machine

The Dutch Kidney Foundation has been working to introduce the first portable dialysis machine to the market. Clinical studies at the University Medical Centre Utrecht are testing the performance of the new device.

Neokidney to end dependency on stationary dialysis

In the Netherlands, more than 5.000 patients rely on regular dialysis treatment to filter waste and fluids from their blood due to kidney failure. The purification process via hemodialysis requires multiple hours per week. The complex machinery is immobile, and patients are forced to stay in proximity to a healthcare centre at all times.

After many years of development, the Dutch Kidney Foundation has announced the Neokidney to eliminate dependency on stationary treatments. The portable dialysis device is small enough to fit into a suitcase to be taken anywhere, giving patients the ability to travel and make plans spontaneously.

With patients being able to get treatment autonomously, fewer healthcare staff will be needed, which could relieve some of the strain felt due to ongoing staff shortages in healthcare. It could also help save lives in disaster areas where people lose access to their dialysis station. In the Netherlands, people will likely be reimbursed for the treatment by their insurance. 

From the first artificial kidney to mobile technology 

The first dialysis procedure was developed in 1945 by Dutch physician Willem Kolff. Where he failed to produce portable equipment, the company "Nextkidney” felt encouraged to keep innovating. With financial support from three major health insurers, CZ, Menzis and Zilveren Kruis, and in cooperation with companies in Singapore and Switzerland, they started experimenting with mobile technology.

“We noticed that the large dialysis manufacturers did not have real motivation to develop smaller and portable artificial kidneys. So more than twelve years ago, we decided to take matters into our own hands”, says director of the Kidney Foundation Tom Oostrom.

The first successful trials have been conducted on patients in France in collaboration with the University Medical Centre in Utrecht. Further studies with 50 patients in Utrecht, Brussels and Caen in France will continue this year. The results will provide information on possible side effects and how patients carry out their dialysis independently at home.

Principal investigator of the European study, Karin Gerritsen, ensures that this study will be one of many to test the device's safety and effectiveness in purifying blood. If outcomes remain positive, Nextkidney wishes to introduce its device to the European and American markets by 2028.