Abstract
The artificial kidney, one of the greatest medical inventions in the 20th century, has saved innumerable lives with end stage renal disease. Designs of artificial kidney evolved dramatically in decades of development. A hollow-fibered membrane with well controlled blood and dialysate flow became the major design of the modern artificial kidney. Although they have been well established to prolong patients’ lives, the modern blood purification system is still imperfect. Patient’s quality of life, complications, and lack of metabolic functions are shortcomings of current blood purification treatment. The direction of future artificial kidneys is toward miniaturization, better biocompatibility, and providing metabolic functions. Studies and trials of silicon nanopore membranes, tissue engineering for renal cell bioreactors, and dialysate regeneration are all under development to overcome the shortcomings of current artificial kidneys. With all these advancements, wearable or implantable artificial kidneys will be achievable.
Highlights
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
Adsorption occurs with the deposition of proteins on the membrane during dialysis, which creates a biofilm over the inner surface of hollow fibers
The membrane materials used in artificial kidneys include cellulose derivatives, polysulfone derivatives (PSU), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), and ethyl vinyl-acetate copolymer (EVAL) [24]
Summary
The performance of each dialyzer depends on its ability to remove solutes and excessive fluid from the patient’s blood. In regard to blood purification, solutes in the plasma could be classified based on their molecular weights [12]. Small molecular weight solutes (less than 500 Daltons), such as glucose, electrolytes, lipids, urea, and creatinine, are removed by the kidney through ion channels or diffuse across the cell membrane directly. Middle molecular weight solutes (500–15 k Daltons), such as hemoglobulin, β2-microglobulin, and bilirubin, metabolize in human bodies through various pathways. Large molecular weight solutes (greater than 15 k Daltons) cannot pass through most membranes, which create oncotic pressure across semipermeable cell membranes. To replace the function of the kidney, dialyzers are designed for solutes with different molecular weights. Solutes with different molecular weights behave differently across the membrane on the basis of three main types of clearance: diffusion, convection, and adsorption
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
