Virtual Kidney Donation Dialysis System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hemodialysis treatments are inaccessible in environments with limited access to fresh water and energy resources, such as in developing or disaster-stricken areas, as they require significant amounts of fresh water and a power source for the dialysis process.
Innovation Solution
A hemodialysis system that utilizes a healthy human with normal kidney function to act as a 'virtual kidney donor' by connecting their blood to a kidney patient's dialyzer, allowing for the removal of uremic toxins and excess water through the healthy individual's kidney function, eliminating the need for fresh water and using alternative energy sources like mechanical cranks or photovoltaic cells to power the system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional hemodialysis is performed using fresh water and grid power, then dialysis treatment can be effectively conducted, but it becomes inaccessible in environments with limited fresh water and energy resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a healthy individual as an intermediary biological system to perform kidney function. The healthy person's blood is circulated through the dialyzer instead of using fresh water, enabling toxin removal in resource-constrained settings while maintaining dialysis effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the fundamental parameter of the dialysate medium from chemical (fresh water-based solution) to biological (human blood). This parameter change enables the system to adapt to environments without fresh water while maintaining the necessary osmotic and filtration properties for effective dialysis
2Object-generated harmful factors
If fresh water is used to generate dialysate for hemodialysis, then solute removal is effective, but up to sixty liters or more of fresh water are consumed per session
Solution Approach 1:
The healthy individual's circulatory system serves itself by circulating their own blood through the dialyzer. The blood acts as both the dialysate medium and is regenerated and returned to the healthy person, eliminating the need for continuous consumption of fresh water while maintaining effective solute removal
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding used dialysate water, the system recovers and reuses the healthy individual's blood repeatedly. The blood is circulated continuously through the dialyzer, allowing multiple patients to potentially benefit from the same biological resource without depleting fresh water supplies
3Ease of operation
If a power source is used to drive pumps in hemodialysis, then blood circulation is maintained, but the system becomes unavailable in areas with unreliable energy infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the electrical mechanical pump system with a biological pump system - the healthy individual's heart. The heart's natural pumping action drives blood circulation through the dialyzer, eliminating dependence on electrical infrastructure while maintaining controlled blood flow for effective dialysis
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables hemodialysis in resource-constrained settings by providing a means to remove toxins and excess water without relying on grid power or fresh water, effectively extending dialysis access to areas with limited infrastructure.
Implementation Method 1
solutes are diffused across the dialyzer's semipermeable membrane into dialysate
Implementation Method 2
Ultrafiltration is achieved by controlling the trans-membrane pressure, causing water to move across the membrane along a pressure gradient
Data Source
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AI summary
A system includes a dialyzer having a blood side and a dialysate side, a first extracorporeal circuit including one or more first fluid connectors for connecting the blood side of the dialyzer to the vascular system of a kidney patient, a second extracorporeal circuit including one or more second fluid connectors for connecting the dialysate side of the dialyzer to the vascular system of a healthy animal, a first pump in fluid communication with at least one of the first and second extracorporeal circuits, and a driver mechanically coupled to the first pump, where the driver is configured to drive the first pump using energy from an energy source.