BACKGROUND: We sought to design a simple machine to safely provide continuous veno-venous hemofiltration to acute renal failure patients. RESULTS: The acu-men device uses a pneumatic blood pump with tidal blood flow as the driving force. A volumetric balancing system balances the filtrate with the replacement fluid, and the blood-air interface is eliminated by replacing the conventional venous drip chamber with two air-separating membranes. The extracorporeal circuit is integrated in a disposable cartridge, which is inserted into the machine at the beginning of treatment. The priming and rinsing is done automatically. CONCLUSION: While preliminary data from an ongoing clinic trial on the efficacy of the device are encouraging, further long-term studies are necessary to evaluate its potential to decrease morbidity and mortality in acute renal failure patients.
BACKGROUND: We sought to design a simple machine to safely provide continuous veno-venous hemofiltration to acute renal failurepatients. RESULTS: The acu-men device uses a pneumatic blood pump with tidal blood flow as the driving force. A volumetric balancing system balances the filtrate with the replacement fluid, and the blood-air interface is eliminated by replacing the conventional venous drip chamber with two air-separating membranes. The extracorporeal circuit is integrated in a disposable cartridge, which is inserted into the machine at the beginning of treatment. The priming and rinsing is done automatically. CONCLUSION: While preliminary data from an ongoing clinic trial on the efficacy of the device are encouraging, further long-term studies are necessary to evaluate its potential to decrease morbidity and mortality in acute renal failurepatients.
Authors: Victor Gura; Alexandra S Macy; Masoud Beizai; Carlos Ezon; Thomas A Golper Journal: Clin J Am Soc Nephrol Date: 2009-08-20 Impact factor: 8.237
Authors: Arvind Santhanakrishnan; Trent T Nestle; Brian L Moore; Ajit P Yoganathan; Matthew L Paden Journal: ASAIO J Date: 2013 May-Jun Impact factor: 2.872