Scientists used artificial intelligence and trained aerospace simulation software to develop a device that they hope to bring new dialysis to patients. By using a machine learning algorithm that simulates unsteady air-pocket flow over a plane, scientists successfully optimized blood flow in patients undergoing dialysis.
When kidneys fail, dialysis keeps your body balanced by removing waste, salt, and excess water to prevent them from building up. It does this by diverting them into a machine.
Connecting the machine to the patient requires a special junction between an artery and a vein in the patient’s wrist or upper arm. That special junction is also known as an arterio-venous fistula (AVF).
Because of unusual, exceptionally unstable blood flow, almost 50% of AVFs occlude and fail due to inflammation of the arterial wall. Thus, patients need to undergo another procedure and, in some cases, repeated procedures.
This newly developed device shows how blood flow could be optimized to potentially improve AVF procedures. Using AI optimizes the shape of an AVF, thereby reducing blood-flow unsteadiness.
Dr. Peter Vincent, co-author of the study, said, “We routinely use computer simulations to study airflow over airplanes. These same techniques can now be used to optimize medical devices, including AVF.”
Surgery and fluid science combine to aid dialysis in patients with kidney disease
Dr. Richard Corbett, co-author from Hammersmith Hospital, said, “Haemodialysis is a life-sustaining treatment used by millions of patients worldwide who have kidney failure. These patients are dependent on arterio-venous fistula (AVF) procedures to clean their blood. However, dysfunction and failure in the AVF is a real problem for these patients, leading to many hospital admissions and extra operations.”
“This technology offers great promise for these patients. By improving outcomes from AVFsurgery, it could potentially reduce the need for repeated operations, which could and lead to better quality dialysis.”
Dialysis may not be ideal for some older adults with kidney failure
The prototype device has so far undergone preliminary tests in pigs, which have been successful. Scientists are now planning to continue testing on pigs for several months to assess effectiveness. Even if these trials are successful, they will be several years away from conducting clinical trials in patients.
Journal Reference
- L. Grechy, F. Iori, R. W. Corbett, S. Shurey, W. Gedroyc, N. Duncan, C. G. Caro, P. E. Vincent; Suppressing unsteady flow in arterio-venous fistulae. Physics of Fluids 1 October 2017; 29 (10): 101901. DOI: 10.1063/1.5004190
