Girl creates low-cost home dialysis machine

Dialysis is “a treatment for kidney failure that removes waste and extra fluid from the blood, using a filter,” says the National Kidney Center. It’s used when the kidneys are failing the body, as in the case of diabetes, high blood pressure or glomerulonephritis (chronic inflammation of the kidneys), explains the National Health Service. It and can take about four hours per session.

“My personal story of innovation began when I was 16 volunteering at a local hospital a few summers ago as a companion to patients on dialysis, a common way of filtering blood when the kidneys fail. My time spent at the hospital with patients on dialysis is when I began to learn the true potential of innovative thinking... Saving lives. As someone who dreams of becoming a doctor, I naturally became fascinated by this three times a week treatment. I began reading up on dialysis, and one thing became immediately clear: There is a worldwide lack of access and a huge need for this treatment. My inspiration didn’t spring from past medical projects or feats of engineering... It came from spending time with dialysis patients. I’m not a doctor or an engineer”, the innovator expressed.

The time it took for the patients to get the treatment, and logistics was a problem, But the girl was also shocked about the cost a traditional machine costs about 30.000 USD. So she was set out to come up it a cheaper device that could be used in the patient’s home.

So the inventor started doing research, mostly online and also by reading existing dialysis machines manuals. This lead Anya to the first prototype, which allowed her to see if she could design an affordable and easier machine to use. The second version was a big improvement. “It filtered about four litres, equal to the blood volume of a child, in 25 minutes. It proved that it could work and helped me understand how to further develop my third prototype”.

Dialysave can be built for about 500 USD.

Up to 2017, Anya got contacted by 30 people from all around the world who asked her to purchase her dialysis machine either for themselves or for a loved one.

The inventor got to showcase her device on several occasions and co-founded her own company in 2018, Encapcell Technologies. She sold the patent of her device to another company who is now developing the project.

Adapted from: https://bit.ly/2VGYWCp
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5ncIwCZDGU