In acute kidney failure, a cell-filled device temporarily replaced the injured cells and cut death rates significantly...

In acute kidney failure, a cell-filled device temporarily replaced the injured cells and cut death rates significantly, according to a preliminary study.

 

Action Points: 1.) Explain to patients who ask that a preliminary study found that treatment with an external kidney-assist device in addition to standard therapy improved outcomes for high-risk patients with acute kidney failure.  2.)Point out that a larger multicenter, randomized trial is necessary to evaluate this therapy.

 

The addition of an external device containing human renal tubule cells to standard therapy significantly reduced the risk of death after acute kidney injury, H. David Humes, M.D., of the University of Michigan here, and colleagues reported online in the March issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. More.