Dialysis Technology Makes Itself At Home

By Greg Quirk, Mouser Electronics

Advances have been made in almost all forms of medical technology over the past years. Treatments are getting less invasive due to the smaller size of the components, such as camera pills which can analyze the inner workings of the body without requiring exploratory surgery and new ways to gather data by using wireless connections. One interesting, and growing, technology that has advanced over the years is the dialysis machine.

Overview

The most common method for dealing with patients suffering from kidney failure or chronic kidney disease is through dialysis. Diabetes is the most common cause of end-stage renal disease. There are nearly 26 million people who have diabetes and it is the seventh leading cause of death in the US.

Dialysis is a technique that purifies the blood by removing waste and water as a failing kidney is no longer able to perform the function. The first foray into dialysis was created in 1943 by Dr. Willem Kolff.

Market Size

In 2011 there were around 550,000 people in the United States undergoing dialysis treatment, with nearly 150,000 people starting the treatment each year. This represents a substantial market size of approximately US$67.5 billion, with a compound annual growth rate of 5% – 6%. North America accounts for slightly more than 50% of the dialysis market share.

Market Drivers

There are a number of reasons why the dialysis market has expanded over the past years. First, is the wealth of information that is available to patients, either through their doctors or from their own searches. They understand the value of preventative treatments and how it can prolong their lives, so they put a priority on this type of treatment.

Another major factor is that the population is aging. Approximately 27% of people in the US over 65 have diabetes, some of which will require treatment beyond insulin shots. The benefit of dialysis is that it extends the life of the patient. However, this means that more dialysis machines will be required to satisfy the demand.

Dialysis machines are considerably smaller than before. What used to take up most of a room can now be transported from patient room to patient room, or even outside the hospital, thereby freeing space in hospitals; as well as in-home dialysis machines that are available to let patients self-treat. This segment is expected to increase by 4-5% annually to over US$12 billion in 2014.

Finally, the US government passed a law in 1972 so that anyone diagnosed with kidney failure, regardless of age or income, would have comprehensive coverage under Medicare. This resulted in more dialysis machines being made available to hospitals and thus increased the market size, and represents nearly 10% of Medicare expenditures.

Technology

As a dialysis machine is a medical device, it must adhere to a high safety standard. This means that not only must each component be of sufficient quality, but that a redundant system exists to ensure there is no single component that can cause a failure. Given the safety requirements, these components are typically selected because of their accuracy rather than their speed.

As with any system, there are a number of functional sections that are made up of individual components to create a dialysis machine. Some of the key sections are sensor control board, main system board, main power supply, motor pump driver, venous and arterial pressure sensor, and leak and color detection. Combined, these sections use a variety of different components including analog to digital converters, clocks, voltage controlled oscillators, sensors, DSPs and drive amplifiers, among others. As each component advances the overall reliability of a section, the dialysis machine as a whole improves. At the same time, size and accuracy, among other factors, get better and result in a better end product.

Conclusions

Given the increased demand and government regulations for dialysis, this area is expected to grow substantially in the future. With new technology, the machines are smaller and easier to use, making them available for in-home use and freeing up hospital resources to treat other patients.