- Patients with chronic renal disease often have to spend hours each day hooked up to heavy machines, hindering their ability to move around
- AWAK Technologies is among a handful of start-ups worldwide working to solve this problem with portable dialysis devices
For
the past seven years, 70-year-old Singaporean Julia Lee has rarely
travelled overseas. Her most recent trip was one night away, in
neighbouring Malaysia.
Since
being diagnosed with kidney disease, Lee has spent 10 hours each day
hooked up to a 20-kilogram machine, making it difficult to move around.
Chronic
renal disease results in a loss of kidney function, meaning the
patient’s body is unable to clear the blood of waste and excess fluids.
Dialysis – the treatment Lee goes through which involves machines
removing excess water and toxins from the patient’s blood – is the only
option for those whose kidneys are no longer able to perform their
function, save for a kidney transplant. Some like Lee, whose heart
problems make her unsuitable for a transplant, have to rely on the
treatment permanently.
“If
there was a portable device that could be carried around and used at
home, it would be more convenient for me,” Lee said. “Maybe I would be
able to travel more.” --> READ MORE
Comments
Post a Comment