Past, Present, and Future of Artificial Kidney Treatment

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Abstract
The past has seen the evolution of hemodialysis from a very complex operation to a systematized approach which allows the procedure to be instituted by minimally trained individuals. The first big advance in the application of hemodialysis to the problem of chronic renal insufficiency came in 1960 when a permanently implanted arteriovenous plastic fistulae was established. Improvements in dialyzer design and the logistics of hemodialysis since then have resulted in expansion of hemodialysis facilities. There is still a deficit between facilities available and suitable patients in need of therapy. Closure of this gap will depend upon a cheap, small, disposable dialyzer which most patients can operate themselves. In addition, an improvement in kidney transplantation results will remove many patients from the pool of those needing hemodialysis. It is likely that other medical applications of hemodialysis will be discovered in the future.