Italian scientists created a tiny kidney dialysis machine to treat the smallest of babies, and used it to successfully treat a newborn with multiple organ failure.

Existing dialysis machines are designed for adults and are adapted for newborns, but the researchers from San Bortolo Hospital in Vicenza said the modifications make them inaccurate.

Their new continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) machine has the capacity to accurately handle very low blood and ultrafiltration flows compared with existing machines, allowing the use of a much smaller catheter than is typically used in children, which could prevent damage to blood vessels.

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Source: http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca