Nephrology nursing and the wearable artificial kidney

LOUISVILLE––Victor Gura is a nephrologist turned inventor. He can give you a fascinating review of progress on his project, the wearable artificial kidney. But equally of interest is the story about the patients who tested the device––and the nurse who patiently lead them through it.

A wearable kidney prototype at the Kidney Research Institute Friday September 6, 2014. (PHOTO by Stephen Brashear)
A wearable kidney prototype at the Kidney Research Institute Friday September 6, 2014. (PHOTO by Stephen Brashear)

Last week, Gura gave his second talk in the past two years at the American Nephrology Nurses Association 47th National Symposium. It was on the last morning of the five-day meeting––a tough assignment for any speaker. But the ballroom was filled. Gura made some general comments about innovation in the dialysis community, noting some research efforts regarding new machines, most of them for home use. He expressed support for the implantable artificial kidneyundergoing development at the University of California San Francisco. “There is a lot of work being done,” he said.