Dialysis can save the lives of people with kidney failure, but it’s time-consuming and comes with side effects and complications.

A doctor from U-C-L-A has been working with colleagues for years to develop an artificial kidney that works like a real one, with fewer downsides than dialysis. This artificial kidney is worn on the abdomen, where it filters blood constantly. It helps patients overcome the fatigue and other complications that creep up between dialysis treatments as toxins build up in the blood.

The artificial kidney also frees patients from lengthy and frequent sessions hooked to a dialysis machine. Some people are able to undergo traditional dialysis while they sleep. But many must travel several times a week to a medical facility and spend hours sitting next to a dialysis machine as it filters their blood. Obviously, this kind of time commitment really interferes with a normal life.

The wearable kidney device runs on batteries and, unlike a traditional dialysis machine, does not have to be hooked up to a separate water source. It also offers another advantage, in that it can be remotely monitored for problems. For testing, researchers are using a 10-pound prototype, which looks like a tool belt. Future versions will be smaller.

Experts at the University of Washington say constant filtering of the blood may reduce the number of daily medications patients take and also give them more freedom in their diet.

The device passed its initial trials on safety and effectiveness several years ago and has been tested in at least one initial F-D-A trial. Now, the researchers are focused on making it better and achieving an important goal … improving the lives of patients with kidney failure.