Future Directions for Dialysis

Dialysis is life-saving for an exponentially growing number of kidney failure patients. Yet, the current concept also has several drawbacks, such as high societal cost, incomplete kidney function replacement, dismal outcomes, low quality of life and a considerable ecologic footprint. In spite of many changes over the last fifty years, the original concept remained largely unmodified and the drawbacks did not disappear. In this article, we present a number of alternative solutions that are currently considered or tested which might have a potential impact on uremic toxin concentration, quality of life or environmental footprint that goes beyond what is currently achieved with traditional dialysis. These comprise applications of regenerative medicine; bioartificial kidney; conceptual changes in extracorporeal removal; energy-neutral, water-limiting dialysis; material recycling; keto-analogues; xenobiotics; and preservation of residual kidney function. As metabolism generating uremic toxins also generates beneficial compounds, some of these options may also maintain or restore this balance in contrast to dialysis that likely removes without distinction. All proposed options are also exemplary of how out-of-the-box thinking is needed to disrupt the status quo in treatment of kidney diseases that has now persisted for too long.