At last, some relief for patients undergoing dialysis. ‘Periton Safe’, an automated peritoneal dialysis fluid-making device being developed by K.V.K.L.N. Rao, the founder of Avyantra Health Technologies, is expected to drastically reduce the cost of dialysis.
The device was presented at a meeting held recently for potential investors by the Centre for Health Care Entrepreneurship (CFHE), an initiative by the Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IITH).
An automated home medical device, Periton Safe is for conducting peritoneal dialysis (PD) with a sensor for early detection of peritonitis.
The IoT-enabled automated PD fluid-making device would make PD fluid at home to facilitate cost-effective dialysis. The device would sense deviations in water quality, continuously monitors patient’s compliance and performance parameters and performs automated night-time dialysis too. The device has an in-built cycler for enabling night-time dialysis to improve the treatment quality. A bio-sensor with early detection capabilities of peritonitis is also being developed to reduce the risk of infections and make the treatment safer. “About 90% of patients suffering from chronic kidney disease in India are currently unable to afford dialysis and the device promises to address this gap,” Mr. Rao told The Hindu.
“In the current peritoneal dialysis process, the monthly cost is about ₹25,000 to ₹30,000, which is expensive as patients have to undergo at least three to four peritoneal dialysis sessions a day and there will be additional charges for medicine too. However, with Periton Safe, a normal water filter can be used to prepare fluid for dialysis, which would reduce the monthly cost of dialysis by about 60% to 80%,” explained Mr. Rao, adding that the equipment was lab tested and the results were encouraging. The device, for which a patent has been applied, would be made available in the market after the completion of clinical trials and regulatory approvals.
In a country like India and many other developing ones plagued by a low doctor-patient ratio, smart medical devices would lead the way in solving the growing health problems and reducing the cost burden on both patients as well as the government, opined Mr. Rao, who left his IT career to start the Avyantra Health Technologies to pursue his passion for building cost-effective, world-class devices for low-resource countries. Mr. Rao can be reached at avyantra@gmail.com.