Bio-medical engineering technologies complementing the security of HHD in "zero-risk" society

Abstract

Home hemodialysis (HHD) is an ideal dialysis modality, by which the patient can make its dialysis program according to its own life style with a sufficient dialysis dose. HHD is rather safer than in in-center HD because the ultrafiltration volume per unit time in HHD are lower than those of in-center HD. In spite of these benefits, only 0.2% of all dialysis patients in Japan are treated by HHD. The major reasons for that are the anxiety for probable treatment-related troubles in home and the lack of an accompany person. If artificial intelligence could evaluate the severity of the trouble based on the bio-medical information, it could make a warning to the patient and the medical staffs in the hospital, or in a case to the security service. If we could complement the safeness of HHD with bio-medical engineering technologies, we could expand its benefits to more dialysis patients.