Open-Label Study To Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of the Renal Assist Device In Patients With Acute Renal Failure

Overview

Although conventional hemodialysis removes waste products and corrects fluid imbalance, it does not replace critical absorptive, metabolic, endocrine, and immunologic functions performed by healthy renal tubule cells. This trial involving patients with acute renal failure evaluates the efficacy and safety of an extracorporeal renal assist device (RAD) containing human renal tubule cells connected to a conventional hemodialysis circuit. It is hypothesized that short-term (72-h) use of this cell therapeutic device will improve survival of ARF patients compared to patients receiving only conventional continuous renal replacement therapy.

Acute Renal Failure (ARF) is a severe inflammatory disease state often accompanied by Multi-Organ Failure (MOF) and Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS). ARF is precipitated by many factors and is most often linked to the loss of kidney tubule cell function. Patients with ARF are treated in the intensive care units of hospitals, and recovery of renal function is vitally important to their survival. Current therapy for ARF involves conventional kidney support with continuous renal replacement therapies (CRRT). Despite advances in treating patients with CRRT, ARF has an extremely high mortality rate (55-70%) and requires extensive hospital stays, predominantly in the ICU. The RAD is designed to both treat ARF with MOF and/or SIRs and facilitate the natural recovery of a patient's own kidney function. The RAD is intended for use for short periods of time in conventional extracorporeal therapeutic systems that are already available in the hospital. The RAD therapy operates outside the body and is designed to mimic the structure and function of the natural kidney. In this manner it is intended to replace the missing metabolic, endocrine, and immunologic functions of the kidney and allow time for the patient's own kidneys to resume normal functions.