In this STAR interview, we speak to Jutta Arens of the Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET). STAR is an acronym for (S)ituation, (T)asks, (A)ctions, (R)esults. We have many āstarā colleagues at UT with interesting stories to tell. Jutta ArensĀ develops a novel class of combined artificial lung & kidney devices for a better and safer treatment of patients.Ā
Situation
What is/was the situation (S) of your research/initiative?
Today, we see more and more patients with chronic diseases of the heart, the lungs, and other internal organs, but unfortunately a shortage of donor organs for transplantation worldwide. Additionally, we also see patients with acute, life-threatening diseases of these organs, such as COVID-19. The latter might not need a transplantation, but temporary support of the damaged organ until it recovers. A third group of patients are our smallest and most vulnerable: premature babies who are born with, e.g. immature lungs, who need a lung support that allows their native lungs to mature and take up their work.
For all these patients, artificial organs such as artificial lungs or heart support pumps can provide a solution that can bridge them to transplantation while they are on the waiting list, bridge them to recovery, or provide a destination therapy.Ā
TasksĀ
What tasks (T) were or are you currently working on?
Many patients in need of artificial lung treatment (also known as ECMO ā Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) also develop acute kidney injury caused by disturbed hemodynamics, lung-kidney cross-talk, etc. and/or have a disturbed fluid balance. These patients might need temporary kidney support (dialysis or hemofiltration) on top of the lung support treatment. Currently, this requires a second access to the patient's blood vessels, a second blood pump, blood tubing and the dialyser in addition to the artificial lung device. This increases the risk for the patient and the task load of the caregivers. Therefore, we work on combining the artificial lung with an artificial kidney in a single device to make the treatment easier accessible, less complex, and thus safer for the patients. Here, we work on the design of novel devices for different age groups, membrane development, and production methods.
More informationĀ
Visit the website.Ā