Dr. Willem J. Kolff, a Dutch inventor, is widely referred to as the father of artificial organs. Kolff created the first kidney dialysis machine in the early 1940s. Kidney dialysis takes the blood from the body and removes impurities. Kolff, who used everyday materials to create his first kidney dialysis machine, also invented the artificial heart. Kolff died in February 2009.
Kidney Idea
According to a 2009 story in the "New York Times," watching a young man die from kidney failure in 1938 inspired Kolff to create artificial kidneys. Kolff reasoned that if he could remove wastes that build up in the blood he could save patients.
Kept on Researching
While Kolff was researching his kidney dialysis machine, the Germans invaded the Netherlands in 1940. Soon after the invasion, Kolff moved to Kampen. While in Kampen, Kolff helped hide more than 600 in his hospital to avoid Nazi labor camps. While there Kolff kept researching his kidney dialysis machine and also created the first blood bank.
First Dialysis Machine
Kolff's first machine was made of 50 feet of sausage casing that was wrapped around a wooden drum set in saline solution. A patient's blood was drawn into the casing. To remove the impurities, the drum was rotated.
Getting the Blood Back
To get the blood back into his patients, Kolff used a pump. Kolff got the idea from his pump from a water pump the Ford Company used in its engines. For his first pump, Kolff used cans and a washing machine.
Not an Instant Success
The first 15 people that Kolff hooked up to his new "artificial kidney" died. In 1945 a comatose women was the first person saved by Kolff's machine. IN 1947, Kolff sent his first artificial kidney to the United States. Today, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration more than 200,000 people in the United States use dialysis annually.
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