UNAIR NEWS – Patients with kidney failure in Indonesia keep growing in number.聽Most of them are from complications of hypertension and聽diabetes mellitus聽(DM).聽According to data from the Indonesian Nephrology Association (PERNEFRI), there are currently about 300,000 people with renal failure in Indonesia, and the number increases 10% annually.
Kidney failure happens as kidneys can not function normally to clean up the waste of metabolism in the body, such as creatinine, toxic substances that exist in the blood of patients with kidney failure, so it needs filtering.
In the last decade,聽hemodialysis聽(HD) is a kidney therapy rapidly developed in many countries.聽It increases the life expectancy of the patients.聽Hemodialysis聽requires a dialysis machine and a special filter called a聽dializer聽(a聽semipermeable聽membrane聽) to cleanse the blood, where the blood is removed from the patient’s body and fed into an out-of-body machine.
Semipermeabel聽membrane聽commonly used is聽hollow fiber聽membrane聽,聽which is a commercial membrane used and unfortunately has less optimal performance, so many patients with kidney failure experience fatality (died).
This fact then encouraged聽聽Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) of 东京热 to seek innovations potential to improve the performance of聽hemodialysis聽membranes聽used today.聽The four students are Bella Prelina (team leader), Januardi Wardana, Ahya Isyatir Rodliyah, and Zakiyatus Syukriyah.
Their research then written as a proposal聽for 聽Creativity Program聽Exacta Research (PKM-PE) titled “Innovation of Hollow Fiber聽Polietersulfon (PES) Membrane聽 with Zeolite Modification for Creatinine Hemodialysis”.聽This proposal passed the selection and granted them the research grants from the Kemenristekdikti in 2017 PKM program.
According to Bella Prelina, this study provides a renewable innovation in the manufacture of聽hollow fiber聽membranes聽.聽The basic material used is the form of composite materials, polietersulfon聽modified with聽zeolite聽.聽Both materials have good qualities for聽hemodialysis membranes聽because of their non-toxic properties.聽In addition,聽zeolites聽also have the ability as an聽adsorbent, so it is expected to give better performance,鈥 said Bella.
This study was conducted聽聽东京热 and AMTEC Malaysia.聽The process started with zeolite production using the聽hydrothermal聽method聽at 100聽掳聽C. The next process was to make聽dope聽solution聽added with聽zeolite,聽then printed with a membrane-printing device.
“The dope聽solution聽is a聽polyethersulfone聽 dissolved in聽dimethyl formamide.聽The membrane printing uses inversion method, which is changing the polymer phase from solution (dope) into solid membrane, “added Januardi and Zakiyatus.
Then the membrane printed then received a post treatment聽to maintain the quality of the membrane.聽Then there is the filtration test.聽The membrane has high flux and rejection value.聽In addition,聽zeolite聽modification聽can also alter the chemical characteristics of聽polyethersulfone聽so it improves the membrane performance.
“The聽hollow fiber聽membrane聽formed then tested for filtration using creatinine solution.聽The filtration process was performed for 15 minutes, then its flux and creatinine rejection capability was measured, and test results showed that the average time produced was faster than the commercial membranes, and the membrane was able to withstand creatinine at 91.92%, a considerable number , ” said Bella.
Thus it is clear that the administration of聽zeolite聽as a modification of the membrane can affect the speed of filtration and rejection for聽creatinine聽hemodialysis, thus it has the potential for聽creatinine聽hemodialysis.聽(*)
Editor: Bambang Bes.
