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Hemodialysis costs Medicare $90,000 annually per patient.[1] Space kidneys could cost $500K and the government would probably still save money, especially if th
by DennisP 5y ago
Hemodialysis costs Medicare $90,000 annually per patient.[1] Space kidneys could cost $500K and the government would probably still save money, especially if they're based on the patient's stem cells (or very close matches) so immunosuppressants aren't necessary.
Kidneys don't mass much. We don't need super-cheap launch to make space kidneys worthwhile.
[1] https://pharm.ucsf.edu/kidney/need/statistics https://pharm.ucsf.edu/kidney/need/statistics
- qayxc 5y ago> We don't need super-cheap launch to make space kidneys worthwhile. It'd still be a giant gamble, because both progress in artificial kidneys and new methods for 3d-printing organs could make dialysis obsolete faster than space-grown organs could be available.
- nexuist 5y agoIs this something we could start doing tomorrow? Do we already know how to make space kidneys and just need the space in space to do it?
- DennisP 5y ago3D organ printing appears to be advancing rapidly and zero-g is thought to make things significantly easier but no, I don't think we're there yet. I was just responding to the previous comment, which claimed it would only be economic in mass production due to launch costs. I think that's incorrect due to the massive expenses incurred by dialysis patients. The cost of a kidney can be quite high and still save money compared to dialysis. I used the cost of dialysis but it's not even just the dialysis itself, it's also dealing with the complications that come with it.