Arlo’s Story: From Groundbreaking Dialysis in the NICU to a Thankful Holiday at Home

This Thanksgiving is more than the first holiday Brittany and Jacob will share with their son, Arlo. It also marks Arlo’s long-awaited return home.  

Parents Brittany and Jacob from a small town near Toledo, Ohio, were excited to welcome their baby in summer 2024.  

Brittany had a complicated pregnancy and knew her baby would have kidney problems. Her body was not producing enough amniotic fluid, and she underwent about 10 amnio-infusions to support lung development in utero despite the baby’s lack of kidney function. 

On June 17, 2024, baby Arlo was born at 32 weeks, weighing just 1.5 kilograms. He was transferred to two different hospitals in Ohio where he received breathing support until he was able to breathe on his own. Still, per institutional policies, he could only receive lifesaving dialysis once he reached 1.8 kilograms, and he remained under the weight limit.

At this time, Jacob and Brittany prepared to say goodbye to their son. Their final hope was Lurie Children’s, where a team of specialists from interventional radiology, nephrology and neonatology wanted to try caring for Arlo. Because the team knew his organ system and lungs were healthy, they were confident that they could save him.  

Arlo was transferred to Lurie Children’s by airplane with Jacob, and within hours the interventional radiology team had placed a small dialysis catheter in one of his great vessels, making dialysis possible. Since 2022, Lurie Children’s has had a state-of-the-art neonatal dialysis machine known as CARPEDIEM (the Cardio-Renal Pediatric Dialysis Emergency Machine), approved by the FDA in 2020.  

Dialysis works by cleaning the blood and removing fluid. In very small infants, dialysis can be challenging since even small errors in the amount of fluid removed by dialysis machines can lead to an unsafe drop in blood pressure and cause shock. The CARPEDIEM machine allows for very accurate, slow, and steady fluid removal that decreases the risk of excessive fluid removal seen with dialysis machines designed for use in adults.  

Thanks to the combined expertise of Lurie Children’s interventional radiology team in placing a very small dialysis catheter, and our nephrology and NICU teams in employing CARPEDIEM for dialysis, Arlo received the nutrition he needed to grow while eliminating toxins and removing extra fluid that he could not on his own.  

With this breakthrough treatment, Arlo became one of the smallest neonates in the U.S. to receive lifesaving dialysis. He will need continued dialysis treatment until he is eventually ready for a kidney transplant in 12 to 18 months. 

“The landscape for neonatal care is totally changing,” said Theresa Mottes, APN. “It's very moving to be able to care for kids that we couldn’t in years past. It’s important for us to send the message that we can care for these little ones with dialysis.” 

“We’re super proud of the care we have been able to provide to Arlo,” Theresa said. “Had we not been able to do this dialysis for two months, he would have died. We’ve given this kid a real wonderful chance at a full life.” 

From June to September, Arlo responded positively to dialysis at Lurie Children’s, and nearly doubled in size. Each day brought new hope to Brittany and Jacob. In September, with Arlo in fighting shape, the family transferred to a hospital closer to home.  

This November, Arlo went home with his parents for the first time – just in time for the holidays.  

“There was a point where we didn’t know if we would ever get Arlo home,” Brittany said. “We will always be thankful to Lurie Children’s now.” 

About Lurie Children’s Division of Nephrology  

Lurie Children’s Division of Nephrology (kidney disease) offers a full scope of care, including dialysis and kidney transplantation for children with kidney failure. Children can also receive multi-organ transplantation, such as liver-kidney transplantation for oxalosis or polycystic kidney disease. We are a world-renowned program, and our outcomes rank among the top centers in the U.S. for both transplant and dialysis. Our Pediatric Kidney Transplantation Program continues to rank among the nation’s ten best pediatric programs and is the largest of its kind in Illinois. 

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