Scenario: You are an engineer working for a company designing dialysis equipment for worldwide use.

You are interested in designing both for economically-developed countries and third-world countries. In economically-developed countries there are working dialysis systems, but your design would be an improvement. In the third-world, access to any dialysis equipment is currently limited.

You have 2 design choices and must make a decision on one design. Manufacturing and FDA approval costs are such that your company can only move forward on one of the following designs.

Design 1: A design using disposable filters that would be replaced with each patient.

Pros/Cons/Issues re: Design 1:

Purchase of disposables in the third world is difficult and not typically funded by charitable organizations and government entities that might be willing to purchase or donate the equipment

More profitable for the company in developed countries as hospitals would continue to purchase disposable filters

Will have a secondary infection rate of 1 in 1,000

100 times less expensive to manufacture than Design 2

Design 2: A design using a reusable filter that could be cleaned, autoclaved and reused with each patient.

Secondary infection is a risk in dialysis. Such an infection in a patient with kidney disease could result in long-term injury and increased risk of death.

Pros/Cons/Issues re: Design 2:

Reusable filter would require autoclaves, more training, and would be more expensive initially (although cheaper in the long-term after 100 patients)

In the hands of untrained personnel, could be more dangerous

Less profitable for your company in economically developed countries as hospitals would not need to continue to purchase disposable filters

Will have a secondary infection rate of 1 in 1,000,000

100 times more expensive to manufacture than Design 1

Which design will you choose?

Would it make a difference in your decision if the design was primarily for economically-developed countries or for third-world countries?