Home Dialysis News

DALLAS — Patients on home hemodialysis have higher hospitalization rates just before transferring back to in-center hemodialysis care, but many of the causes for admission are preventable, according to a study presented at the Annual Dialysis Conference.

An interdisciplinary group of dialysis professionals is poised to launch a multicenter pilot project to gain further evidence of the efficacy of transitional dialysis care units. The project awaits IRB approval at two primary locations with a goal to start enrolling patients in April and May. Led by retired nephrologist Robert S. Lockridge Jr., MD, the pilot project will show a practical way to implement the group’s recently published operational guidance manual for transitional care units for dialysis. The goal of the manual is to have more patients experience the medical, emotional and educational benefits of transitional dialysis care units.

Patients on PD who transition to home hemodialysis instead of in-center dialysis care after technique failure had a lower risk of death and greater incidence of transplant, a study shows.

A home-based program improved both the physical and social functioning of older adults with ESRD who were being treated with hemodialysis and who were of low socioeconomic status, according to a study published in Kidney Medicine.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission voted 3-2 on Feb. 19 to approve the $2 billion merger between Fresenius Medical Care AG & KGaA and hemodialysis machine manufacturer NxStage Medical Inc. The two dissenting members expressed concern that it could thwart other competitors from entering the home hemodialysis market.

Dialyze Direct LLC has completed its acquisition of Affiliated Dialysis Centers LLC and is now the largest provider of staff-assisted home hemodialysis services in nursing homes in the United States, according to a press release from the company.

Optimism pervades commencement of telehealth, or telemedicine or telenephrology, for home dialysis in 2019 following an unexpected and unusual outbreak of common sense, cooperation and relative alacrity among the federal legislative and executive branches last year. A reimbursement structure has been finalized, large dialysis organizations are developing pilots for implementation and the topic will be widely discussed during the Annual Dialysis Conference in Dallas.

The medical and societal cost for treating patients on PD and nocturnal home hemodialysis was lower compared to patients treated with in-center dialysis care, a study from Hong Kong shows.

Patients with kidney disease who changed from home dialysis to in-center care showed lower quality of life scores for physical function over time, according to a recently published study.

Baxter International Inc. recently announced the FDA has indicated that the company may begin a prospective, multicenter clinical trial to test its new on-demand PD generation system that is meant to ease the patient’s experience through use at home, according to a press release from the company.