Home Dialysis News

Data from Australia and New Zealand shows that patient survival rates in those countries were significantly higher among home hemodialysis patients compared to peritoneal dialysis patients.

Editor's note: After more than 20 years on in-center hemodialysis, Jennifer Castillo decided it was time to go back to peritoneal dialysis, which she used to do in the 1980s. She explains why she likes the treatment choice in her article in NN&I's August issue. Below, Castillo talks more in-depth about why she made the switch and chose peritoneal dialysis over home hemodialysis, and offers insight for current in-center patients and staff. 

End-stage renal disease is feared to be—and many times viewed as—a death sentence in the eyes of patients when they are first diagnosed. Many struggle with depression, medication management, fluid management, dietary restrictions, employment challenges, financial and support challenges, fatigue and pain, and often a loss of independence.

After doing in-center hemodialysis for more than 20 years, I decided it was time to go back to the peritoneal dialysis (PD) treatment. I had used PD in the 1980s. The decision to make the change back to PD seemed best for me. PD is performed daily which results in slow, gentle dialysis. Because PD is done this way, as opposed to three or four times a week in the hemodialysis center, there is a constant removal of excess toxins and fluid, which is much easier on me as the patient.

Editor’s Note: The use of peritoneal dialysis in the United States has risen substantially in the last few years, as providers find the therapy cost effective in the post-payment bundle era for patients with renal failure. Home dialysis still remains a very small portion of the overall patient population despite those economic incentives, however.

After showing steady growth beginning in 2012, the number of new starts on peritoneal dialysis in the U.S. took a major plunge this past year, likely due in part to a shortage of dialysate for performing the treatment.

Dialysis product manufacturer NxStage Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTM) reported second quarter financial results at and above the top end of its guidance ranges.

Editor’s note: Lauren Gregg is a home hemodialysis patient from Ewing, N.J. and a competitive pool player for the American Pool Player’s Association. Empowerment is about facing obstacles in life and finding ways around—or over—them

NxStage Medical is working on a new home hemodialysis machine that can also be used in-center, as well as a peritoneal dialysis machine, and a critical care system.

Editor's note: Two reviews were recently published in Kidney International, that analyzed the role of Kt/Vurea in determining dialysis dose. One, by Raymond Vanholder, MD et al, argued that it is too simple a concept for the complexities of uremia and of today’s dialysis. The other, by John T Daugirdas, MD, argued that it is still a useful metric to measure dialysis adequacy. Dr. Agar and Ms. Schatell wrote this article in response to the latter.