Home Dialysis News

This is the second part of a two part series. Read part one here.

Maggie Colin has witnessed five decades of dialysis treatment. In fact, she’s helped make history, serving as one of the longest-working dialysis nurses in the world.

The Clinical Standards Group in the CMS Center for Clinical Standards and Quality asked the ESRD community to provide suggestions for changes to the Conditions for Coverage, which was last revised in 2008.

A protocol for urgent-start peritoneal dialysis results in less blood stream infections and appears to reduce mortality when compared to urgent-start hemodialysis, according to research presented at the National Kidney Foundation’s 2015 Spring Clinical Meetings in Dallas.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today authorized use of Lixelle Beta 2-microglobulin Apheresis Column, the first device to treat dialysis-related amyloidosis. The Lixelle Column is manufactured by Kaneka Corporation in Osaka, Japan and distributed in the U.S. by its subsidiary, Kaneka Pharma America.

NxStage Medical Inc. reported that revenue for the fourth quarter of 2014 increased 15% to $79.9 million, compared with revenue of $69.5 million in the same quarter last year. Revenue for the full year increased 14% to $301.5 million, compared with revenue of $263.4 million in 2013.

NxStage Kidney Care Inc., a subsidiary of NxStage Medical, Inc. has opened two dialysis centers in the suburbs of Boston. Located in Wakefield and Norwood, the centers offer multiple therapy options using the NxStage System One, including home hemodialysis, home nocturnal hemodialysis, flexible in-center hemodialysis, and short-term respite care, with schedule flexibility to meet the health and lifestyle needs of the patient. The centers also offer peritoneal dialysis therapy. All NxStage Kidney Care centers offer home dialysis training that is customized to meet the needs of the patient.  

As I write this, my hometown of Phoenix is getting ready to host the National Football League’s 49th edition of the Superbowl. What’s grabbing the headlines is not the anticipated matchup (I’ll predict the Patriots and the Packers for the title game), but how much area hotels are spiking their room rates.  

The National Kidney Foundation Spring Clinical Meeting has always been popular with practicing nephrologists because of the emphasis on relevant clinical issues in the management of kidney patients. To provide for more focused education, the NKF has scheduled day-long courses in advance of the general meeting. I often was a presenter at the peritoneal dialysis (PD) precourse, but was discomfited by the fact that running parallel to this course was a similar one on maintenance hemodialysis (HD). Because of this, the attendee (similar to our patients) had to choose between PD and HD.

NEW ORLEANS – Home is a comfort zone for many of us. You can put your feet up, relax, enjoy family, and forget about what you do 9-5 each day. What about self-care for a chronic illness in that environment? Do you want that to be part of your home life each day?