Home Dialysis News

With no immediate resolution in sight, Baxter Healthcare is relying on help from competitor Fresenius Medical Care to meet a shortage of exchange fluid for new patients on peritoneal dialysis, while scrambling to meet the needs of existing patients. In a letter to health care professionals last week, Baxter indicated that resolving its problems with under capacity could take four to six months.

Baxter International Inc. said it plans to expand its dialyzer manufacturing facility in Opelika, Ala., to help address the growing global demand for dialyzers.

On June 23, Martin Schreiber Jr., MD, began his new position as vice president of clinical affairs for home modalities at DaVita Kidney Care. He came from Cleveland Clinic, where he had previously served as chairman of the Department of Nephrology and Hypertension and the Director of Home Dialysis. “I believe that every patient deserves to be educated on their modality options and to have a choice in their dialysis care," said Schreiber in a prepared statement. "While home dialysis may not be right for everyone, we recognize that many patients could benefit from more frequent dialysis and enjoy a higher quality of life with the option of a home modality."

NxStage Kidney Care Inc., a subsidiary of NxStage Medical Inc., has opened a new dialysis center in Orlando, Fla. The center is certified to provide home hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and in-center hemodialysis. The new dialysis facility's medical director is Orlando-based nephrologist, Dr. Ndidi Nwamu.

Baxter Healthcare Corporation is experiencing supply constraints for peritoneal dialysis solutions and is exploring alternative options to increase supply, according to a notification sent to Baxter customers this month.

Chronic hemodialysis in Seattle developed with a highly patient-centric approach, providing patients the option of dialyzing in neighborhood units under the administration of a non-profit organization, the Northwest Kidney Center (NKC). This study examined the effects of a requirement in the 2009 Conditions for Coverage that in-center hemodialysis patients be visited quarterly during their treatment session. A retrospective analysis of quality outcome indicators for patients managed at the University of Washington Medical Center and dialyzing at NKC in 2008 and 2010 found that dialysis adequacy (eKt/V), phosphorus, albumin, and hemoglobin were not improved by quarterly dialysis visits. Instead, dialysis unit visits adversely impacted patient-nephrologist relationships and diverted nephrologists from other patient care activities.

Nursing home patients on dialysis are higher-acuity compared to the broader ESRD population. The objective of this study was to evaluate health status and outcomes in patients on hemodialysis in a nursing home setting. Health status was evaluated for 3,943 patients between April 2007 and June 2013. Patients had poor initial health status, with an incident first month annualized mortality rate of 70%, mean serum albumin of 3.2 g/dL, and mean hemoglobin of 10.15 g/dL. Improvements were noted during months 4-12, with annualized mortality rates of 30%, serum albumin of 3.6 g/dL, and mean hemoglobin of 10.8 g/dL. Patient outcomes also improved year-over-year. These study results demonstrated poor initial health status, but improvements in patient outcomes over time when dialysis is provided in a nursing home setting.

NxStage Medical Inc. reported a 13% increase in revenue for the second quarter of 2014, exceeding the top end of its guidance range. The increase in revenue was driven by strong sales of its System One hemodialysis machine for the home and critical care markets. Home revenue increased 18% to $38.5 million for the second quarter of 2014 compared with 2013. Critical care revenue increased 15% to $12.4 million compared with revenue of $10.8 million for the second quarter of 2013. In-center  dialysis revenue was $21 million for the second quarter of 2014 compared with revenue of $21.2 million for the same quarter in 2013.

Hemodialysis University, hosted by the International Society for Hemodialysis, will hold its 2014 update on advances in Hemodialysis Aug. 15–16 in Chicago. This year’s program will focus on home hemodialysis, anemia, complications, outcomes, and other clinically important issues.

Baxter International Inc. reported that net income for the second quarter of 2014 dropped almost 12% to $520 million, and $0.95 per diluted share, compared to net income of $590 million, and $1.07 per diluted share, in the same period last year.