Home Dialysis News

With a weather forecast for the South moving from icy temperatures to a welcoming mid-50s this coming weekend, the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta will welcome hundreds of renal professionals for the Annual Dialysis Conference.

On Feb. 9 during the Annual Dialysis Conference in Atlanta, Fresenius Medical Care Renal Therapies Group will present its annual Pioneer in Excellence award to John Cannady, a Mount Airy, Pa. resident on home hemodialysis.

Years ago, the Annual Dialysis Conference was simply known as “the PD conference.” Although it also incorporated sessions on hemodialysis, as it does today, it was the source each year for learning about the latest developments in the world of peritoneal dialysis. Many of the lecturers back then continue to support the home modality today and, at the ADC, being held Feb. 8-11 at the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta, there remains a healthy dose of sessions on PD. Here is a sampling, along with some offerings on home hemodialysis. To download the complete brochure, go to http://medicine.missouri.edu/dialysis/about (Annual Dialysis Conference offers courses for nurses looking for home dialysis, pediatric care)

Baxter International Inc. reported that its fourth quarter income and revenues slightly beat analyst expectations because of higher sales of its dialysis and hemophilia products. Net income dropped 34% to $326 million, or 59 cents a share, compared to $494 million, or 89 cents a diluted share in the same period a year earlier. The company said these results include after-tax special items totaling $366 million, or 67 cents per share, primarily for costs associated with Baxter's acquisition of Gambro, business optimization programs and recent collaborations with Coherus Biosciences and Cell Therapeutics Inc.

As a journalist, I tend to gravitate to the underdog, believing that’s where I will find the best stories. Home hemodialyzor Richard Berkowitz, who passed away last week at age 67, was one of those stories. And in the world of kidney patient care advocacy, he was indeed an underdog. And so was his modality of choice: home dialysis.

Editor's Note: This statement was prepared by Home Dialyzors United staff.

Fresenius Medical Care North America clarified the class II recall of its 2008 Series dialysis machines. FMCNA told NN&I that, in November 2013, it notified customers that it had received reports of the saline bag on its hemodialysis machines inappropriately filling during priming and recirculation of the extracorporeal circuit.

Researchers at Wayne State University in Detroit have discovered a potential way to improve the lipid profiles in patients undergoing hemodialysis that may prevent cardiovascular disease common in these patients.

Dialysis product manufacturer NxStage Medical Inc. increased its revenue guidance for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2013.

Data through August 2013 from the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study’s Practice Monitor shows a slight dip in hemoglobin levels compared to the previous quarter, but little chance in other indicators.