AT-HOME KIDNEY CARE
News on new personal dialysis machines
BY:ERIC FEIL
More than 450,000 Americans suffer from kidney failure, making dialysis an indispensable yet often draining part of life. But three trips per week to the clinic for treatments could be eliminated with advances like the NxStage System One portable dialysis machine. “Portable dialysis can be a big advantage,” says Leticia Colon, MPH, of the Kidney and Urology Foundation of America. “It’s something for people to consider if they want to take a more hands-on approach to their treatment. It also means patients don’t have to worry about the cost of transportation and the availability of human resources.”
Delivering hemodialysis, hemofiltration or ultrafiltration, this system offers individuals the freedom to schedule treatments on their own time, in the comfort of their own home or office, even in a hotel room when traveling. Patients give themselves dialysis up to two-and-a-half hours, usually daily, and some studies indicate that such an approach is more similar to natural kidney function than traditional dialysis, thus reducing side effects such as fatigue and offering other health benefits.
More stable blood pressure, reduced anemia rates, increased appetite and overall boosts in energy are among the potential boons of home dialysis, according to Michael A. Kraus, MD, medical director of Indiana University Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis and Acute Dialysis Units, who led a study of the NxStage system.
Roughly the size of a 13-inch TV and weighing 70 pounds, the NxStage unit requires no special plumbing or wiring modifications for installation, and a built-in alarm warns of malfunctions or improper setup. After a two-week training course, patients—generally with a caregiver assistant—should be ready to experience a new level of freedom.
Insurance will likely cover the cost. Even so, in many cases, home dialysis “is underutilized,” says Joseph Vassalotti, MD, chief medical officer of the National Kidney Foundation, which has been promoting awareness of the treatment. “It would be better for the patient to have this option.”
Portable dialysis is not for everyone, though. Poor eyesight, hand numbness and lack of mental acuity are among the reasons some people are advised not to go it alone. But for those whose doctors determine home dialysis is a viable option, ease of use can quickly equate to improved quality of life, and an active one at that.
“You can take it with you for the weekend or on vacation,” says Wilfrido Yutuc, MD, a kidney specialist at Wisconsin’s Gundersen Lutheran Hospital. “It fits easily into one’s lifestyle, and patients gain more independence.”
To find a dialysis center near you that offers a home hemodialysis program, go to www.homedialysis.org.