Home Dialysis Central update
[Vol.5, No.3, March 26, 2008]
Happy Spring! It's great to have more control of how to spend those longer days—with home dialysis. Share the gift of options with our DVD—order your copy today! And, be sure to send for your FREE postcard handouts for your new dialyzor packets, health fairs, education days, etc.
Home Dialysis Central reports tremendous 4-year growth in #s of home programs
Where there's smoke, there's fire! Since we started Home Dialysis Central in July 2004, we've been tracking home programs in our database. Here's what we've found:
| Modality | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | %Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAPD | 1460 | 1525 | 1526 | 1581 | 1861 | +27.5 |
| CCPD | 1428 | 1497 | 1499 | 1555 | 1841 | +28.9 |
| CHHD | 294 | 340 | 343 | 433 | 654 | +122.4 |
| NHHD | 73 | 95 | 99 | 204 | 300 | +310.9 |
| DHHD | 37 | 84 | 99 | 233 | 480 | +1197.3 |
We're frankly astounded at how quickly home programs have been mushrooming all over the US! This amazing growth reflects commitments through the renal community to making home options more available.
New NKUDIC materials include home HD
The National Kidney & Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse has a new fact sheet on home HD! You can read it here. And, a new version of the NKUDIC's most popular booklet, Kidney Failure: Choosing a Treatment that's Right for You, now has expanded and updated info on daily and nocturnal home HD. Read it here.
On dialysis and want a baby? Think about nocturnal HD
The numbers are very small—but in a new study, 5 women ages 31-37 had 7 pregnancies between them and 6 live infants while receiving 43-53 hours of nocturnal HD per week. Two of the infants were small for gestational age, and one was premature. None of the women (from Toronto) had conceived while doing standard HD. Read the abstract.
Biocompatible PD fluid helps adequacy
"Glucose degradation products" (GDPs) occur when sugars are caramelized as PD fluid is made. GDPs can reduce PD adequacy, and in time, harm the peritoneum. A new study of 104 PD patients who randomly received standard fluid or a pH neutral fluid with fewer GDPs found that the new fluid led to better adequacy. Read the abstract.
More blood pressure meds + standard HD doesn't = better BP
Both daily and nocturnal HD can aid blood pressure control and reduce the need for BP meds. But do more BP meds on their own help blood pressure in patients on standard therapy? A new study says NO. Among 106 ESRD patients, those who took 4+ BP pills had no better blood pressure than those who took 2-3 or 0-1. Read the abstract.
Once-a-month IV Aranesp keeps up Hgb levels on PD
It would sure be convenient to only need anemia drugs once a month—and a new study suggests that this can work for people using PD. In a study of 72 folks on PD, hemoglobins were kept in the target range with once-monthly dosing. Read the abstract.
John Evers may be the oldest person to train for nocturnal HD in the US!
"I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks," laughs John Evers, "because I started training to do my own dialysis at the age of 81!" Two years later, Evers is still going strong. At 83, he is probably the oldest person in the US doing home hemodialysis. Read his story.
Topic of the month: blood pump speed and your dialysis fistula
How do blood pump speeds vary from country to country, and does blood pump speed affect your arteriovenous fistula (AVF)? In the US, blood pump speeds are often in the 400-450ml/min range. In Australia, Japan, and Europe, blood pump speeds tend to be lower, often just 250-300ml/min. Read more.
What happens to my Medigap plan if I get a job with health insurance?
Click here to learn the answers to this & other questions about Medicare payment for PD and home hemo.
Read all about it!
Review home dialysis-related news, courtesy of Nephrology News & Issues. This week's stories include:
- FDA confirms contaminate in Baxter's heparin
- Uric acid may provide early clues to diabetic kidney disease
- Study finds disparities in kidney testing
- Gambro publishes 2006 Dialysis Opinion Survey
Featured link: Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER)
Where can you see critical information in the event of a national emergency or disaster? Register for the Kidney Community email listserv? Find the number for the kidney emergency hotline? KCER has it all. Check it out!
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