Choosing peritoneal dialysis (PD) instead of hemodialysis is an option for some people with kidney failure. Hemodialysis involves removing, filtering, and then replacing a patient’s blood. Patients usually go to hospitals or healthcare centers for hemodialysis sessions. With PD, on the other hand, a device called a PD cycler pumps a cleansing fluid into the abdomen where it filters blood to remove waste products. When the filtering process is complete, the fluid flows back out of the abdomen to be discarded. PD treatments use smaller, more portable devices than hemodialysis. Patients can have PD treatments at home, while traveling, and even at work. Patients don’t go to a medical facility for PD treatments, but traditionally PD patients had to go for a medical checkup each month.
Fresenius Medical Care North America recently announced that the company’s Versi PD Cycler System received 510(k) clearance for home use from the FDA. In a Fresenius news release, the company claims the Versi PD Cycler is the lightest, smallest, and quietest dialysis cycler used in the USA. Fresenius pairs the Versi PD Cycler with the Kinexus Therapy Managment Platform that transmits patient data collected during PD sessions to the patient’s care team. Using the two products together, the cycler and the data transmission platform enable care teams to monitor patient therapy and adjust the system as needed. According to Fresenius, the goals of using the two products include improved patient outcomes and nurse productivity. Patients can have PD sessions even when sleeping, a significant improvement in quality of life compared to the disruption caused by multiple-hour hemodialysis sessions at a clinic or medical facility.
Fresenius plans to launch the Versi PD Cycler System on a limited basis during 2022 followed by wider availability beginning in 2023. Peritoneal dialysis isn’t an option for all patients with kidney failure, but we’re particularly enthusiastic about applications where patients can use a PD cycler at home with remote patient monitoring.
