New Device Improves At-Home Dialysis for Patients and Healthcare Providers

One of the challenges with managing kidney disease when you need dialysis treatments is the regularity of getting to a clinic. You probably know what that’s like for yourself, a friend or a loved one. It’s tough. It’s hardly ever convenient. And on days when you don’t feel like getting out of bed, you still need dialysis to protect your health and do the work your kidneys can’t.

Fortunately, a team of researchers at Baxter International, based in Chicago, Ill., are on a mission to change that. They’ve developed a home dialysis system and technology that makes it easy for patients to do dialysis treatments at home. And while the hardware for home dialysis has been around for a while, Baxter International has taken it one step further.

The American Medical Informatics Association automated peritoneal dialysis system isn’t just a device to that removes waste, toxins and excess fluid, and helps manage electrolytes, sodium, potassium, and phosphate. It does that efficiently. But it also allows a patient’s healthcare team to remotely view dialysis treatment data in real time and manage their care plan.

Baxter International was recently named the winner of the 15th annual Chicago Innovation Awards for developing this system to help improve at-home dialysis treatments for patients and healthcare providers.

“…[This helps] support what was an unmet need for more intuitive technology that helps more patients self-administer PD therapy,” says Baxter Renal President Giuseppe Accogli, “which is evident in the quick adoption of the system by U.S. health care providers and dialysis patients.”

When you need dialysis treatments to maintain your health, you’ve got to follow your doctor’s care plan for best results. And your diet plays a big part of that when you have kidney disease. But you don’t need to hire a personal chef or spend hours in the kitchen to eat healthy meals when you’re on dialysis. Just check out the selection of healthy, tasty, and Dialysis-Friendly meals on the menu, and place an order.