Dialysis patients in China to benefit from a new era in digitalized home dialysis
Fresenius Medical Care, the world’s leading provider of products and services for individuals with renal diseases, today presented its advances in home dialysis solutions at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. The company showcased new digitalized options that enable patients with end-stage kidney disease to perform dialysis in the comfort of their own homes, including the 5008S hemodialysis (HD) machine and a new automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) machine. Importantly, these new technologies will be backed by Fresenius Medical Care’s intelligent DiaSmart therapy data management system (TDMS+), which enables healthcare professionals to remotely monitor and manage patients throughout their home dialysis treatments.
Home dialysis becomes a viable treatment option for patients in China
According to a 2012 epidemiological survey, the prevalence of chronic kidney disease amongst adults in China is as high as 10.06%.1 People with the most advanced form of chronic kidney disease, called end-stage kidney disease, need dialysis to sustain their lives. Dialysis carries out most of the usual functions of kidneys and can be given in two main ways: hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. In hemodialysis or HD, an ‘artificial kidney’ called a dialyzer and a HD machine are used to remove excess water and waste products from the patient’s blood. The cleaned blood is then returned to the body. In peritoneal dialysis or PD, blood is cleaned inside the patient’s peritoneal cavity – a space within the abdomen. PD is available as continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) for daytime use and as automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) for overnight use.
In China, most people who need regular dialysis have their treatment at a hospital or dialysis center two to three times a week. In recent years, and spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic experience, home dialysis has increasingly become a viable treatment option in China. Offered in the comfort of the patient’s own home, dialysis can be scheduled to suit their lifestyle – offering greater flexibility, the ability to maintain employment and social relationships, and to potentially improve quality of life.2 Home-based dialysis is cost-effective, and in some remote areas, may be the only treatment option available.
Fresenius Medical Care brings advanced home hemodialysis solutions to China
In April 2020, the first home hemodialysis in mainland China was successfully undertaken using Fresenius Medical Care’s 5008S home HD machine and was reported in the specialist medical journal, Hemodialysis International.3 The dialysis was performed independently by the patient, confirming the feasibility of this treatment option for patients in China.
Through the provision of the 5008S, Fresenius Medical Care is committed to progressing home hemodialysis in China while meeting individual patient needs. The machine offers advanced hemodiafiltration therapy at home with features that ensure safe and simple patient operation. The 5008S can also be operated remotely, allowing nephrologists to monitor their patient’s therapy in real time.
Introducing automatic peritoneal dialysis (APD) to China
At CIIE, Fresenius Medical Care also introduced an automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) machine to China. This computerized dialysis option is complemented by a comprehensive service that supports patients and healthcare professionals throughout each stage of the treatment pathway – from creating the dialysis access point in hospital, training the patient to perform his/her own dialysis, monitoring the patient’s treatment data at home, and providing ongoing follow-up.
Smart system solutions empower real-time patient monitoring
In home dialysis, a reliable data management system is essential to support the real-time remote monitoring of each patient’s condition and treatment. Fresenius Medical Care’s DiaSmart system is driven by the company’s proprietary therapy data management system, TDMS+, and can connect remotely to both the 5008S HD and the new APD machines. With the DiaSmart system, patient treatment data can be uploaded in one click, allowing healthcare professionals to monitor and manage dialysis and generate a data analysis report. With its user-friendly interface, seamless software-hardware connection, customized statistical analysis, and end-to-end quality control, the TDMS+ Smart Management System helps to standardize the operations and improve efficiency of home dialysis.
Mr. Alan Chen, Executive Vice President of Fresenius Medical Care Greater China, said, “This is the third time that Fresenius Medical Care has participated at CIIE. This year, we are showcasing our advanced smart home dialysis solutions, which are backed by the strength of our research and development and our understanding of healthcare professional and patient needs.”
Mr. Harry de Wit, CEO of Fresenius Medical Care Asia Pacific, said, “With these innovations, our hope is to provide patients in China with new options to dialyze safely in their own homes in ways that meet their individual needs and that can enhance their quality of life. Fresenius Medical Care will continue to commit to the ongoing development of pioneering medical technologies and introducing them to the renal care community and patients in China and across Asia Pacific.”
References
- Hill, N. R., Fatoba, S. T., Oke, J. L., Hirst, J. A., O’Callaghan, C. A., Lasserson, D. S., & Hobbs, F. D. (2016). Global Prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease – A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PloS one, 11(7), e0158765. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0158765
- Finkelstein, F., Schiller, B., Daoui, R., Gehr, T., Kraus, M., & Lea, J. et al. (2012). At-home short daily hemodialysis improves the long-term health-related quality of life. Kidney International, 82(5), 561-569. https://doi.org/10.1038/ki.2012.168
- Ni, Z., Zhou, Y., Lu, R., Shen, J., Zhao, L., & Jin, H. et al. (2021). Intelligent “Internet Plus” services in the first case of home hemodialysis in mainland China. Hemodialysis International, 25(4). https://doi.org/10.1111/hdi.12942
ABOUT FRESENIUS MEDICAL CARE
Fresenius Medical Care is the world’s leading provider of products and services for individuals with renal diseases of which around 3.7 million patients worldwide regularly undergo dialysis treatment. Through its network of 4,151 dialysis clinics, Fresenius Medical Care provides dialysis treatments for approximately 345,000 patients around the globe. Fresenius Medical Care is also the leading provider of dialysis products such as dialysis machines or dialyzers. Along with its core business, the Renal Care Continuum, the company focuses on expanding in complementary areas and in the field of critical care. Fresenius Medical Care is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FME) and on the New York Stock Exchange (FMS).
For more information, please visit the company’s website: www.freseniusmedicalcare.asia
DISCLAIMER
All information and contents of this release are for general informational purposes only and are provided by Fresenius Medical Care group of companies without any warranties or representations of any kind either express or implied, including without limitation as to their accuracy, completeness or correctness. The availability of products or services mentioned in this release is subject to regulatory requirements and product or service registration status in each country, and products and technical specifications may change without notice. Please contact one of the representatives of Fresenius Medical Care in your country for more details. This release may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to various factors, including, but not limited to, changes in business, economic and competitive conditions, legal changes, regulatory approvals, impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic results of clinical studies, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, uncertainties in litigation or investigative proceedings, and the availability of financing. These and other risks and uncertainties are detailed in Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA’s reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA does not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this release.
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Dr. Alexandra Villar
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Fresenius Medical Care
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