Press Releases
Data Demonstrate Patients on Short Daily Home Hemodialysis
Experience Quality of Life Benefits and Reduced Need for Medication
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, February 27, 2006 – WellBound, a company that combines focused educational programs with
self-care (home) dialysis therapies to improve the lives of chronic
kidney disease (CKD) patients, today announced positive results from a
study of patients receiving short daily home hemodialysis. Researchers
presented data demonstrating that CKD patients undergoing short daily
home hemodialysis experienced improved quality of life and reduced need
for antihypertensive drugs after transferring from other dialysis
therapies. These findings were presented today at the Annual Dialysis
Conference in San Francisco, CA.
“As the company at the forefront of driving patient education on and
adopting self-care dialysis therapies, WellBound is very pleased to
present data demonstrating clear patient benefits associated with these
treatments,” said John Moran, M.D., WellBound’s chief medical officer
and a leading expert on self-care dialysis. “With the country’s largest
daily home hemodialysis program, we are in the unique position to
gather and analyze data on these therapies.”
In this
study, WellBound monitored 36 patients on maintenance short daily home
hemodialysis after they switched from either conventional in-center
hemodialysis (n=35) or peritoneal dialysis (n=1). Researchers were able
to gather and analyze a total of 506 months of treatment from these
patients as they underwent treatment five-to-six days per week. This
compares to patients on conventional in-center hemodialysis who
typically undergo treatment three days each week. Study findings showed
that the mean number of hypertensive pills per patient per day fell
from 2.9 on conventional hemodialysis to 1.3 on short daily home
hemodialysis. Additionally, all study patients reported greatly
improved energy and quality of life, and lost the post-dialysis
“washout” symptoms typically experienced on conventional hemodialysis.
All patients involved in this study have opted to remain on short daily
home hemodialysis instead of returning to their previous dialysis
treatment.
“We believe that these findings make a strong case for the
advantages of more frequent dialysis treatment, particularly short
daily home hemodialysis” stated Dr. Moran. “These benefits are further
supported by the fact that all patients have chosen to remain on short
daily home hemodialysis.”
About Self-Care Dialysis
The term self-care dialysis refers to those dialysis therapies
which patients are able to self-administer outside the confines of
hemodialysis centers, including peritoneal dialysis and all types of
home hemodialysis. A growing collection of clinical research clearly
demonstrates that the more frequent, more consistent dialysis
associated with self-care provides patients with improved health
outcomes such as improved mortality rates and reduced hospitalizations.
Home dialysis also offers significant quality of life advantages
including greater convenience, more flexible schedules, and fewer fluid
and dietary restrictions.
About WellBound
Founded in 2003, WellBound is an affiliate of dialysis
industry leader Satellite Healthcare. The company is focused on
improving the lives of chronic kidney disease patients by combining
focused education programs with the delivery and support of self-care
dialysis therapies. Teaming with partner nephrologists, WellBound
prioritizes early CKD options and wellness education programs for
patients before they require dialysis. This enables patients to
maintain their health and potentially delay the need for dialysis.
Once dialysis is required, WellBound supports the entire spectrum of
self-care treatments, including peritoneal dialysis and all types of
daily home hemodialysis. The company works closely with physician
partners to deliver more frequent and longer dialysis regimens than are
possible at traditional in-center facilities. The result is improved
clinical outcomes and a higher quality of life.
WellBound has established five operational self-care dialysis
facilities and is actively engaged in expanding its "Centers of
Excellence" network. To learn more about WellBound, please visit www.wellbound.com or contact the company directly at 1.800.476.5450.
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Contacts:
WellBound
Marc Branson
(650) 404-3613
Vida Communication
Stephanie Diaz
(415) 675-7400
Tim Brons (media)
(415) 675-7402
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