Kidney transplants more frequent among NxStage home hemodialysis patients

NxStage® Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTM), a leading manufacturer of innovative dialysis products, today commented on findings of the Chronic Disease Research Group (CDRG) study showing that patients receiving daily, or more frequent, home hemodialysis with the NxStage System One™ are more likely to receive a kidney transplant when compared with conventional thrice-weekly dialysis, particularly in patients not on the transplant waitlist at initiation of daily home hemodialysis. The study, "Transplant Rates in Frequent Hemodialysis and Matched Thrice-Weekly Hemodialysis Patients," was presented on Thursday, May 10th at the National Kidney Foundation Spring Clinical Meeting in Washington, D.C.            

The CDRG retrospective cohort study compared cumulative incidence of transplant in 1,873 daily home hemodialysis patients using the NxStage System One from 2005 to 2007 and a matched cohort of 9,365 thrice-weekly, in-center hemodialysis patients from the United States Renal Data System (USRDS) database. The study was designed using a unique, rigorous matching process with 17 covariates that could impact transplantation incidence, including demographics, comorbidity and socioeconomic status. Specifically, findings showed:

• Relative transplant incidence with daily home hemodialysis was 1.14 (P = 0.03) as compared with thrice-weekly in-center hemodialysis, but relative incidence varied by waitlist status at the start of follow-up; and
• In patients on the transplant waitlist at the start of follow-up, relative transplant incidence was 0.93 (P = 0.27) as compared with thrice-weekly in-center hemodialysis; in patients not listed, relative incidence was 1.91 (P < 0.01);

"Kidney transplantation is widely regarded as the 'gold standard' treatment for End Stage Renal Disease and is associated with the highest quality of life and survival outcomes for patients," said Dr. Allan Collins, professor of medicine, University of Minnesota, and Director, Chronic Disease Research Group. "Daily home hemodialysis patients may be better prepared for a transplant based on earlier studies of frequent dialysis showing less hypertension, better phosphorus control, and reduced left ventricular hypertrophy."

"The CDRG study adds new and important findings to the large body of clinical data showing the significant benefits of more frequent home hemodialysis," said Jeffrey H. Burbank, Chief Executive Officer of NxStage. "This provides additional testament to the value our technology and therapy delivers to patients and the health care system.  Not only are transplants wonderful from an outcomes perspective, but also, they are the lowest long term cost of care option for Medicare."