Next Stage Dialysis

[Pennstate]

Has anyone heard of and or tried the Next Stage Dialysis clinics? They are relatively new and the machines are claimed to be easier on your body. I just switched from a 32 seat clinic to a 7 seat clinic. Wondering your thoughts. It’s a lot quieter .

[Greydog1]

I haven't heard of this "Next Stage Dialysis". What's it about and how much easy is it ?

[cs65 NKF Ambassador]

I just read an article in the Boston Globe about NxStage dialysis clinics opening in Massachusetts. Apparently the company specializes in home dialysis machines, but is now going to put them in dialysis clinics as well. I'll check and see what kind my center uses. My center is hospital-based, not a for profit center like Fresenius or Davita. We usually have 9 patients on my afternoon Tu - Th- Sat shift, which is nice because we get more individual attention.

[KidneyCoach NKF Ambassador in reply to cs65]

DaVita is a for profit but Fresenius is not for profit. Since Fresenius just purchased NxStage company it will be interesting to see what the future will hold. Fresenius also produces other Home Dialysis machines as well and before NxStage came online doing home hemodialysis was not nearly as common. There are several NxStage only clinics dotted around the country including TN (Memphis). While I am unsure if they use the machine in-center, they are primarily a Provider for home hemodialysis with NxStage only. Most people love them and there are great benefits to it. Fresenius and DaVita usually complete in center dialysis with FRESENIUS manufactured machines like the Fresenius 2008K standard, the 2008T and so on. They are built to last and are workhorses. Blessings

[cs65 NKF Ambassador in reply to KidneyCoach]

Thanks for the update! Have a good day!

[KidneyCoach NKF Ambassador in reply to cs65]

BTW they aren't new to the community. They were first marketed for home dialysis in 2004 or 2005.

[KidneyCoach NKF Ambassador]

Its NxStage and has been around for about 10-12 years. I would guess about 95% of those doing home hemodialysis use the NxStage machine. It is very user friendly and portable meaning you can travel by taking it along as it isn't like the bulky in-center ones. It is about the size of a large microwave. Fresenius one of the Larger Dialysis Organizations recently purchased the NxStage company so we will see what they attempt in the future for NxStage. Any more questions, please ask away. Blessings

[KidneyCoach NKF Ambassador]

BTW, its not a machine which is easier on the body......rather the prescription i.e. time (length of treatment), blood flow rate, dialysate rate and amount of fluid removed as well as frequency of treatments. Four hours per treatment at 3 times per week is the bare minimum to keep one alive so more is better. Remember more is better. Kidneys work 168 hours per week so 12 hours in-center treatments isn't very much to replace what the kidneys do in 168 hours. More is better. Blessings

[Pennstate in reply to KidneyCoach]

Thank you, I switched to a Next Stage clinic this week. I am very pleased with the facility and staff. My blood pressure is getting under control and I am feeling more energized. I dialyze four days per week but it is worth it .

[mingmiley in reply to Pennstate]

What is a Next Stage clinic? Do we have to go there to do hemodialysis like we go dialysis center? i thought Next Stage is a portable machine we do it at home.

[Pennstate in reply to mingmiley]

YES , they have clinics that utilize the NxStage machines . They are designed for use at home but are totally adequate for incenter use. You just have to locate one near you.

[KidneyCoach NKF Ambassador in reply to Pennstate]

Yes they are adequate for in-center use but they are known to produce similar to less than normal clearances of those on a standard sized machine. They have certainly opened the door to home dialyzors across the country as its user-friendly. Australia will not approve them in their country and only a few using them in the U.K. and Canada. Blessings

[wolfmom94]

Sorry for the late reply, I just found this site today & signed up. We're in Seattle, I do not know what machines our center uses. My son is the one on dialysis & I am his caregiver & tech. We've been doing home dialysis w/a NxStage machine. The machine is not as portable as they make it sound! It weighs about 70 pounds & requires a PureFlow machine (where the dialysate is prepared) with it that weighs even more!! Yes it can be moved, but it took 2 men to bring just the PureFlow into our apartment! We dialyze him @ home 5 days/week & he's actually on the machine for 2 1/2 hours. We started home dialysis in April & of course we have good days & bad days. Lately, for @ least the past 3-4 weeks, we've been having an incredible amount of trouble with NxStage & their courier service TForce Critical (& we're not the only patients having these problems!) Your area may be completely different but I can tell you, if I could get a different home dialysis program I would! If you're happy with your center, stay with them-you'll feel better physically, mentally, & emotionally which when you're dealing with all these medical problems matters so very much! I wish you the best & hope that things are better for you! Please post an update & let us know how you're doing now?

[DialysisRN]

Its true, NX Stage is not all it that claims to be. I'm a care giver and I never know if my family member is going to have a good treatment or not. Machine problems. Emergencies while dialyzing. Its very stressful and overwhelming. Traveling isn't the easiest thing to do either. Machine is heavy and fragile. Supplies are also heavy and take a lot of space. Any heavy bumps to the machine can cause it to malfunction. Also more frequent treatments can expose you to more infections on your access. The dialyzers they use are also smaller, so you have to consider that it probably doesn't clean blood as effective as other dialyzers. I don't think we're gonna stay on this machine much longer. PD might be the way to go. I heard CVS was coming up with a home hemo machine. I hope its better then NxStage.