Quanta Fluid Solutions SC+ presented at the Annual Dialysis Conference in New Orleans

The development of a small, portable, user friendly haemodialysis machine would make short daily dialysis and nocturnal dialysis accessible to many more patients, and also enable patients to travel freely.

Quanta Fluid Solutions were invited to present the SC+ in a review of the exciting new developments in machines for home haemodialysis (HD) at the Annual Dialysis Conference in New Orleans earlier this month. The SC+ is intended to be small enough to use when travelling but capable of providing a wide range of treatment options when used in self-care units, or at home with a single-patient water purification system. Using standard concentrates and dialysers, it has the capability to carry out short or long sessions with no restriction on frequency. A travel option using bagged fluid is under development.

The SC+ is still undergoing clinical evaluations but should soon join the NxStage System One on the market. The System One led to a dramatic rise in the uptake of home HD in the USA, with patient numbers increasing from around 2000 to almost 8000 in the seven years after it was launched in 2005. Hopefully with the increased availability of portable, patient-focussed equipment, many more UK patients will be able to benefit from home HD.’

The NIHR Devices for Dignity HTC has provided clinical input to the development through the expertise and experience of the staff at the Leeds and Sheffield renal centres, who care for over 1000 dialysis patients, and patient involvement through the active kidney patient associations associated with the centres.

Image: Peter Hoyer from Quanta Fluid Solutions showing dialysis pioneer, Dr Zbylut Twardowski, how dialysate is prepared in the SC+ cartridge.