Nocturnal Dialysis on the Aksys PHD

Discussions for Patients, Family, and Friends HD For Patients
#1

Last Thursday at a meeting I talked with one of the Northwest Kidney Centers dialyzors that uses the PHD at home for daily nocturnal. He’s a big guy – about 130kg – he spoke of the PHD as a miracle with regard to ease of use and effectiveness and how well he felt. His only “complaint” was that he’d like to do nine hour runs for the same sleep convenience issues Pierre has posted. The PHD’s maximum run length is 480 minutes.

Right after the meeting and hearing how great nocturnal is with the PHD, I flew down to CA for the California Dialysis Council meeting in Palm Springs. At the CDC meeting I got to talking with some folks from Aksys and heard that they will now offer nocturnal to current PHD users by providing a heparin pump add on. I signed up on the spot.

I think by the end of May I will be able to mix nocturnal runs into my weekly schedule. As I have written before I use the Scribner Hemo Dialysis Productto reckon my dialysis schedule - length and frequency. I want a HDP above 100.

If I were to dialyze for eight hours Friday and Saturday night I would, according to HDP math, be able to do three two hour runs in addition to the two over night treatments. Friday and Saturday night for eight hours and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for two hours.

Alternatively one eight hour run and five two hour runs during the week would also achieve my goal. The whole flight back from CA I was considering the appeal of various permutations.

#2

Wow, Bill, you do get around!
I love the way you think outside the box. I am in total agreement as life is never regular so you need to be a lateral thinker if you are a dialysta to get the most out of every day. One thing about the Scribner formula I don’t quite get is if you guys are all doing these faster pump speeds, where does that get a mention? (remember I am just a dumb newbie)
Cheers 8)

#3

That’s a great question. I’m just saying it is a way to compare how various times and frequencies would feel for an individual. A HDP of a 100 for me would not mean the same thing for someone else.

Each person should decide their own target. The HDP is a way for me to evailuate different frequencies and lengths choices while keeping blood flow and dialysate flow steady.

#4

Bill, Did they happen to mention anything about the new version of the PHD
they are working on?

#5

Hi Marty,
I haven’t heard anything officially. I have seen additional data - in the form of a poster that I think is in the peer-review process of becoming a paper - on the improved outcomes experienced by those on the PHD.

I’ll be at another meeting in later this month, so I’ll have another opportunity to ask questions – what would you like answered?

#6

That was me.

#7

Hello Bill, we sure do want to hear more details on the new portable Aksys PHD… :wink: …any additional details…

Gus