Hello,
Does anyone know if you have three times per week for three hours dialysis at a center, how many times/hours could you do with NxStage to have the same treatment?
In other words, is one hour in the center the same with one hour with NxStage?
Thanks!
The answer is almost certainly ‘no’.
Dialysis depends on a great many thins but important here are the blood flow rate, the dialysate flow rate, the dialyser membrane used (its surface area + its construction), the dialysate composition … so many variables and more.
If the dialysis SYSTEM (the machine) and SETTINGS (the patient variables) are the same, then … yes.
But most centres use single pass systems - commonly but not restricted to the various Fresenius and Baxter/Gambro models. The NxStage is a low flow (and the ONLY low flow) system, and low flow vs single pass systems are worlds apart in what they do. Low flow systems employ very different flow rate ratios for blood flow and dialysis fluid. As a result, the delivered dialysis efficiency will be very different.
Thus my answer is almost certainly no.
thanks! do we know the conversion factor? e.g. 1h in-center is 2h in NxStage?
Sorry … it just doesnt work like that. There is no ‘conversion’ factor. A NxStage at home is quite different to incentre single pass dialysis. They cannot be compared in any formulaic way.
If you’re trying to figure out how to have dialysis disrupt your day less, you might want to talk with your doctor about whether you could do nocturnal dialysis at home or in-center. This dialysis is usually longer and slower. Research has shown that patients on nocturnal dialysis get better dialysis with fewer symptoms and they may be able to eat a more normal diet.
It may help for you to spend some time working through our nocturnal dialysis website.
While the site does not specifically deal with the use of the NxStage system - we do not believe it to be the ideal or best system for home nocturnal dialysis - it may nevertheless help you better understand the differences between long slow frequent HD at home, and all other options. Understanding this will put you in a better place when discussing your options with your own doctor.
The site is … www.nocturnaldialysis.org