kidney dialysis Archives - Medical Design Sourcing

Outset Medical CEO Leslie Trigg and the beginner’s mindset

Outset Medical Chair and CEO Leslie Trigg [Photo courtesy of Outset Medical]

The home dialysis developer’s CEO discusses leadership, leaping before you look and making medtech for the home and hospital.

Eight years after becoming the CEO of Outset Medical (Nasdaq:OM) and two years after going public, Leslie Trigg says the medtech developer is finally at the starting gate for home dialysis.

It hasn’t been easy. The COVID-19 pandemic made it unsafe to train nurses in person, even as hospitals used the Tablo hemodialysis console in hallways and waiting rooms to clean patients’ blood. The pandemic also disrupted Outset’s supply chain. For example, it increased transportation costs for its single-use cartridges made by a contract manufacturer in Southeast Asia.

Last year, Outset had to put new shipments on hold while working through issues with the FDA.

And when she first go…

Fresenius Medical Care designs quick-change dialysis filter

The Fresenius Medical Care Cartridge Express with Speedswap [Image courtesy of Fresenius Medical Care]

Fresenius Medical Care North America’s Renal Therapies Group has a new way to quickly change a flow-compromised dialysis filter without replacing the entire cartridge.

The dialysis provider and equipment manufacturer said today that its new Speedswap system is designed to address the common clogging or clotting of the dialysis circuit in continuous kidney replacement therapy (CKRT) in critical care settings. Speedswap is meant to shorten the time needed to change dialysis filters, reducing therapy downtime, easing nurse workloads and lowering treatment costs.

“This introduction of Speedswap aims to both improve the quality of dialysis treatment in the critical care setting and make our technology even easier to use by the care team,” Renal Therapies Group President Joe Turk said in a n…

What Fresenius learned about COVID, kidneys and dialysis in the pandemic

Dr. Robert Kossmann is the chief medical officer for Fresenius Medical Care North America [Photo courtesy of Fresenius]

Dr. Robert Kossmann has a unique perspective of kidney care as the chief medical officer for Fresenius Medical Care North America and head of renal therapies for the company’s global medical office.

Germany-based Fresenius is the world’s largest provider of dialysis equipment and dialysis services, offering treatments at traditional dialysis centers as well as in patients’ homes.

Medical Design & Outsourcing recently spoke with Kossmann about kidney care in the pandemic, the challenges and benefits of home dialysis, logistics lessons learned and growth opportunities that medtech designers and engineers should keep in mind.

This conversation has been lightly edited for space and clarity.

MDO: What does COVID do to the kidneys during and after an infect…

Fresenius Medical Care hires replacement for longtime CEO

Carla Kriwet will become CEO of Fresenius Medical Care [Photo courtesy of Fresenius]

Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE: FMS) has hired Carla Kriwet as its next CEO effective Jan. 1, 2023.

Kriwet will replace Rice Powell, who will step down on Dec. 31 after hitting the company’s age limit. Powell is 66. Kriwet is 51.

“I fully identify with the vision of making the lives of the patients who have put their trust in us a little more worth living every day,” Kriwet said in a news release yesterday. “And I’m convinced that bringing ever better medicine to ever more people goes hand in hand with economic success.”

Fresenius CFO and CTO Helen Giza will assume the position of deputy CEO and enter into a new 5-year employment contract, the company said.

Kriwet served as CEO and president of BSH Hausgeräte (Home Appliances) GmbH from July 2020 until she stepped down for her ne…

Study: Medtronic’s drug-coated balloon reduces dialysis interruptions

Medtronic’s In.Pact arteriovenous drug-coated balloon (Image courtesy of the FDA)

Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) recently announced the results of a study showing that some kidney disease patients who had a drug-coated balloon (DCB) implanted to treat arteriovenous (AV) failure experienced fewer interruptions of dialysis treatment.

Many end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients require AV fistulae in order to receive continuous dialysis. Blood vessels that feed the access site can narrow over time and patients often undergo multiple maintenance procedures per year to restore access site function. The need for frequent reinterventions can result in repeated hospital visits and significant disruptions to hemodialysis care. By being able to maintain access site patency, patients may experience longer periods of uninterrupted dialysis, according to a news release from Medtronic.

The IN.PACT AV Access trial followed 330 patients at 29 sites in U.S., Japan, and New Zealand…