CHF Solutions has introduced two products in its Aquapheresis therapy product line: a kink-resistant, dual lumen peripheral venous catheter, and an upgrade to the company’s award-winning Aquapheresis Aquadex FlexFlow device that automatically limits the fluid removal rate and enhances patient monitoring.
The coiled dual lumen extended length catheter (cdELC) is a peripheral catheter designed to deliver a steady and reliable blood flow in a wide variety of fluid overloaded patients. The 6Fr catheter has unique features, such as a flexible stainless steel coil, an offset tip and a reverse taper, to minimize disruptions to therapy. The catheter combines the steady blood flow of a central venous catheter with the proven advantages of a peripheral catheter profile.
“The cdELC has significantly improved our delivery of Aquapheresis therapy to our patients,” said Ellen M. Amedeo, Heart Failure Program coordinator at St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem Pa. “From the physicians who prescribe the therapy, the PICC team who place the catheter, and the nurses who run the therapy, we all are quite pleased with the performance and results.”
Hematocrit monitoring, a standard feature on new Aquapheresis devices and available as an optional upgrade to existing systems, automatically limits the fluid removal rate to help prevent excessive volume depletion due to high fluid removal rates and extended treatment times. This feature enhances monitoring based on each individual patient’s hemodynamic response.
“Hematocrit monitoring gives me confidence that the patient will get the best rate of fluid removal,” said Dr. Andrew Kao, a cardiologist with Cardiovascular Consultants in Kansas City, Mo. “Aquapheresis is very effective in removing excess salt and water, and hematocrit monitoring gives an additional layer of safety in achieving euvolemia in fluid overloaded patients.”
Recently elevated in national treatment guidelines, CHF Solutions’ Aquapheresis therapy is a method to safely and effectively remove the excess salt and water in patients with fluid overload.