Fresenius Renal Therapies, a division of Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), the leading provider of products and services for the chronic kidney disease patient, announced the introduction of its latest technological enhancement in the Crit-Line technology product line, the CLiC device.
The CLiC device non-invasively measures hematocrit, oxygen saturation and percent change in intravascular blood volume during a patient’s hemodialysis (HD) treatment.
As an integrated feature in the 2008T hemodialysis machine, the organization’s flagship HD delivery system, the healthcare professional has immediate, real-time access to a patient’s hematocrit, percent change in blood volume and oxygen saturation data, as well as essential dialysis treatment information needed to make informed intradialytic adjustments.
Fluid overload is a common and serious problem that can lead to severe complications in dialysis patients and is a major cause of reported hospitalizations in this population. Bringing dialysis patients’ fluid overload under control has been a central focus of clinicians and policy makers for many years.
"We have been looking forward to the release of CLiC technology," said Mark Costanzo, President, Renal Therapies Group.
"Fluid overload in dialysis patients is an important issue that needs to be addressed. I’m proud to support the introduction of a technological breakthrough that will allow nephrologists to have access to important data and make informed decisions that will directly impact the health and well-being of this chronically-ill population. Fresenius Renal Therapies is dedicated to working with nephrologists and dialysis clinicians in a continued effort to improve patient outcomes and overall quality of life."
The CLiC device is designed to allow the health care professional to remove the maximum amount of fluid from the hemodialysis patient while preventing the common symptoms of dialysis such as nausea, cramping and vomiting, thus providing a more effective treatment.
"The CLiC device represents a significant step forward in the evolution of volume management," said Frank Maddux, MD, Chief Medical Officer of FMCNA.
"By assisting clinical staff in managing hemodialysis patients’ complex fluid and intravascular volume conditions, the CLiC will be a valuable tool for clinicians. Moreover, with the integration of the CLiC device into the 2008T machine, clinical staff can more quickly recognize a patient’s risk for low blood pressure during hemodialysis resulting from certain ultrafiltration and intravascular blood volume characteristics.
"Once the CLiC device alerts staff, they can pause ultrafiltration until the clinicians can assess the situation of their patient. This industry-leading device is a significant step forward in improving patients’ quality of life."
For customers utilizing other 2008® series machines, the organization introduced, today, the Crit-Line® IV monitor, a stand-alone device providing access to patient profile information, including hematocrit, oxygen and percent change in intravascular blood volume during treatment.