Have you considered peritoneal dialysis (PD) but worry about the safety of doing it in your home? This is a common fear for many in-center hemodialysis (ICHD) patients. Fortunately, medical device manufacturer Relavo has created a device called PeritoneX® designed to decrease the risk of infections and make PD safer. Learn more about it here.* 

Why choose PD?

PD is a form of dialysis that, for some, allows for a better quality of life than ICHD. Benefits of PD can include:

• Doing it in the comfort of your own home versus spending many hours a week in a facility
• Lower cost
• The ability to dialyze every day, resulting in cleaner blood and better health
• Creates less of an obstacle, and more flexibility, regarding employment 

To-date, the advantages have been significantly under-utilized, as only 10% of patients with kidney failure choose PD. 

Why are patients not choosing PD? 

According to Kevin Longino, chief executive officer of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and a kidney transplant recipient, the largest barrier to expanding PD use is fear of an infection called peritonitis. 

Peritonitis occurs when bacteria enter a patient’s peritoneal membrane, which can occur during PD treatment setup from touch or air contamination. Peritonitis occurs in approximately 30% of patients every year, and around 50% of those require hospitalization. This is what PeritoneX® can help prevent.

What is Relavo’s PeritoneX®?

The PeritoneX® is an in-line connection device that internally disinfects dialysis tubes in the PD system and can be used during treatment. It protects against a spectrum of peritonitis-causing bacteria, which will reduce the risk of contamination and infections in patients.

Sarah Lee, CEO and co-founder of Relavo, announced that the company has recently partnered with NKF. With this partnership, she hopes to increase patient and provider awareness of, and access to, PeritoneX® so that PD’s benefits can be enjoyed safely.  

Longino says, “We believe this technology will help address those fears and improve health equity. PeritoneX® aims to expand access to home dialysis for more patients, especially those with limited access to transportation or those patients in rural communities who travel long distances to dialysis centers.” 

*NKF Innovation Fund Invests in Relavo to improve home dialysis. (2023, February 15). National Kidney Foundation. https://www.kidney.org/news/nkf-innovation-fund-announces-investment-relavo-peritonex-r-technology-to-improve-health-equity