During the European Renal Association – European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA-EDTA) Congress in Stockholm, Gambro presents the results from the annual survey, Dialysis Opinions, in which 7 000 nephrology professionals around the world have given their opinion on Future Development of Dialysis. More than 50 percent of the responders say the best long-term dialysis therapy should include a component of patient involvement and more frequent dialysis than today.
Nephrology professionals make futuristic choices
The Dialysis Opinions survey has been conducted by Gambro at major nephrology and dialysis congresses since 1992. Each year a different theme is addressed; the selected topics being characterized by an absence of definitive scientific evidence and lack of consensus.
A majority of nephrology professionals worldwide says that peritoneal dialysis is the best initial treatment for the average patient with planned start. An equally strong majority say that frequent dialysis applied more often than 3 times/week, which is the norm today, would be the best long-term treatment and it should preferably be performed at home or in a self-care unit. When looking only at extracorporeal forms of dialysis, 80 percent of the respondents say that the best form of therapy should incorporate high-flux membranes, with equal application in high-flux hemodialysis and hemodiafiltration. Less than 10 percent consider low-flux hemodialysis to be the best treatment.
The vision about future therapy development among the 7000 nephrologists includes strong hopes for stem cell therapy to restore renal function and continuously working bionic kidneys. Less than 10 percent think that dialysis in 2025 will be similar to what we have today.
Gambro innovation leads into the future
“The information Gambro has gathered through this survey during the last 16 years is important and valuable in our research and development for the next generation of dialysis therapies. We are focused on sustaining the quality of care but we also understand the importance of working together with dialysis providers to improve operational efficiency and simplify the workload.” says Ingrid Ledebo, Director of Scientific Affairs at Gambro.
Gambro is the world's only clinic independent company offering a full range of products and services. Gambro is the pioneer in dialysis and has been shaping the dialysis world for more than 40 years. To maintain this mission and to allow even greater dedication and innovation in renal care, Gambro is continuing to monitor the opinions of nephrology professionals through the traditional survey during this week at the XLV ERA-EDTA Congress in Stockholm. The results from the survey of 2008 will be presented at XLVI ERA-EDTA in Milan. The survey is one example of Gambro’s long lasting commitment to work in close partnership with the nephrology community.
About hemodialysis
Hemodialysis (HD), when used as a collective term for all extracorporeal dialysis therapies, hemodialysis, hemodiafiltration and hemofiltration, accounts for approximately 88 percent of all chronic dialysis patients worldwide. Given the access to blood, no patient is excluded from hemodialysis, and the possibilities for individualization are great.
For further information, please contact:
Maria Lundbäck, Acting Director, Corporate Communications Gambro, tel. +46 705 13 6534