PuraCath Medical Presents Data at 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Nephrology
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PRWEB) November 14, 2014 -- PuraCath Medical, an emerging company in the development of technologies to reduce infections in dialysis patients, announced today that it presented scientific data during Kidney Week 2014 demonstrating the ability to reduce bacterial growth in a simulated peritoneal dialysis delivery system when combining ultraviolet (UV) light with a UV transmissible connection system. The study represents early results with an initial version of the technology PuraCath Medical is developing which will be designed to reduce connectology-related bacterial contamination for PD patients.
“Infectious complications remain a major risk for patients receiving PD and represent a leading cause of technique failure and transition to hemodialysis,” stated study co-author and nephrologist Glenn Chertow, M.D. “Approaches that can reduce bacterial contamination during peritoneal exchanges should reduce the risk of peritonitis and allow patients to remain on home-based therapy. In order to allow patients to choose PD and to remain on PD long-term, we need to reduce peritonitis risk. I believe the approach PuraCath Medical is taking will help us get there.”
“We are encouraged by the study results we presented during the ASN meeting which support our planned development of a novel UV light-based PD purification system,” said Julia Rasooly, PuraCath Medical’s CEO. “Since PuraCath Medical recognizes the value and the lifestyle convenience peritoneal dialysis therapy offers to patients, we are developing a PD disinfection system that enhances their quality of life and provides an easy-to-use, patient friendly option to reducing bacterial and fungal contamination during PD exchanges.”
WHAT IS PERITONEAL DIALYSIS?
Peritoneal dialysis is a home-based dialysis therapy that offers patients a more flexible and physiologically smoother dialysis option. Unlike hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis uses a patient’s peritoneal membrane to remove toxins and excess fluid from a patient. Peritoneal dialysis therapy permits patients to have a more regular diet and more flexible treatment times, improving their quality of life. Currently there are nearly 40,000 peritoneal dialysis patients in the U.S. with the number of patients on this therapy increasing over the past several years. The most common complications from peritoneal dialysis include infection around the catheter site or infection of the lining of the abdominal wall (peritonitis).
ABOUT PURACATH MEDICAL
PuraCath Medical is a company based in Mountain View, CA and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for the dialysis patient by reducing infections related to peritoneal dialysis (PD) and saving time through improved, simplified connection of PD catheters. The Company utilizes technology that was spun out of Stanford University and is developing a novel easy-to-use technology designed to reduce infections and improve outcomes for patients on PD therapy. For more information on PuraCath Medical, please visit http://www.puracath.com.
Julia Rasooly, PuraCath Medical, http://www.puracath.com, +1 (650) 559-0388, [email protected]
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