Dialysing Kids - do companies care?

[Ian Wilde]

Fresenius
In March they confirmed that they would not be developing smaller lines for the current 5008 machine and that their efforts would be put into the new 6008.
Current lines for the 6008 are 106ml (+ dialyser)
Lines under development for the 6008 are 76ml (+ dialyser) and 83ml [with BVM (+ dialyser)]
- Development for the 76ml and 83ml line is currently under way and is hoped to be completed by (?) middle of 2018.
- Due to the 6008 machine being a cartridge based system, Fresenius feel it’s unlikely to get lines too much smaller than the ones they are developing. This is mainly due to there being a 35ml capacity in the cassette alone before adding the A and V lines for the patient. The 6008 looks to have similar specifications to the 5008 with the same UF accuracy (+/-1%). It has two pumps and HDF capability.


Baxter/Gambro
Following several meetings with Baxter over the last 6 -9 months the following has been confirmed:
Full withdrawal of AK Ultra (parts/support etc) is due to take place in 2024.
The AK98 (version 2) has now been launched. Essentially this has similar specification to the AK Ultra and uses the same lines, bicarts, pump heads etc. The main difference with the AK98 is that it only has one pump so can do standard single needle but cannot do single needle/double pump. It also can’t be used for HDF. The UF accuracy has been improved on the AK98 compared to the AK Ultra (+/-1% from +/-2.5%)
Lines validated for use on the AK 98 (v2):
- Adult (BL 207) – 132ml (+ dialyser)
- Paediatric [BL 121P (with expansion chamber)] – 100ml (+ dialyser)
- Paediatric (BL 223PB) – 85ml. (+ dialyser). (Now confirmed as validated – July 17)
- Infant (BL 120N) – 36ml (+ dialyser) (this replaces the current infant line which is 33ml).



Access is a problem with kids, extra corporeal blood volumes are a problem, HDF would be nice, proper single needle would be good.  If only the two machines could be combined!