Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), the continent’s leading provider of kidney care products and services, announced today that it will be presenting a broad array of clinical research at this year’s American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Kidney Week 2014 conference.

In all, ASN selected 43 research abstracts from FMCNA authors to be presented during the conference, which is scheduled for Nov. 11-16 in Philadelphia, and expected to attract more than 13,000 leading kidney professionals.

This year’s FMCNA research presentations at the conference represent one of the most significant portfolios of peer-reviewed research accepted from a single organization. The authors’ collective efforts demonstrate FMCNA’s continued commitment to advancing the scientific and clinical understanding of kidney disease and improving the care of kidney patients. Key topics addressed by the company’s research initiatives include:

  • Decreasing hospital admissions and readmissions
  • Strategies for improving the prognosis for CKD patients as they transition to become incident dialysis patients
  • Reducing the problem of fluid overload in dialysis patients

These initiatives are already resulting in fewer hospitalizations, better patient outcomes and treatment cost savings.

“Fresenius Medical Care is dedicated to improving the lives of people with kidney disease and other chronic illnesses, and our ability to deliver on this commitment starts with clinical research,” said Franklin W. Maddux, M.D., FMCNA’s chief medical officer and executive vice president for clinical and scientific affairs. “We are hopeful that the research we present at ASN will provide meaningful guidance for providers and caregivers throughout the health care industry.”

Seven FMCNA scientists and clinicians will present their work orally during this year’s ASN conference. Highlights of those research presentations include:

  • Low blood pressure’s effect on incident patient outcomes; Lower systolic blood pressures are consistently associated with poorer outcomes in the early stages of incident hemodialysis patients’ treatment. This oral presentation (TH-OR138) will be given by Dugan W. Maddux, M.D., vice president of chronic kidney disease initiatives at FMCNA.
  • Body size and gender risks in ultrafiltration; How body size and gender-dependent differences in mortality risks are associated with ultrafiltration rates. This oral presentation (TH-OR079) will be given by John W. Larkin, clinical research coordinator, Frenova Renal Research.
  • Improving communications in dialysis care; Improved results and user satisfaction are demonstrated in trials of the new Dialysis Link™ system for transferring patient information between dialysis clinics and hospitals in the Right TraC™ Transitions of Care program. This oral presentation (FR-PO1097) will be given by Rebecca Wingard, RN, MSN, vice president, quality initiatives, FMCNA.
  • Effects of low pre-dialysis serum sodium on frequent hemodialysis; How low pre-dialysis serum sodium modifies the effect of hemodialysis frequency on left ventricular mass in the Frequent Hemodialysis Network trial. This oral presentation (TH-OR081) will be given by Jochen Raimann, M.D., Ph.D., research scientist at FMCNA’s Renal Research Institute.
  • Reducing fluid overload-related hospitalizations; An innovative FMCNA program to reduce fluid overload in hemodialysis patients is reducing hospitalizations and missed treatments. This oral presentation (TH-OR142) will be given by Stephanie Johnstone, LCSW, director of social work in disease management at FMCNA.

Fresenius Medical Care contributes research to ASN each year to further the advancement of kidney care quality and improve patient outcomes.

About Fresenius Medical Care North America
Through its leading network of more than 2,150 dialysis facilities in North America and vascular access centers, labs, pharmacy, inpatient physicians, urgent care centers, affiliated hospitals and nephrology practices, Fresenius Medical Care provides renal services to hundreds of thousands of people throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada. It is also the continent's top producer of dialysis equipment, dialyzers and related disposable products and a major supplier of renal pharmaceuticals. For more information about the company, visit www.fmcna.com; for information about patient services, visit www.ultracare-dialysis.com.

About the American Society of Nephrology
Founded in 1966, the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) is the world’s largest professional society devoted to the study of kidney disease. With 11,000 physician and scientist members, ASN leads the fight against kidney disease by educating health professionals, sharing new knowledge, advancing research, and advocating the highest quality care for patients. ASN also informs policymakers about issues of importance to kidney doctors and their patients. ASN funds research, and through its world-renowned meetings and first-class publications, disseminates information and educational tools that empower physicians. For more information about the society, visit www.asn-online.org/.