With rising incidences of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) in intensive care units, the need for evolving extracorporeal therapies to support multiple organs rather than just a single organ has led to the development of new technological innovations. Modern continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) devices feature advanced techniques that expand the types of purification therapies to reduce complexities and increase pump speeds for achieving fluid removal targets. Recently, a global leader in acute care, Baxter Healthcare introduced PrisMax 2, the latest version of the company’s next-generation CRRT platform for providing more diagnostic confidence to healthcare professionals and other organ support therapies. Built upon Baxter’s 25 years of expertise in advancing critical care delivery, PrisMax 2 optimizes treatment, enhances accuracy, and enables greater efficiency. 

Taking CRRT to Next Level 

The updated version of PrisMax has been developed on the feedback received from clinicians and customers around the world for providing quality treatment to physicians. Besides, the system expands treatment possibilities by offering industry-leading technologies and services and making CRRT and organ support therapies more accessible. The latest device allows the treatment of patients who require renal replacement therapy as well as other organ support therapies without amplifying the complexities of delivery, requiring additional staff, or new capital expenditures. Meeting the diverse and ever-changing demands of the ICU, PrisMax 2 acute care technology helps to address some of the greatest challenges such as simplifying the setup and delivery of CRRT, increasing efficiency by decreasing device interactions, and improving treatment accuracy and system performance. 

In these challenging times of coronavirus pandemic, CRRT devices have grown in demand to provide an effective treatment option for patients with acute kidney injuries. Approximately 15-30% of patients with COVID-19 admitted to the hospitals are experiencing kidney failure so they require CRRT for purifying blood by removing uremic toxins and other fluids. Baxter’s new CRRT device, PrisMax 2 can support the increasing need and maximize care for critically ill patients meeting the unique demands of the intensive care unit (ICU). 

Baxter’s new CRRT platform enables ECCO²R therapy with PrismaLung+ blood-gas exchanger, designed to support the appropriate management of acute respiratory disorders. The PrismaLung+ facilitates enhanced protective lung ventilation and reduces ventilation-induced pulmonary injury. Despite a smaller membrane surface area of 0.8m² of Baxter PrismaLung+, the device allows more effective CO₂ removal than its predecessor. PrismaLung+ can be utilized as a stand-alone treatment or combined with CRRT on an integrated system with a single access point. Currently, the PrismaLung+ is available in selected markets in western Europe, but not yet approved for use in the United States. 

Simplifying Therapy Delivery 

PrisMax 2 system automates many labour-intensive procedures with advanced features that create a big difference to the quality of treatment provided in intensive care units. The intuitive touchscreen interface allows easy set-up, enables therapy management, and secures unauthorized access to the device through locks. The customized prescription settings saved in therapy profiles facilitates consistency and thus reduces time for setting up the device. The intelligent pump adjustments assist clinicians to deliver accurate treatments by meeting prescribed fluid removal targets even when interruptions occur. The PrisMax system delivers around 99.8% of prescribed patient fluid removal in clinical settings, which makes it a highly efficient CRRT device. 

The TherMax blood warmers maintain an ideal temperature between 35-38 degrees while returning blood back to the patient’s body. The Interactive On-Device and Online Training offer robust training capabilities to allow clinicians to take control of learning, expanding knowledge, and building confidence in treatment delivery. The auto-effluent drain accessory reduces interventions from healthcare providers for changing the effluent bags frequently up to 50% compared to similar CRRT systems. This could save 30 minutes of nursing time as well as downtime of patient therapy per day, which could further reduce the burden on the hospital staff. The color-coding of scales with supplementary LEDs directs the user towards required bag interventions. The PrisMax 2 also consists of smart alarms that prevent unnecessary monitoring, reduce interactions, and treatment interruptions. The liquid level sensor automatically adjusts fluid heights in the deaeration chambers during therapy and thus helps to reduce therapy or perform the function manually. 

Going Digital 

Providing access to TrueVue digital health solutions, PrisMax 2 enhances patient care to reduce clinical risks and human error. TrueVue Connect is an additional feature allowing secure wireless connectivity to access electronic medical records in the hospitals remotely. According to a recent survey, 77% of clinicians find documenting and charting in electronic health records as a source of cognitive overload, that requires a need for greater automation. Enabling simplicity and providing better access to patient’s records, the PrisMax 2 prevents nurses from wasting time in manual charting and enable them to focus more on providing quality patient care. 

The PrisMax 2 has been developed addressing the challenges faced by patients as well as healthcare with its predecessor. The TrueVue Therapy Management is an innovative consultative offering provided by Baxter specialists where they will evaluate the gathered insights saved in the TrueVue Analytics tool. The anonymous PrisMax 2 CRRT therapy data will help hospitals to optimize CRRT quality improvement programs. Thus, the digital health solution would result in maximum utilization of resources, deliver required clinical goals, and thereby enhance safety. 

Major Advances in CRRT Devices

CARPEDIEM Cardio-Renal Pediatric Dialysis 

Medtronics launched CARPEDIEM extracorporeal blood-filtration system devised especially for pediatric care. The ground-breaking innovation delivers continuous renal replacement therapy to children suffering from acute kidney injury. The device uses a special dialyzer that cleans blood for a prolonged period rather than just three traditional times a week dialysis session. In clinical studies, CARPEDIEM demonstrated a 97% survival rate, which is huge considering that children with acute kidney injury undergoing typical therapy in ICU have a survival rate of 38-43%. Before CARPEDIEM, system launch, there were no commercially available CRRT devices for children. The first-of-its-kind CRRT system addresses many challenges associated with hemodialysis of patients weighing between 2.5 to 10 kgs. 

multiFiltratePRO CRRT device

The CE-marked multiFiltrate PRO is a new generation CRRT device for providing optimal care to critically ill patients with multiple organ failure. The modern CRRT device helps to apply CRRT to patients with acute kidney injury while reducing workload in order to save time and enhance the efficiency of the healthcare providers. With a large and adjustable touch screen, status recognition light on top, dedicated citrate, and ergonomic design, multiFiltrate PRO overcome substantial challenges associated with traditional CRRT systems by offering simple handling and improving user interaction. The 4-wheel chassis with 2-stage locking allows excellent mobility and stability. multiFiltrate PRO has a large-scale capacity that can hold up to 20 L of fluid, which leads to long time intervals between bag changes and help nurses to be more productive in their shift. The air-free pressure monitoring reduces the risk of coagulation during treatment while the integrated fluid heaters keep the patient warm even at high flows. 

Conclusion

The introduction of a new line of CRRT devices and corresponding self-instructive features from many manufacturers are assisting nephrologists and intensivists to assure safety, reliability, and user-friendliness during treatments. PrisMax turned out to be a great success for Baxter and now its latest version is ready to outperform counterparts with more advanced features such as TrueVue Analytics tool, carbon dioxide removal, sepsis treatment, ECMO compatibility, and specific liver filters. 

According to TechSci research report on “Global Blood Transfusion Devices Market By Product (Apheresis Systems, Infusion Devices, Blood Warmers, Venous Access Devices, Filters, And Others), By Type (Blood Safety, Blood Processing, Blood Collection, Others), By Application (Blood Disorders, Autoimmune Disorders, Cancer, Renal Disorders, Surgical Procedures, And Others), By End User (Hospital, Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Dialysis Centers, Blood Bank, Other), By Region, Forecast & Opportunities, 2025”, global blood transfusion devices market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 6% during the forecast period. The growth can be attributed to the upsurge in count of surgical procedures and rise in number of blood related disorders.