Baxter invests $650 million annually in R&D and home dialysis is one of our largest product segments. Dialysis works by filtering a water-based solution called dialysate through a patient’s bloodstream to remove excess waste, a process that simulates the functioning of a healthy kidney.  

Today, rather than travel to dialysis centers, many patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) receive their treatment on home dialysis machines. For home dialysis machines to work properly, the water needs to be free of “hardness” or mineral content; otherwise, precipitates will form and degrade the machine’s performance.  

Hardness in water is not a problem unique to dialysis and is typically removed using “water softeners” that filter out minerals through a process known as “ion exchange.” However, water softeners and similar technologies don’t work well for home dialysis machines because they:  

• Take up a significant amount of space inside the machine 

• Require frequent maintenance (e.g. replenishment of salt reservoir, replacement of resin cartridges)  

• Use separation processes (e.g., membrane filtration) that produce wastewater