Fresenius Medical Care’s new FX CorAL dialyzer combines clinical performance with hemocompatibility

Fresenius Medical Care, the world's leading provider of products and services for individuals with renal diseases, is launching a new dialyzer for hemodialysis, the FX CorAL^®. Focal points of the new dialyzer’s development were clinical performance and hemocompatibility. The FX CorAL is already available in Switzerland and will be gradually introduced in Germany, France, Italy and the United Arab Emirates. Other countries in the company’s Europe, Middle East and Africa region will follow.

Dialysis patients often suffer from chronic inflammation caused by the accumulation of toxic substances and the regular contact of their blood with external substances. These inflammations reduce patients’ quality of life and contribute to the onset of cardiovascular diseases. The core of the new FX CorAL is its new Helixone^® hydro membrane, which forms a special gel-like layer of water on the surface of the inner membrane that reduces protein adsorption while the blood is being cleaned. This is to achieve a lower induction of the immune response in the patient while maintaining high selective permeability for the removal of toxins and excess water.

Dr. Olaf Schermeier, Fresenius Medical Care’s Chief Executive Officer for Global Research & Development, said: “The well-being of our patients is at the heart of everything we do at Fresenius Medical Care. Combining clinical performance with hemocompatibility is a central element of our patient centered dialysis: It was with precisely this goal that we developed the new FX CorAL.”

Dr. Katarzyna Mazur-Hofsäß, Chief Executive Officer for Fresenius Medical Care’s Europe, Middle East and Africa region, said: “We at Fresenius Medical Care are proud that every day we help to improve the lives of people with chronic kidney disease. We work continuously to further improve treatment quality for our patients. The launch of the new FX CorAL dialyzer in the EMEA region is another important step in this direction.”

The FX CorAL is the newest dialyzer in Fresenius Medical Care’s FX class of dialyzers, which use polysulfone, a special plastic with exceptional filtering and hemocompatibility characteristics. The special structure of the dialyzer’s fibers ensures that the dialysis fluid washes evenly around each fiber, improving clearance. A lateral blood inlet port prevents the bloodline from kinking during use, enabling a more homogenous blood flow and making treatment safer. In addition, all FX-class dialyzers are steam-sterilized and, owing to their light material, environmentally friendly. After receiving the CE-mark, the FX CorAL was introduced in Fresenius Medical Care’s NephroCare clinics and has already been used in more than 3 million treatments.

In hemodialysis, the dialyzer acts as an artificial kidney and takes over vital functions of the natural organ. Blood flows through as many as 20,000 extremely fine fibers, known as capillaries, which are clustered in a plastic tube approximately 30 centimeters (12 inches) long. Metabolic toxins and excess water are filtered from the blood through these capillaries, and then flushed out of the body with dialysis fluid. Blood cells and vital proteins, however, remain in the blood. This treatment is usually administered three times a week and lasts three to six hours per treatment.

About 43 percent of all dialyzers sold worldwide come from Fresenius Medical Care’s development and production sites.