Baxter Aurora dialysis system.

Abstract

With the recent focus on the benefits of more frequent dialysis, the Baxter Aurora dialysis system provides maximum flexibility for therapy prescription, including short daily treatments, long nocturnal treatments, hemodialysis, hemofiltration, and online hemodiafiltration, all in a compact, reliable, easy to use system. A self-prompting touch screen user interface mounted on a movable arm provides for comfortable operation, whether sitting and standing. An automatic treatment setup mode facilitates easy treatment setup. Complex menus are eliminated by the use of a hardware key that automatically selects only the prescribed options during power up, eliminating all menus associated with nonprescribed functions and modalities. This prevents the user from becoming confused or accidentally altering the dialysis treatment. Prior to dialysis the instrument goes through an automatic self-test that confirms the operation of internal systems. The screen will dim when there is no action that the patient needs to attend to on the instrument. After dialysis, press the disinfect button and the instrument disinfects itself and shuts off. For patient safety, the "disinfect" menus are not available during dialysis. The instrument can also be programmed to automatically start and rinse at a set time. For remote treatment monitoring, the instrument connects to the Internet. The Aurora records information about the machine's technical status, providing a record of instrument history for easy servicing. The Aurora is a flexible platform that provides the desired renal therapy with ease of use and proper support for the hemodialysis patient when combined with Baxter's 24-hour infrastructure and support.