MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Satellite Healthcare, Inc., a leader in the field of kidney disease, today announced that the company has been selected to receive the National Kidney Foundation’s (NKF) Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI) Distinguished Partner Award. This award is intended to recognize an organization that has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to improving clinical and quality of life outcomes for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). NKF president, David Warnock, M.D., will present Satellite Healthcare with the award at the organization’s 2005 Spring Clinical Meetings’ President’s Dinner, being held this evening.
“We are honored to be chosen by NKF to receive this prestigious award based on our commitment to research, innovation and high standards related to the treatment of CKD,” said Norman S. Coplon, chairman and founder of Satellite Healthcare. “We are particularly proud of our role as primary development sponsor for NKF’s recently published K/DOQI guideline, Cardiovascular Disease in Dialysis Patients. In keeping with our mission, we believe these important guidelines will help improve patient outcomes and lead to much needed research in the area of CVD in patients on dialysis.”
According to the guidelines, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among dialysis patients and treatment for dialysis patients with CVD is not as effective as it is in the general population. The guidelines, which were published as a supplement to the April 2005 issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, go on to offer treatment and research recommendations specifically tailored to CVD in dialysis patients.
Key findings from the CVD guidelines include: * Dialysis patients are more prone to side-effects of CVD treatment * Pediatric chronic dialysis patients are 1,000 times more likely to die from CVD than the general pediatric population * All dialysis units should have on-site capability for external cardiac defibrillation, such as automatic external defibrillators * Predialysis and postdialysis blood pressure goals should be < 140/90 mm Hg and < 130/80 mm Hg, respectively * Dialysis patients often have CVD-related risk factors, including anemia, hyperparathyroidism, hypoalbumi nemia and chronic inflammation, among others.
“Until now, there have been no guidelines for the treatment of cardiovascular disease in dialysis patients. Without this guideline, made possible through the support of Satellite Healthcare, the medical community would still be seeking the best methods for managing the leading cause of death among dialysis patients,” said John Davis, chief executive officer of the NKF. “This generosity represents just the latest example of Satellite Healthcare’s commitment to improving the lives of the CKD patient population. We are pleased to honor the company with our K/DOQI Distinguished Partner Award.”
About Satellite Healthcare
Satellite Healthcare was founded in l974 by Norman Coplon, M.D. to focus exclusively on kidney and kidney-related disorders. Satellite Healthcare, with headquarters in Mountain View, CA., includes: Satellite Laboratory Services, providing laboratory services to dialysis facilities throughout the U.S.; Satellite Research, sponsoring research through intramural clinical research and extramural research grants; Satellite Capital, providing venture capital to early-stage health care companies; Satellite Dialysis, offering multiple dialysis programs to patients with kidney disease in Northern California; and WellBound, the first healthcare services company dedicated exclusively to the care of home dialysis patients. For more information, please visit http://www.satellitehealth.com/.
About K/DOQI
The National Kidney Foundation’s Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI) provides evidence-based clinical practice guidelines developed by volunteer physicians and health care providers for all phases of kidney disease and related complications, from diagnosis to monitoring and management. K/DOQI expands the Dialysis Outcomes Quality Initiative or DOQI, a project begun by the National Kidney Foundation in 1995 and recognized throughout the world for improving the care of dialysis patients. For more information, please visit http://www.kdoqi.org/.
Satellite Healthcare, Inc.
CONTACT: Mark Burke, Chief Executive Officer of Satellite Healthcare,+1-650-404-3610; or Stephanie Diaz (investors), +1-415-885-2298, orsdiaz@vidallc.com, or Tim Brons (media), +1-646-319-8981, ortbrons@vidallc.com, both of Vida Communication
Web site: http://www.kdoqi.org/
Web site: http://www.satellitehealth.com/