A Letter to the Healthcare Workers & Systems Managing COVID-19

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve partnered with physicians, hospitals and patients to address the ongoing and immediate challenges of managing patient care in this environment. 

Despite wide availability and administration of the COVID-19 vaccine, the emergence of the Delta variant has led to surges of critically ill patients once again challenging the health of our communities, patients, families and health systems. Cases within the population of patients with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), and those who develop Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) as a result of coronavirus infection, are rising in pockets across the country.

As we experienced with our health system partners during the initial surge of COVID in the Spring of 2020, staffing, supplies and space are key problems that Tablo technology is uniquely able to address. While we all hoped that we would be on the other side of this pandemic by now, the reality is, we are not. We at Outset are determined to put our learnings to good use by helping as many providers as possible to manage this continuing crisis.

Strategies for managing acute dialysis surge capacity during COVID-19

We have partnered with many different providers to prepare for, manage and treat their patients that need acute dialysis. The following rapid-response actions have made a significant impact on treating high incidences of COVID-19:

• Repurposing existing locations, or increasing bedside dialysis by utilizing other parts of the hospital to deliver isolation treatments to infected patients
• Leveraging the pool of nurses and technicians being freed by the reduction of elective procedures to manage and/or support treatments – and rapidly deploying training to those staff
• Shifting from CRRT to PIRRT/SLED in the ICU to balance the individual patient need with the increased demand for treatments, machines and supplies
• Taking advantage of the Tablo system’s Remote Patient Monitoring and Virtual Support features to reduce healthcare worker infection risks and exposure-related staffing shortages
• Proactively increasing stock of key supplies, including dialysis machines and supplies to prepare for more treatments

How Outset’s team and Tablo works for hard-hit providers and at-risk patient populations

While no dialysis system is specifically designed for this unprecedented situation, we’re grateful to be able to offer a technology solution that helps alleviate barriers to care while providing a high-quality patient experience in virtually any setting. 

The Tablo system’s integrated water purification, clinical versatility and easy-to-learn interface allow it to be quickly deployed as a solution during challenging times. Last year, utilization of the system’s SLED therapy capabilities was able to help effectively treat patients and improve device utilization, efficiency and care by allowing hospitals to manage the dialysis needs of multiple critically ill patients with a single device, without the need for sterile bags of dialysate. VA Pittsburgh used Tablo systems to create the first dialysis program at a VA long-term care facility in order to protect the Veterans living at their Community Living Center from exposure to the coronavirus — a mission we completed with them in under 4 weeks. Our contract with HHS for disaster preparedness deployments further testifies to the capabilities of Tablo to meet the needs of emergency situations.

Our team is battle-tested. Having deployed Tablo systems in hard-hit New York City, Guam, and other COVID-19 hot spots in the height of the first surge, as well as natural disasters, we have the knowledge, resources and technology to support health systems in distress. By utilizing virtual training, remote patient monitoring and Outset’s ‘round-the-clock customer support, even non-dialysis nurses can easily be trained to support patients and help achieve clinical goals during the most difficult circumstances.

If you’d like to understand more about how Tablo can assist in improving dialysis treatment efficiency, reducing supply and delivery costs, preparing your health system for emergent situations, and providing the flexibility needed to meet the demands of today’s care environment, reach out to us. Whether a virtual demo, clinical call, in-person visit or connection with other healthcare professionals utilizing our technology, please know we are here to help.

These are extremely difficult times, and the team at Outset Medical cares deeply about the patients and providers at the center of it all. We are committed to utilizing our experience to help healthcare professional meet the needs of their patients and communities. Thank you for what you do.

Sincerely,

Michael Aragon, MD
Chief Medical Officer