National Donate Life Month: NxStage Teams Up with Organ Donation Nonprofit MatchingDonors.com

LAWRENCE, Mass., April 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Thirteen people die every day in the United States waiting for a kidney transplant, most waiting seven to nine years, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. April is National  Donate Life Month and NxStage Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTM), a leading medical technology company focused on advancing renal care, is joining forces with MatchingDonors.com, the nation's largest nonprofit living organ donation website that provides people with an active way to search for an altruistic live donor. The organizations are teaming up to raise awareness of treatment options and services that may help kidney patients receive a transplant.

Houston-area resident and NxStage® System One™ patient Mary Raines' life was transformed because of a kidney she received from an altruistic donor she found with MatchingDonors.com. Wisconsin native Elizabeth Meyer gave one of her kidneys to Mary, a complete stranger, after reading her inspiring story. In a study conducted by the Chronic Disease Research Group, patients receiving more frequent, home hemodialysis (HHD) with the NxStage System One were more likely to receive a kidney transplant when compared with conventional thrice-weekly dialysis.

"I attribute much of my good health and ability to get a transplant to more frequent home hemodialysis with NxStage, which also gave me and my husband more freedom and more time together," said Raines. "I'm also forever grateful to MatchingDonors.com for helping me connect with an amazing donor who saved my life."

The organizations are educating their respective networks of kidney disease patients through joint education materials and communication programs to highlight the underutilization of HHD as a treatment option while patients are waiting for a transplant with MatchingDonors.com as a resource for patients seeking a living donor.

"NxStage is aligning with MatchingDonors.com because organ donation is an important issue that impacts over 100,000 people waiting for a kidney transplant, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services," said Joseph Turk, President of NxStage. "NxStage is committed to helping kidney patients reclaim their lives, live longer and be more likely to receive a transplant."

Go to MatchingDonors.com to learn more about altruistic living organ donation, and visit NxStage.com for more information about HHD with the NxStage System One. 

Despite the health benefits that home hemodialysis may provide to those with chronic kidney disease, this form of therapy is not for everyone. The reported benefits of home hemodialysis may not be experienced by all patients. The risks associated with hemodialysis treatments in any environment include, but are not limited to, high blood pressure, fluid overload, low blood pressure, heart-related issues, and vascular access complications. The medical devices used in hemodialysis therapies may add additional risks including air entering the bloodstream and blood loss due to clotting or accidental disconnection of the blood tubing set. Certain risks are unique to the home. Treatments at home are done without the presence of medical personnel and on-site technical support. Patients and their partners must be trained on what to do and how to get medical or technical help if needed.

About MatchingDonors.com
MatchingDonors.com is the nation's largest living organ donor organization. The 501(c)3 nonprofit gives people in need of transplant surgery an active way to search for an altruistic live donor. MatchingDonors.com is committed to increasing the number of transplant surgeries and improving awareness of live organ donation. The organization is supported by memberships, advertisements and donations. On average, twenty-two people die every day in the United States waiting for a transplant, many waiting more than five years. Since the inception of MatchingDonors.com, directed living organ donations has increased to historic numbers and there are currently more than 14,500 registered potential donors on the site. The average patient gets their transplant within six months of signing up on the website. For more information on organ donation and others ways to help, visit www.MatchingDonors.com.

About the NxStage System One
The NxStage System One is the first and only truly portable hemodialysis system cleared specifically by the FDA for home hemodialysis and home nocturnal hemodialysis. Its simplicity and revolutionary size (just over a foot tall) are intended to allow convenient use in patients' homes and give patients the freedom to travel with their therapy. When combined with the NxStage PureFlow SL Dialysis Preparation System, patients are able to further simplify, using ordinary tap water to create dialysis fluid on demand. Unlike conventional hemodialysis systems, the System One requires no special infrastructure to operate. Under the guidance of their physician, patients can use the NxStage System One, with their trained partners, where, how and when it best meets their needs, including while they are sleeping - at home or on vacation and at a medically appropriate treatment frequency. In addition, NxStage's Nx2me Connected Health platform collects important NxStage System One and patient information  for flexible viewing, monitoring and reporting that may improve patient management and simplify alternative site care. http://www.nxstage.com/.

About NxStage Medical
NxStage Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTM) is a leading medical technology company, headquartered in Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA, that develops, manufactures and markets innovative products for the treatment of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and acute kidney failure. NxStage also has established a small number of dialysis clinics committed to the development of innovative care delivery models for patients with ESRD. For more information on NxStage and its products and services, please visit the Company's websites at www.nxstage.com and www.nxstagekidneycare.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this release that are not clearly historical in nature are forward-looking, and the words "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "estimate," "plan," and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors including those that are discussed in NxStage's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015. NxStage is under no obligation to (and expressly disclaims any such obligation to) update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

CONTACT: Kristen Sheppard, [email protected] 

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SOURCE NxStage Medical, Inc.

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