Benephit to be Studied in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients

The Scripps Clinic has initiated a physician-sponsored clinical trial of FlowMedica's Benephit Infusion System in patients with chronic kidney disease who are undergoing cardiovascular procedures and are at increased risk for developing a potentially life-threatening condition called radiocontrast nephropathy (RCN).

In the trial, investigators will assess whether using the Benephit system to deliver medication directly to the kidneys -- targeted renal therapy (TRT) -- decreases the incidence of RCN, a reaction to the contrast media used in some procedures. The study is the latest in a recent series of clinical trials at Scripps to evaluate TRT using the Benephit system.

TRT delivers medications and other therapeutic agents directly to the kidneys and is an alternative to the standard delivery of systemic intravenous infusions to treat kidney dysfunction related to cardiovascular disease. Systemic infusions often are associated with serious side effects such as hypotension -- severely low blood pressure -- limiting the use of some drugs.