FIR CompanyFIR Company is a new company started in May 2009. The goal of the company is to make innovative technologies available to improve the quality of life for patients. The first product we are introducing to United States market is the Far Infrared Therapy Unit. FIR will be introduced in the dialysis market place for use in improving access blood flow and unassisted patency of arteriorvenous fistula in hemodialysis patients.
A randomized trial by Dr. Lin and his associates was designed to evaluate the effect of Far Infrared Therapy on access blood flow and patency of native arteriorvenous fistula (AVF).
The study was published in the J AM Soc Nephrol 18: 955-992, 2007.The conclusion of the study was, 'FIR Therapy, a noninvasive and convenient therapeutic modality, can improve blood flow and survival of AVF in hemodialysis patients through both its thermal and nonthermal effects'.
In comparison to the control subjects, patients who received FIR Therapy for 1 year had a lower incidence( 12.5 vs 30.1%; P < 0.01) of AVF malfunction.
Currently in Taiwan over 80 % of dialysis centers use Far Infrared Therapy.
Please see our Medical Research tab on our website for the Lin study and other research about FIR Therapy.
Vascular Access FailureVascular access failure is a major complication in providing care to patients on hemodialysis to treat end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The prevalent ESRD population in the U.S. is expected to grow to 1.3 million by 2030. According to Medicare reports, total ESRD costs reached $20.1 billion in 2004 - with total ESRD costs reaching $32.5 billion from all sources.
According to the United States Renal Data System (USRDS), the number of ESRD patients requiring hemodialysis in 2004 reached over 300,000. Vascular access complications account for up to 20 percent of all hemodialysis hospital admissions, leading to over $1 billion in annual Medicare expenditure.