ISN Position on Offer of Used Dialysis Machines

ISN members often submit generous offers to donate used dialysis machines to medical centers in need. Although potentially useful, this is complex to implement and it has some long-term implications which influence the success of the donation (e.g. the condition of the machines, the availability of spare parts, shipping costs).

We thought useful to ask our Dialysis Committee, chaired by Fred Finkelstein and Nathan Levin, to submit some recommendations for potential donors and recipients of used machines. They are below.

FOR DONORS: For a donor to submit equipment for posting, he/she would need to indicate that the donated equipment that is being posted is in good working order. Information that will be required for posting would include:

1. name and brand of machine
2. year made
3. number of hours used
4. overall condition on 3 point scale: 1 being good, 2 being very good, 3 being excellent
5. who will be responsible for payment for shipping (donor or recipient)

FOR RECIPIENTS: Recipients are strongly advised that no one should accept donated machines unless appropriate maintenance is possible AND is planned for these machines. Appropriate individuals will need to be trained concerning the proper operation and maintenance of the machines. It is not to be assumed by the recipient that simply having machines will permit them to have a functioning dialysis facility. Unexpected machine failure may be followed by unpleasant consequences.

THE ISN: The ISN accepts no responsibility for the equipment and takes no responsibility for the verification of the report regarding the status of the equipment.