Massachusetts medical device maker NxStage Medical (NSDQ:NXTM) took a hard slide on Wall Street today as the company lowered its financial outlook for the year on sluggish adoption of its home hemodialysis systems.

NXTM shares were down 18% to $10.14 as of about 1:50 p.m. today after the company released its Q3 earnings report, with a 9.4% boost to record sales but a near doubling of losses for the 3 months ended September 30.

NxStage lowered its full-year revenue guidance to between $261 to $262.5 million, down from previous estimates at $265 to $270 million. The company also narrowed its loss projection to between  $19.5 to $18.5 million, previously $17 to $13 million.

The company’s dimmed outlook hinges primarily on a slower-than-anticipated ramp-up for its home hemodialysis systems, for which NxStage has long struggled to win robust Medicare reimbursement. Analysts at Leerink Swann warned that the news would weaken shares today as it "could shake investor confidence in the company’s ability to drive a reacceleration of home System One sales growth into the 15% range in 2014."

"Investors will focus intently on the puts and takes to now-lower Home Hemo sales growth guidance for 2013," Swann analysts Danielle Antalffy and Robert Marcus said in a note to investors. "While management did not seem to lower its expectation for a reacceleration to 15% Home Hemo sales growth in 2014, this now expected slower ramp exiting 2013 certainly calls this growth guidance into question."

NxStage posted losses of $5 million, or 8¢ per share, on sales of $66.9 million during its 3rd quarter. That compared with losses of $2.6 million, or 4¢ per share, on sales of $61.2 million during the same period last year. The company’s 8¢ loss was 2¢ worse than analysts’ expectations.