Dialysis

As if a diagnosis of end stage renal disease (ESRD) is not enough, according to the United States Renal Data System (USRDS) one-third of people with ESRD get hit with a double whammy… a cancer diagnosis. ESRD patients are already dealing with a difficult disease, which impacts quality of life on many levels.

Answer: The overriding factor is patient safety. To assure a safe treatment, staff may not be able to satisfy all patient comfort requests, such as keeping the access site covered.

A correlation between method of administration and clinical result achieved has been known for erythropoietin use in dialysis patients for a decade (NEJM). Application of this knowledge has not been the usual practice, however.

Answer: In projecting how long an individual is likely to survive after the onset of what is called end-stage renal disease (ESRD), the key factors are: 1. Patient age and gender, 2. Cause of kidney failure, and 3. Method of treatment.

Dear Doctor: My 16-year old son was admitted to the hospital in kidney failure three weeks ago. He just got out two days ago and during his stay started hemodialysis. While in the hospital doctors inserted a peritoneal line so we can transition to peritoneal dialysis (PD) in the next couple weeks.

It seems like every time I bump into something, I bruise. What’s causing me to bruise so easily and is there something I can do to stop it? Bruising, also called ecchymosis, is caused by extravasation or leaking of blood into the skin. The bleeding is the result of a complex process and begins with our largest organ-the skin.

Three days a week dialysis and a healthy fear of the open seas kept Shakur Bolden from taking that dream vacation. He had seen the brochures in his dialysis unit and on the tables in his doctor’s office. “Exciting vacation opportunities…”, “From Barcelona to Bermuda, there’s a cruise that’s going your way.

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect a variety of different body parts. These include the kidneys, brain, lungs, heart, joints, skin and blood. Under normal circumstances the body has an internal immune surveillance system which recognizes and protects the body from bacteria, viruses and other foreign substances.

Each year, more than 36,000 people in the United States die because of the flu (influenza). Additionally, complications from infections are the second leading cause of hospitalization in the end stage renal disease (ESRD) population.

Influenza (often called the flu) is a very contagious viral illness that can occur in anyone, but some people may be even more susceptible than others. It occurs most frequently in the winter months as people spend more time indoors. The virus is spread easily from person to person by infected respiratory secretions.