August 28, 2016 David Scott Today, self-care (home) dialysis therapies, including peritoneal dialysis and home hemodialysis, are receiving significant attention within the chronic kidney disease (CKD) field and adoption of these therapies as treatments for patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) is increasing. Read More
August 28, 2016 David Scott When is more … better? More … dangerous heart rhythms? No way! More … episodes of not being able to breathe the night before dialysis? Not likely! More … muscle cramps, weakness, nausea and vomiting near the end of dialysis? Ummm – no! The correct answer: more dialysis treatments per … Continue reading “Nocturnal Home Hemodialysis & Heart Disease: When is More Better?”
August 28, 2016 David Scott Introduction In the past few years home hemodialysis has become more popular. In 2005 there were 2,105 patients on home hemodialysis. In 2007, one dialysis company alone (DaVita) reported 1000 patients in their home hemodialysis program (DaVita personal communication). The majority of home patients currently undergo short, daily dialysis. Read … Continue reading “Outcomes in Nocturnal Daily Home Dialysis”
August 28, 2016 David Scott A diagnosis of kidney failure may be a time filled with overwhelming angst. It is important to know that you have choices and to take the opportunity to explore your options. Many patients automatically assume that a kidney transplant is the best option, but this is not necessarily true for … Continue reading “Is Transplantation the Only Answer?”
August 28, 2016 David Scott The prevalence of sleep disorders in the United States is exceedingly high. Sleep disorders cause a high number of health problems, are associated with high healthcare costs and are frequently linked with cuts in quality of life that negatively impact social and work relationships. In particular, chronic kidney disease (CKD) … Continue reading “Sleep, Do You Dream About It?”
August 28, 2016 David Scott In order to understand why pregnancy in the setting of renal replacement therapy constitutes a significant medical event, it helps to understand how pregnancy affects women with normal kidney function. During pregnancy blood vessels become dilated leading to lowered blood pressure. Read More
August 28, 2016 David Scott On May 9, 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administratio issued a public health advisory outlining new safety information about ESAs . This included a new black box warning advising physicians to adjust the ESA dose to maintain the lowest hemoglobin level needed to avoid the need for a blood … Continue reading “The FDA Black Box Warning for ESAs”
August 28, 2016 David Scott 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. Read More
August 28, 2016 David Scott Why is residual renal function important? The importance of residual renal function (RRF) and its care has gained increased attention recently. A patient who has 2 mL/min of residual urea clearance, a starting point proposed by the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) Read More
August 28, 2016 David Scott Renal replacement therapy or dialysis is a life sustaining treatment that is offered when the kidneys are too damaged to continue to work properly. In this article, we will focus on standard or in center three times weekly hemodialysis, which is the most common type of dialysis performed in the … Continue reading “What is Hemodialysis and How Does it Work?”
