Kidney Care & Hypertension

Nephrology is the medical specialty that deals with kidney disease. A Nephrologist is a doctor who cares for patients with kidney disease. You have two kidneys that are designed to perform complex jobs within your body, like removing toxins from your body as well as control the body’s balance of fluids, electrolytes, and blood pressure. Kidneys are also integral to maintaining bone health because they control vitamin D metabolism and calcium balance. Additionally, they are essential to the production of red blood cells by the bone marrow through the production of the hormone erythropoietin. Unfortunately, many diseases can affect the kidneys and cause problems for rest of the body. Disease that harms the kidney include diabetes, lupus, and cardiovascular disease. As Nephrologists, we care for patients with all types of kidney disease. We also specialize in the correction of electrolyte abnormalities, difficult to control hypertension, kidney stone prevention, and more.

Our nephrologists have been committed to recruiting well trained physicians and staff while working with other entities to develop many innovative care concepts.

Dialysis

Dialysis is an artificial process of cleaning the toxins and excess water from the body when the kidneys no longer function adequately. There are different types or “modalities” of dialysis, the most common is In-Center Hemodialysis, where patients generally go three times per week. Other options include peritoneal dialysis; and home-hemodialysis.

As our patients prepare for the transition from Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease to End Stage Renal Disease, our clinical team members work closely to make this transition a success. We educate patients on what dialysis is and how it works, various dialysis modalities, and different types of access. We work one on one with each patient to find the best treatment fit.

The type of dialysis a patient receives will help determine where they need to go for regular dialysis treatments and how often. Dialysis treatments are typically done at a specialized hemodialysis center or at home. Our physicians and advanced practitioners continue to see our dialysis patients frequently at the dialysis units to review laboratories, blood pressures, and dialysis treatments.

Vascular Access

The following procedures are performed in our access centers in support of optimum dialysis access health:

• Vassal mapping

• Angiogram

• Angioplasty

• Thrombectomy (declot)

• Endovascular stent placement

• Aneurysm and pseudoaneurysm repair

• Accessory vein embolization/ligation

• Hemodialysis catheter insertion, exchange removal and repair

Transplant

Kidney transplantation is recommended for most people with end-stage renal disease. This is a surgical procedure in which a person with failing kidneys can receive a healthy kidney from another person. Receiving a healthy kidney via transplant allows for freedom from dialysis because the new kidney takes over the function of filtering your blood.

Our immune system is trained to destroy or “reject” anything it recognizes as “foreign”— which may include a newly transplanted kidney. To prevent your immune system from “rejecting” the new kidney, you will be placed on lifelong anti-rejection medications. Some medications have side effects that your nephrologist will discuss with you at the time of your evaluation.

Almost all patients with kidney conditions leading to Stage 4 or 5 chronic renal failure are good candidates for transplant education and evaluation. In fact, patients that receive a kidney transplant prior to receiving dialysis have fewer complications. Your nephrologist should refer you to a transplant center as early as possible.