Hyperkalemia can be a life-threatening condition. Nonetheless, in transplant recipients with delayed graft function, there is a tendency to try to avoid dialysis early after transplant. The reason behind this approach is that a session of hemodialysis further…
No, this is not the title of the next Dan Brown novel (although the quality of the writing may sometimes compare, you will not find phrases like “the famous man looked at the red cup” here). I’m referring…
I had a moment of panic a while back when one of my patients had a seizure after his second ever hemodialysis treatment. I was concerned that perhaps the dialysis disequilibrium syndrome (DDS) might have contributed to the…
And now for something totally exciting—a post on water treatment in dialysis. Dr Daniel Coyne of Washington University gave a great review on this topic at the Brigham Renal Board Review course this week. Here is the basic…
Much of medical residency training in the US is centered in the hospital. This is also true of many of the fellowship programs in internal medicine. As we have seen a continual increase in the number and acuity…
It can often be difficult to stop something once it’s been started; take statins for example. It seems that despite consistent evidence from two large, randomized controlled trails demonstrating the lack efficacy of statins for preventing cardiovascular mortality…
As a nephrology fellow, I find it somewhat challenging to follow a patient with advanced CKD (eGFR, MDRD 8-10). However, I do find this process rewarding as it truly allows for the establishment of a substantial relationship with…
The recent death of the actor Gary Coleman after a fall in his home brought to mind the issue of falls in dialysis patients. Gary was best known for playing the role of Arnold in the TV show…
I recently wrote a short post detailing safety concerns surrounding warfarin use for atrial fibrillation (AF) in dialysis patients. I focussed mostly on the emerging evidence that it may promote vascular and valvular calcification by the inhibition of…
When caring for dialysis patients, we all use the well described KDOQI and KDIGO guidelines and ensure that the published goals are reached (please remember that the necessary government forms must also be completed!). We all pay special…
