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About Hannah Bracamonte

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So far Hannah Bracamonte has created 607 blog entries.

The Gift of Life: A Donor’s Perspective

2024-03-28T21:05:10-04:00March 8th, 2016|Categories: Fact Sheet, Kidney Transplant, The Kidney Citizen|

By Joanne Smith On August 11, 2015, I had the wonderful opportunity to provide a fellow human being with a kidney. Growing-up my grandfather told me “giving is a wonderful thing and it makes you feel real good.” He made me realize that when someone is giving something to you, they have the same opportunity to feel “real good.” I learned to be a generous giver, but more importantly to be a gracious receiver. This actually enables others to enjoy the feeling of being generous givers as well. So, please don’t be afraid to ask your friends and family members [...]

Diabetes and Kidney Disease

2024-03-28T21:05:10-04:00March 8th, 2016|Categories: eNews, Fact Sheet, What Causes Kidney Disease|Tags: |

The relationship between diabetes and kidney disease First, to set the record straight, if you have diabetes you will not necessarily develop kidney disease. The fact that you are reading this handout already puts you ahead of the curve, because there are steps that you can take to safeguard against chronic kidney disease (CKD). Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease. The other leading causes of CKD are: • Hypertension (high blood pressure) • Glomerulonephritis • Cystic diseases • Urologic disease. In diabetics, the body has a hard time producing or properly using insulin. Without insulin, glucose (sugar) remains [...]

Basics of Chronic Kidney Disease

2024-03-28T21:05:11-04:00March 8th, 2016|Categories: Fact Sheet, Hemodialysis, Kidney Transplant, Medication, Peritoneal Dialysis, Symptoms, The Kidney Citizen, What Causes Kidney Disease|

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), also called chronic kidney failure, describes the gradual loss of kidney function. Your kidneys filter wastes and excess fluids from your blood, which are then removed from your body in your urine. When CKD reaches an advanced stage, dangerous levels of fluid, electrolytes and waste products can build up in your body and cause you harm. In the early stages of CKD, you may have few signs or symptoms, and may only be diagnosed with a blood and/or urine test. In fact, you may not feel sick from CKD up until most of your kidney function [...]

Staying Well with Chronic Kidney Disease: Basic Guidelines for Eating and Exercise

2024-03-28T21:05:12-04:00March 8th, 2016|Categories: Fact Sheet, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Physical Health, The Kidney Citizen|

By Danielle Kirkman, PhD For some people with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), following a diet prescribed by their doctor may help to delay the need for dialysis. A diet will not cure kidney disease. A dietitian can help you develop a diet plan that follows your doctor’s recommendations and is also realistic. Eating healthy foods can help you feel well. A meal plan made to fit your needs can help you: get to a healthy weight or stay at a healthy weight, control your blood pressure, control your blood glucose (sugar) and lower your risk of heart disease by giving [...]

Hemodialysis Access for Patients

2024-03-28T21:05:13-04:00March 8th, 2016|Categories: Fact Sheet, Hemodialysis, The Kidney Citizen|

(The Care and Feeding of Your Dialysis Access) By Dr. Steve Curtiss Problems with dialysis access are a leading cause of complications and hospitalizations of patients with kidney disease. The more patients understand about their access, the more they are empowered and can become an important part of the healthcare team, which leads to an improved quality of life by staying out of the hospital and having efficient dialysis. It is also important for patients not yet on dialysis to understand the types of dialysis access available so they can be prepared and make informed choices about dialysis access when [...]

Basic Facts about Kidney Disease

2024-03-28T21:05:14-04:00March 8th, 2016|Categories: eNews, Fact Sheet, Home Hemodialysis, In-Center Hemodialysis, Kidney Transplant, Peritoneal Dialysis, What Is Kidney Disease|

Kidneys perform crucial functions within the body. When they fail there are only four treatment pathways available: Hemodialysis uses a dialyzer to act as an artificial kidney, peritoneal dialysis uses the body's own abdominal lining to filter wastes, a transplant comes from a living or deceased donor and palliative care is a strategy that aims to prevent stress and reduce pain at the end of life. Without hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis or a transplant, individuals with failing kidneys will die. Hemodialysis (HD)—Cleansing a patient’s blood of harmful toxins and excess fluids through use of an artificial kidney (dialyzer) and hemodialysis machine. [...]

“Transplant 101” Recording Now Available!

2024-03-28T21:05:18-04:00February 26th, 2016|Categories: eNews, Kidney Transplant, News & Events, Treatment, Webinar|

The DPC Education Center held its second education call of 2016 last Wednesday on the basics of kidney transplantation. Medical professionals from the Christiana Care Transplant Center provided patients with extensive information about the transplant process, including: who can become a candidate for a kidney transplant, the steps individuals must take have their names added to the transplant list and how the transplant list works. If you were unable to listen to the call live, the recording can be found below. Join the Education Center for its next education call on Living Well on Dialysis, scheduled for Tuesday, March 29, at [...]

Report Focuses on Quality of End-Of-Life Care

2024-03-28T21:05:19-04:00February 26th, 2016|Categories: eNews, Treatment|Tags: |

While it is hard to think about, advanced care planning is beneficial to family members and caregivers when a health crisis arises. A recent report suggests that the type of hospice care a patient receives until his or her death influences the family’s opinion on the quality of that care. Researchers surveyed more than 1100 family members of older patients who died from lung or colorectal cancer and found that family members were more likely to rate end-of-life care higher based on three factors: care lasting more than three days, avoidance of admission into the intensive care unit of a hospital [...]

Study Suggests a Lack of Utilization of Timely Kidney Transplants

2024-03-28T21:05:20-04:00February 26th, 2016|Categories: eNews, Kidney Transplant|

A “timely living donor kidney transplant” refers to when a patient receives a kidney from a living donor either before beginning dialysis or within a year of beginning dialysis. Research links timely transplants to better outcomes and higher survival rates for patients. A new study indicates there has been no increase in the utilization of this transplant method since 2006. Scientists from the Mayo Clinic and the University of Michigan studied the data of over 68,000 patients who received living donor transplants between 2000 and 2012. Results showed that while timely kidney transplants increased between 2000 and 2006, there was no [...]

Study Shows CDC Intervention Tools Decrease Infection Rates for Hemodialysis Patients

2024-06-07T11:38:27-04:00February 26th, 2016|Categories: eNews, Hemodialysis|

Bloodstream infections are the second leading cause of death for hemodialysis patients. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) prevention tools, also called the Core Interventions, provide dialysis facilities with a guide on how to prevent bloodstream infections. A recent study found that dialysis facilities that implemented CDC’s infection prevention tools such as improving staff hygiene and increasing patient education on better catheter maintenance, had a 44 percent decrease in bloodstream infections for patients. These resources are free and available to anyone on the CDC’s website.

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