Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-28T21:06:17-04:00April 29th, 2015|Categories: eNews, Home Hemodialysis, In-Center Hemodialysis, Kidney Transplant, News & Events, Peritoneal Dialysis, Webinar|
On April 9, Education Manager Joanne Smith hosted an educational conference call and webinar on treatment options for kidney patients. Smith has been a nephrology nurse for 32 years, and provides in-home training to patients on peritoneal and hemodialysis. Click here to listen to a recording of the call and view the accompanying Powerpoint slides.
Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-28T21:06:17-04:00April 29th, 2015|Categories: Dialysis|Tags: Emergency Preparedness|
Since dialysis is necessary to sustain life for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, it is imperative that both facilities and patients plan ahead when it comes to scheduling dialysis. It is particularly important to plan for any facility closures, which are bound to happen during natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy. Unfortunately, approximately 40% of dialysis patients in the regions most affected by Hurricane Sandy - New York and New Jersey - failed to schedule dialysis in the days before the hurricane struck. As researchers pointed out in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, scheduling dialysis early would have been a good idea [...]
Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-28T21:06:23-04:00December 2nd, 2014|Categories: Dialysis, eNews, Lifestyle|Tags: Infection Prevention|
Dialysis facilities have infection control policies and procedures in place to protect their patients and staff from coming in contact with any blood borne diseases, but diligence in following those policies and procedures is imperative to protect us all. Dialysis staff are instructed to treat all patients with standard precautions. These include gloves, masks over the nose and mouth, shields or goggles for eye protection and waterproof gowns whenever there is risk for exposure. Staff should wash their hands and change gloves between every patient to reduce the risk of transmission of any infectious material, in particular blood. You should always [...]
Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-28T21:06:29-04:00May 28th, 2014|Categories: Home Hemodialysis|
By Linda Gromko, MD and Jane C. McClure, Interior Designer When Linda and her husband, Steve Williams, brought Steve’s dialysis machine home, they felt reasonably confident about the mechanics of home dialysis. But the next day – when sixteen cubic feet of dialysis supplies arrived, they felt overwhelmed! After all, who has even one extra storage closet just waiting to be used? How could they incorporate all this “stuff” into their already busy household? Sound familiar? (Now, it’s true that the newer procedure of preparing dialysate from tap water and storing a couple of batches under the machine will minimize the sheer quantity [...]
Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-28T21:06:31-04:00April 10th, 2014|Categories: eNews, Home Hemodialysis|
By Linda Gromko, MD and Jane C. McClure, Interior Designer This is the third of a four-part series on “Setting Up Your Home Dialysis Unit Without Feeling like You’re Living in an ICU!” We’ve already covered “Top Ten Considerations,” and “Setting Up with Safety First.” In this entry, we discuss the very basics of setting up your unit. Next time, we’ll address storage! The whole process of dialyzing at home can be daunting at first, but the benefits are well worth the effort. Dialyzing at home can provide the ultimate in personal flexibility – plus, more dialysis and more frequent dialysis [...]
Hannah Bracamonte2024-06-07T11:46:42-04:00July 2nd, 2013|Categories: Blog, Hemodialysis|
Linda Gromko By Linda G., M.D. — Guest Blogger Check Out Recent CDC Recommendations on Reducing Infections The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced in May 2013 results from a multi-center study on prevention of bloodstream infections in dialysis patients. The problem is enormous: during the study, 37,000 infections occurred in dialysis patients with central lines, at a cost of over $23,000 per admission. Dialysis patients also have a greater risk of contracting infections with resistant bacteria such as MRSA – and developing accompanying complications such as endocarditis (heart valve infection) and osteomyelitis (bone infection). Not [...]
Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-28T21:06:48-04:00April 8th, 2013|Categories: Blog, Home Hemodialysis|
By Dr. Linda Gromko, MD, Guest Blogger Hi my name is Dr. Linda Gromko and I am a Seattle family practice physician who assisted my husband Steve Williams with both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis for three-and-a-half years before his death in April 2011. In coordination with interior designer Jane C. McClure, I wrote Arranging Your Life When Dialysis Comes Home: “The Underwear Factor’ and two other books about my family’s experience with ESRD. Last month, I discussed the advantages of doing dialysis at home. There’s no doubt that home dialysis – both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis – offer the opportunity for [...]
Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-28T21:06:51-04:00February 26th, 2013|Categories: Blog, Home Hemodialysis|
By Linda G, Guest Blogger Hi my name is Linda Gromko and I am a a Seattle family practice physician who served as my husband’s Care Partner in both home hemodialysis and home peritoneal dialysis for several years before his death in 2011. I am a strong advocate of home dialysis, and I have co-authored “Arranging Your Life When Dialysis Comes Home: The Underwear Factor” with Interior Designer Jane C. McClure. I also wrote “Complications: A Doctor’s Love Story,” and “Let Me Go When the Banter Stops: A Doctor’s Fight for the Love of Her Life.” I wanted to share my [...]
Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-28T21:06:52-04:00February 4th, 2013|Categories: Costs for Treatment, eNews, Peritoneal Dialysis|
There are several options to pay for your dialysis treatments including insurance through your employer or other private health plan, Medicare, Medicaid and through military health programs. The Medicare program was designed to be available to anyone who was born in the US, a permanent and legal resident for 5 years, or the spouse of an individual who paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years. People with end stage renal disease (ESRD) or those who needed a kidney transplant regardless of age (as long as they met the residency requirements) qualify for Medicare. Some individuals are considered dual eligible [...]
Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-28T21:06:57-04:00January 4th, 2013|Categories: eNews, Hemodialysis, Kidney Transplant, Pediatric Kidney Disease, Peritoneal Dialysis|
Children with kidney failure have a few options to choose from, depending on the severity of their disease. The primary goal is to have a successful transplant, however viable kidneys are not always available and some children are not strong candidates for transplants. In some cases a nephrectomy is a solution that can make childhood disease easier to manage. In most cases parents choose home dialysis options either home hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. Transplants In adults, most transplanted kidneys come from donors who have just perished. However, about half of the kidney transplants in children come from a living donor, usually a [...]
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