The Importance of Preserving Residual Renal Function on Dialysis

<

Dialysis patients of The Kidney & Hypertension Group know we are big on preserving your residual renal function. (urine output) We choose PD when we can, and work in other ways to protect the kidney function that remains. That topic was covered at the ASN meeting this week. In this recap, it does not mention (but hopefully covered) the importance of continued vigilance in protecting the kidney from nephrotoxic substances-either medication or from diagnostic tests when you are on dialysis. In particular, we have found extreme vigilance is needed in guiding our patients through the rigors of transplant workup (ie radio-contrast studies), and guarding against loss of RRF there. Like the article says, every drop of urine promotes your well being on dialysis, particularly as you wait for a kidney transplant. As for medication, if you had to avoid it pre-dialysis, chances are you need to avoid it on dialysis. One example is anti-inflammatory medication, either over the counter, or prescribed. When taking antibiotics, your nephrologist will consider the proper dose for you, often in conjunction with the prescribing physician. Because today's medicine means your own doctor may not be treating you in the hospital, we find education of the patient on preserving his or her renal function from day one goes a long way to making sure the patient is their own advocate in situations where guarding renal function may not be given full consideration by the medical team. http://ajkdblog.org/2014/11/14/kidney-week-2014-preserving-residual-kidney-function-in-esrd/