Chronic Kidney Disease, or CKD, is a life-long condition where the kidneys are unable to properly filter waste products and fluid from the blood. Learn how this disease progresses through 5 stages, depending on the level of kidney function, with Stage 5, or End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), being the most serious. With ESRD, a patient must undergo dialysis or receive a kidney transplant in order to survive.
Chronic Kidney Disease, or CKD, happens when your kidneys are no longer fully able to clean waste products and fluid from the blood. CKD can be caused by several things, including high blood pressure, diabetes, injury and genetic problems. As CKD worsens, it can result in kidney failure where dialysis or a kidney transplant are required in order to survive. Learn how following a management plan can help slow the progression of CKD.
Acute Kidney Injury is a sudden episode of kidney failure or kidney damage, causing a build-up of waste products in your blood and excess fluid in your body. AKI can happen within a few hours or a few days, but it is treatable and your kidneys may recover, unlike in chronic kidney disease where the damage is permanent. Learn the causes and symptoms of Acute Kidney Injury in this program.
More than 600,000 Americans have End Stage Renal Disease, where their kidneys only function at 15% of normal. At this stage of kidney disease, a patient must go on dialysis or receive a kidney transplant in order to survive. This program will explain what ESRD looks like and will offer suggestions for transitioning into this stage of chronic kidney disease.
This is the loss of the function of your kidneys. These are the organs that filter your blood to produce urine. When your kidneys can no longer cleanse your blood, waste builds up in your body. This can be fatal.
In its early stages, people with Chronic Kidney Disease, or CKD, might not even know they have the disease because they have no symptoms. However, the disease is very likely to get worse over time, and it's important to have a good support system to cope with each new stage. In this program, learn how family members, friends, your healthcare team and even others living with CKD can help you adjust to the changes that are required to live with CKD.
Everyone who has Chronic Kidney Disease is unique, so it's important that, working with your healthcare provider, you create a CKD management plan that works for you. By watching this program, you'll learn how eating healthy, staying active, taking your medications and getting regular healthcare checkups are all key parts of managing your CKD.
When you have Chronic Kidney Disease, it means a lot of lifestyle changes, new medications and treatments, and regular monitoring by your healthcare team. You, as the patient, are at the center of that team. By watching this program, you will learn about the important role you play in successfully managing your CKD.
One critical way to help manage Chronic Kidney Disease is by watching your diet. Many foods can place a lot of stress on the kidneys, so it's important to limit these. Learn how to eat healthy with CKD by watching this program.
If you've been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, you may be facing some unexpected challenges. But kidney disease doesn't have to take over your life. Use these simple strategies to manage it.
Living with Chronic Kidney Disease involves a lot of changes, starting with making room for dialysis in your weekly routine. Beyond dialysis, there are several other healthy choices you can make that might include controlling your blood pressure, cholesterol or diabetes, stopping smoking, eating healthy, and getting your weight under control. This program will walk you through some important lifestyle changes that can help you live longer with CKD.
This artificial filtering of your blood removes waste from your body. It helps perform the job that your kidneys are supposed to do. If your kidneys don't function properly, dialysis may be a necessary part of your life. Two methods of dialysis treatments are commonly available.
Automated Peritoneal Dialysis, or APD, is a type of kidney dialysis that is usually done at home, often while a patient is sleeping. A special machine automatically cycles a washing fluid through the patient's abdomen 3 to 5 times a night, removing excess fluids and any waste material. Watch this program to learn more about APD.
Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis, or CAPD, is a type of kidney dialysis that is done continuously throughout the day. Usually 4 to 5 times each day, the patient fills their abdomen with a special a washing fluid. While the fluid sits in the abdomen it removes excess fluids and any waste material from the blood and is drained from the abdomen. Watch this program to learn more about CAPD.
Hemodialysis is a type of procedure that involves the patient being connected to a machine to clean their blood of any excess fluid or waste material. On average, each session of hemodialysis lasts 4 hours and must be done three times a week in a dialysis center. Learn more about hemodialysis by watching this program.
In order for a dialysis machine to clean excess fluid or waste material from a person's blood, the patient needs to be connected to the machine, usually for several hours, three times a week. This connection, or fistula, is often made in the patient's arm, where an artery is surgically connected to a vein. Learn more about this access point, or AV fistula, and how it works, by watching this program.
If you and your healthcare team have chosen hemodialysis to treat your kidney failure, you'll need an access point, or connection point, so that your blood can be cleaned by the dialysis machine several times a week. For most people, this access point is an AV fistula, often made in the patient's arm. By watching this program, you'll learn how your dialysis care team will access the fistula during dialysis.
If you are receiving hemodialysis, it's likely that you are connected to the dialysis machine through an AV fistula, probably in your arm. It's very important that this access point, or fistula, is in good working order and is free of infection. Learn how to care for your fistula by watching this program.
Being told that you need dialysis because your kidneys are starting to fail, can be very stressful, emotionally as well as physically. By watching this program, you will learn what kinds of resources can help you cope with the emotions, as well as the lifestyle changes that go along being on dialysis.
This minimally-invasive procedure, performed with the da Vinci Surgical System, is used to remove a diseased kidney or to remove a healthy kidney for transplant.
This minimally-invasive procedure, performed with the da Vinci Surgical System, is used to remove a portion of a diseased kidney, sparing the rest of the kidney and allowing it to continue to function.
