Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a treatment option enabling the patients to lead a better quality of life and to perform dialysis in their own homes while continuing with their social lives. The relation of various demographic, clinic and biochemical parameters of PD patients with infections were evaluated. Significant correlation was detected between females and exit site scores. There was significant correlation between educational status and peritonitis. It was also shown that peritonitis risk tended to decrease inversely with education level.

Occasionally dialysis patients show symptoms that indicate intolerance to the way dialysis is delivered. This paper describes two cases of transient shortness of breath during the initial treatments after starting on on-line HDF. Our actions to deal with these symptoms focused on reducing the bicarbonate gain during the first phase of the dialysis treatment. We hypothesize that the bicarbonate concentration in the dialysis fluid may play an important role for the development of shortness of breath and hypoxemia during HDF treatments.

Abstract: Less than 10% of children under two years old with end stage renal failure in Europe and in the United States are treated with haemodialysis. For small children, peritoneal dialysis is the preferred treatment. With the technological development of recent years, the quality of dialysis treatment offered to paediatric patients has improved and HD is now a safe and efficient treatment for acute or chronic paediatric renal impairment. However, dialysis should be considered as a temporary treatment while waiting for renal transplant.

Protein/caloric malnutrition is a problem in chronically haemodialysed patients.. Objectives: were to assess the safety and efficiency of intradialytic parenteral nutritional (IDPN) as nutritional support in acutely ill haemodialysis patients. Twenty-two haemodialysis patients received IDPN after either major surgical or medical illnesses. Patients received IDPN for 1.5 – 48 months. IDPN was safe for all patients and all dialysis outcomes remained adequate. IDPN can be safely used in haemodialysed patients who are acutely ill and unable to meet daily nutritional requirements with an oral intake.

Focus groups of nurses from both in-centre and satellite dialysis units were undertaken followed by questionnaires. The In-centre nursing staff rated the busy-ness of the unit as the maximum stress. The mostly notable stressor for the staff at the satellite unit related to patient behaviour and the perceived unrealistic expectations of the patient followed by patients arriving unwell at the unit.
Nurses suffer stress on a daily basis in both in-centre and satellite dialysis units. The major stressors differ from in-centre to satellite dialysis units.

The quality of the patient’s life whilst in the hospital setting is important and the quality of the hospital environment is equally important. The effect of noise on health varies depending upon the susceptibility of the individual, but can include higher blood pressure, stress and annoyance in staff, and can erode quality of care. The quality of the hospital environment plays an important part in treating patients effectively and efficiently. The use of acoustic design principles can reduce the level and impact of noise and improve the quality of care and the patient experience.

It is essential to identify the information topics that are important to chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients to provide ‘appropriate’ information that will improve their knowledge, promote independence and encourage them to self-manage their illness. This paper explores the existing body of evidence on the information needs of CKD patients to identify information topic areas important to these patients and highlight factors that influence a patients information needs.

A new model of care was designed to introduce Enrolled Nurses (EN) into an almost exclusively Registered Nurse (RN) workforce. The programme comprises of training in medication administration, training in dialysis procedures in the haemodialysis unit, and clinical placement in the renal ward. A descriptive study was conducted.. This paper will ourline the design, implementation and evaluation of an educational programme for EN practicing in specialised haemodialysis services.

The best overall index of renal function is considered to be glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and the gold standard for its assessment is renal inulin clearance (C_in) Unfortunately, C_in cannot be routinely used in daily practice due to its complexity as a test. The most often used ones are the Cockcroft-Gault (CG) formula and the recently developed Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) prediction equation. Calculation of MDRD (estimated GFR) according to this formula is simple but it requires a computer program. The following table is prepared for parts of the world, where the computer program is not available as yet.