Box Butte General Hospital: Diaylsys

Kidneys are some of the hardest working organs of the human body

In recognition of World Kidney Day March 12, 2009, Box Butte General Hospital (BBGH) Dialysis Unit Manager Paulette Burkhardt, RN, urges area residents to become more familiar with the vital functions their kidneys perform on a daily basis.

The Box Butte General Hospital Dialysis Unit, as currently staffed,
can treatup to 24 patients. A person on dialysis has to be treated
three days a week, with each sessionlasting from three
to four hours. Above is Dialysis Unit LPN Cari Krauter, visiting
with patient Dennis Mercer of Alliance.
Ms. Burkhardt manages a team of four full time RNs, three full time LPNs, one part time LPN, a Social Worker and Dietician on staff to help patients with their dialysis needs. The Dialysis Unit opened its doors to patients in December of 2000, expecting a slow but steady increase in utilization. However, the demand for the department grew much faster than envisioned. In January of 2008, the hospital installed the latest in hemodialysis machines – the Fresenius 2008K, made possible by a very generous anonymous donation, given to the hospital in 2007.

“Your kidneys are little powerhouses, cleaning and scrubbing your blood day in, day out,” Ms. Burkhardt said. “The National Kidney Foundation has compiled a list explaining what your kidney does for you when healthy, and what happens when they start to fail. I would urge everyone to go through this list to become more familiar with what their kidneys do for them each day, 24/7. I would also urge everyone to talk with their doctor about regular kidney testing.”

According to the National Kidney Foundation:

1.Your kidneys are about the size of your fist. They are located in the back, just below the rib cage. The kidney's main job is to filter waste products and excess fluid from your blood. Every day, the kidneys filter about 200 quarts of fluid. About two quarts leave the body in the form of urine, while the remainder is retained in the body.

2. In addition to filtering wastes from the blood, the kidneys also perform these important jobs:

release hormones that help regulate blood pressure;

control the production of red blood cells;

make vitamins that control growth.

3. When the kidneys no longer perform these functions adequately due to injury or disease, wastes and excess fluid build up in the blood. The early warning signs that your kidneys may not be working well are:

high blood pressure

more frequent urination, particularly at night; difficult or painful urination

puffiness around eyes or swelling of hands or feet

blood and/or protein in the urine;

BUN and creatinine blood tests outside the normal range

glomerular filtration rate (GFR), less than 90

4. Anyone can develop chronic kidney disease, but some people have an increased chance of developing kidney disease. This includes those who:

have a family history of kidney disease

have diabetes

have high blood pressure

are older

are African American, Hispanic American, Asian American or American Indian

5. In the U.S., the two leading causes of kidney failure – which requires regular dialysis or transplantation to sustain life – are diabetes and high blood pressure. When these two diseases are controlled by treatment, the associated chronic kidney disease can often be prevented or slowed down.

6. Many effective drugs are available to treat high blood pressure. In addition, healthy lifestyle changes, such as losing excess weight and regular exercise, often help to control -- and may even help to prevent -- high blood pressure.

7. Careful control of blood sugar in diabetics helps to prevent complications including chronic kidney disease, heart problems and strokes. When diabetics have associated high blood pressure, special drugs called angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) may help to protect their kidney function.

8. The third leading cause of kidney failure in the U.S. is glomerulonephritis-- a disease that damages the kidney's filtering units, called the glomeruli. In many cases, the cause of this disease is not known, but some cases may be inherited and others may be triggered by an infection.

9. Some of the other conditions that may affect the kidneys include kidney stones and inherited diseases such as polycystic kidney disease. Some of these diseases can be cured. In other cases, treatments can help to slow the disease and prolong life. The kidneys can also be harmed by overuse of some over-the-counter pain killers and by taking illegal drugs such as heroin.

10. Kidney failure occurs when 85 to 90 percent of kidney function has been lost. Doctors can determine when patients reach this stage on the basis of blood and urine tests. Patients may experience nausea, vomiting, weakness, fatigue, confusion, difficulty concentrating and loss of appetite.

Readers wanting to learn more about kidneys can find a wealth of information at the Kidney Foundation web site: www.kidney.org, especially under the News and Events tab. “The more information a person has about their kidneys, the better they can take care of them and know what to watch for,” Ms. Burkhardt concluded.