Enid: The Nature Of Patients With Kidney Failure

Three days before being called for her kidney transplant, Rachel was put on dialysis which uses an artificial device to clean and filter the blood of waste products. This caused her major pain and distress, Rachel says that this was ‘one of the most painful experiences she’s ever been through’. She said the pain was mainly in her shoulder and it felt like she was being ‘dragged down to the floor’, this affected her quality of life as for those three days she had a dependence on medicinal substances and medical aids. After the transplant Rachel still has to take drugs each day

A patient may give clues with or without realizing they have done so; therefore, the nurse needs to be cognizant of such and relay the information to the physician. Even if the patient has a terminal illness and has decided to end his life, the nurse who has picked up on this decision still needs to relay this information to the physician for it to be explored further.

“The emergency nurse acts with compassion, integrity and respect for human dignity while recognizing and safeguarding the autonomy of the individual”, (ENA, 2015). While this provision appears simply stated, most nurses find it difficult to remember their patient as a human being with intricate needs and basic human rights. As an emergency nurse, I have to keep these needs and rights at the forefront of my thoughts during the care of the patient during a very vulnerable time. Patients come in under stress, sometimes involuntary and at the most desperate times in their lives. I constantly have to make a concerted effort to communicate with the patient during a chaotic time, take time to listen to the patients fears and concerns and communicate those to the team.

The role of a nurse has been evolving with advancement in technology and changes in the healthcare system. The level of compassion displayed towards patients however does not change. For example, in the movie, Vivian’s nurse Susie was the one to show her

11. Irreversible damage to your kidneys (end-stage kidney disease), eventually requiring either dialysis or a kidney transplant for survival

Both of our kidneys functions to filter and excrete waste products and toxins by regulating fluids, electrolytes, and acid based balance. If the Renal blood flow is altered then the glomerular filtration rate will be altered as well. A decrease in systemic pressure stimulates the sympathetic nervous system to constrict the renal artery and decreases filtration and secretion in the kidney. In addition, a tubular obstruction can lead to the reduction of Glomerular filtration rate. An elevated intracellular calcium level due to tubular damage may alter cellular level that increases tubuloglomerular feedback and diminishes GFR. This may be prerenal, intrarenal, or postrenal. The prerenal will result from any condition outside of the kidney that disables the blood to flow to the renal vasculature causing a decrease in perfusion in the glomerulus leading to oliguria. However, both of the kidneys can still return to its full normal function on this stage. Second of the three is intrarenal, where anything can cause a direct damage to both of the kidneys such as infections, toxins, reduce blood supply, hypertension, diabetes, and even glomerulonephritis. The most common intrarenal condition is Acute Tubular Necrosis, where the epithelial layer of the nephrons are damaged causing a change in the concentration of urine, waste filtration, and an imbalance in electrolytes and acid

Acute renal failure, recently being called Acute Kidney injury (AKI), according to Susan Dirkes (2011), “the classification criteria for AKI include three grades of severity: risk of acute renal failure, injury to the kidney and failure of renal function.” (p.37).

As a nursing student, we are taught from day one that we must show empathy and consideration towards our patients. In the book, "Bed Number Ten", there were many instances where the patient was put aside and qualities such as understanding and compassion did not exist. In this book, the patient’s name is Sue. She is suffering from a disease called Guillain-Barre Syndrome. This disease consumes the entire body. The only functioning part

Acute renal failure is a sudden decrease of kidney function often characterized by the loss of homeostatic equilibrium of the internal medium causing waste accumulation in the blood. Aside from accumulation of waste products like nitrogen and urea, it is also characterized by a sudden decrease of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) which disables the kidney from filtering waste products that is harmful to the body. Evidently, acute renal failure disables the kidney from maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance. As stated by kidneyatlas.org, causes for acute renal failure are classified into three: prerenal, intrarenal, and postrenal.

Our current study demonstrates that among hospitalized HF patients, 2179 (32%) had traditional AKI (rise in serum creatinine by >=0.3 mg/dl) and 789 (12%) of hospitalized HF patients developed reverse AKI (drop in serum creatinine by >=0.3 mg/dl). The change in serum creatinine of greater than or equal to 0.3mg/dl was associated with higher 30-day all-cause readmission and mortality. Interestingly, reverse AKI group was also associated with higher 30-day all-cause readmission and mortality. To our knowledge this is the first study that reports 30-day all cause readmission and mortality by serial changes in serum creatinine in hospitalized HF patients. There is a need for increased awareness regarding this particular subset of patients.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an irreversible condition that progresses causing kidney dysfunction and then to kidney failure. It is classified by a GFR of <60mL/min for longer than 3 months. There are five stages of CKD: Stage 1 has kidney damage but has a GFR ≥ 90. Stage 2 has mild damage and a GFR of 60-89. Stage 3 has moderate damage and a GFR of 30-59. Stage 4 has severe damage and a GFR of 15-29. Stage 5 is also known as end stage renal disease (ESRD), this is kidney failure with a GFR of ≤ 15 and theses patients are typically on dialysis or in need of an immediate transplant. The leading cause of CKD is diabetes. Hypertension is also a major cause. Since most DM patients have HTN,

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is among the leading causes of mortality throughout the world, and its prevalence and the health care costs resulting from it are considerable and increasing. CKD commonly is silent and asymptomatic until its late stages. Accordingly, CKD is diagnosed prior to symptomatic stage of kidney failure, resulting in delays in proper interventions and the emergence of adverse consequences in the CKD patients

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2010, 10% of adults in the United States have chronic kidney disease (CKD). That is estimated at about 20 million people. People with CKD may not feel any symptoms in the early stages, so treatment most likely has not been started. When a person often finds out they are in need of treatment, they may already be in kidney failure or end stage renal disease (ESRD). This paper will discuss the reimbursement mechanisms presented in the Sullivan article, the economics of providing ESRD treatment from the organization's point of view, patients options and potential trade-offs related to cost, quality, and access to

At the end of our 2 weeks of data gathering and completing the study, the group aims to accomplish the following:

To understand what renal failure is, it is important to know how the kidneys work and what the main functions are. The body has two kidneys on either side of the spine and the kidneys work to remove toxic waste and excess water by producing urine. The kidneys also help with controlling blood pressure and produce erythropoietin as well as aiding in keeping bones strong by producing calcetrol hormones. When the kidneys are unable to perform these functions it causes the kidneys to fail.