During the past 4O years there have been major conceptual and technical advances in the domain of dialysis methods and renal/organ transplantation for long-term treatment of patients with End-Stage Renal Failure (ESRF). This now enables better defined, more selective strategies of treatment to be undertaken, according to patient-specific criteria such as age or underlying renal disease also taking into account the lifetime duration of these treatments. For many patients this implies necessary successive changes of mode of therapy depending on their availability, occurrence of medical/technical complications or failure and social-environmental and economic factors. This rationale has inspired the structure of this volume which is divided into four sections: 1/ A descriptive overview of the various modes of renal replacement therapy (RRT): Extracorporeal dialysis/filtration, peritoneal dialysis, kidney and multi-organ transplantation.2/ Most appropriate indications and use of these methods, respective advantages, drawbacks and outcome in children, pregnant women and elderly patients 3/ In diabetic patients and in patients with hereditary/congenital diseases. 4/ The ethical issues generated by this new domain in Medicine by limitations in treatment facilities or medical dilemmas for acceptance, best technical choices, withdrawal or termination of RRT in individual patients. Finally, contributors form Eastern European Countries, Africa and Far Eastern Countries analyse the current status of RRT in their respective geographical area and the ways and means required for a wider implementation of RRT in thus far lesser economically developed countries where the great majority of the populations still have no access to these life-saving therapeutic procedures.

This book provides a comprehensive and systematic review of the latest findings in a wide spectrum of clinically important aspects of chronic kidney disease (CKD), focusing on clinical diagnosis and therapeutics. CKD is a global health problem with a rising morbidity and mortality. The last decade has seen significant improvements in determining the incidence, prevalence, and complications of CKD, mainly thanks to the definitions of CKD developed by the National Kidney Foundation’s Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI). However, increased recognition of CKD has led to awareness of the limitations of its clinical diagnosis and treatment, which are essential to patients’ wellbeing. This book is of particular value not only to nephrologists, but also to general practitioners and residents with an interest in CKD. It offers a well-organized exposition of the current knowledge base. Compared with previously published books on kidney disease and CKD, it has a smaller number of more concise chapters. As a result, readers can easily obtain an overview of the most important topics in CKD. We hope that practitioners will gain as much from reading this practical guide to clinical management of CKD as we have from editing it.

First edition edited by Janel Parker in 1998

Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy provides concise, evidence-based, bedside guidance for the management of critically ill patients with acute renal failure, offering quick reference answers to clinicians' questions about treatments and situations encountered in daily practice.

Since 1972, many victims of endstage renal disease (ESRD) have received treatment under a unique Medicare entitlement. This book presents a comprehensive analysis of the federal ESRD program: who uses it, how well it functions, and what improvements are needed. The book includes recommendations on patient eligibility, reimbursement, quality assessment, medical ethics, and research needs. Kidney Failure and the Federal Government offers a wealth of information on these and other topics: The ESRD patient population. Dialysis and transplantation providers. Issues of patient access and availability of treatment. Ethical issues related to treatment initiation and termination. Payment policies and their relationship to quality of care. This book will have a major impact on the future of the ESRD program and will be of interest to health policymakers, nephrologists and other individual providers, treatment site administrators, and researchers.

Palliative care has become increasingly important across the spectrum of healthcare, and with it, the need for education and training of a broad range of medical practitioners not previously associated with this field of care. As part of the Integrating Palliative Care series, this volume on palliative care in nephrology guides readers through the core palliative knowledge and skills needed to deliver high value, high quality care for seriously ill patients with chronic and end-stage kidney disease. Chapters are written by a team of international leaders in kidney palliative care and are organized into sections exploring unmet supportive care needs, palliative care capacity, patient-centered care, enhanced support at the end of life, and more. Chapter topics are based on the Coalition for Supportive Care of Kidney Patients Pathways Project change package of 14 evidence-based best practices to improve the delivery of palliative care to patients with kidney disease. An overview of the future of palliative care nephrology with attention to needed policy changes rounds out the text. Palliative Care in Nephrology is an ideal resource for nephrologists, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, social workers, primary care clinicians, and other practitioners who wish to learn more about integrating individualized, patient-centered palliative care into treatment of their patients with kidney disease.

An international group of contributors provides a comprehensive, evidence-based overview of supportive care for the nephrology patient, emphasising the continuum of palliative care from the time of diagnosis through to end-of-life care and the issues surrounding withdrawal of dialysis.